The senior class at Delta Charter School has the opportunity to do something not many high-school athletes are afforded — to establish a fresh and lasting foundation.
Tyler Heard is one of 10 seniors on the Storm roster, the first senior class in the school’s history, and Heard said that is an honor he doesn’t take lightly.
“Being the first group, it puts a lot of pressure on us,” said Heard, who serves as both an offensive and defensive lineman for the Storm. “We’re here to set the tone for the years after this. We’re the start of a brand new program.”
Established in the fall of 2013, Heard said Delta Charter has served him well both as a student and as an athlete.
“Here, you’re all just one family,” Heard said. “Everybody’s close, everybody knows everybody, and you’re all together.”
Not only does Heard serve as a member of the inaugural senior class, but also has the opportunity to potentially be a member of the Storm’s first playoff squad after the school served a mandatory probationary period upon the school’s establishment.
Leading the Storm is first-year coach Zach Rogel, who Heard said brings a high level of excitement to the program.
“He’s very outgoing with us,” Heard said. “When we’re practicing, he’s practicing with us. He’s into everything with us. He’s not just on the sideline coaching; he’s actually into it with us. It gets pretty intense with him. It’s cool, it’s just like having another teammate out there with you, and it makes everything a lot easier.”
Through its first three games of the season, Delta Charter has gone 1-2, but the team showed the potential of what the program has to offer after a strong showing against LHSAA Class 4A Grant High School last week. Grant defeated Delta Charter 48-28, but the LHSAA Class 1A Storm trailed just 28-20 at the half, posing a threat in a big step up in competition.
“We’ve got a good shot to go a long way with our offense,” Heard said. “But there are still some things on our line that we need to work on. We have to get more people to block more often … If we can do that, then we’ll be able to go (far).”
In the contest, Heard demonstrated his versatility by sliding from his left tackle post to playing center in an effort to neutralize Grant’s best interior lineman.
“He’s embraced that role of doing whatever it takes, and I think all of our seniors have,” Rogel said.
“Wherever he needs me, whenever he needs me,” Heard said. “I’ll play wherever.”
Rogel said Heard and the rest of the seniors are forging their own paths this season.
“This senior class, they haven’t received (instruction) from anybody (older teammates),” Rogel said. “Nobody showed them how to do it the right way. They believe in what (the coaches are) telling them. They’re leaving that legacy and setting that standard to live up to.”
This Friday, Heard and the rest of the Storm will hit the road for their first district contest of the season as they take on Oak Grove (0-3).
“It’s going to be a tough team,” Heard said. “I know they’re not going to pass on us, they’re going run it up the middle and try to pound it down our throats the whole game.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.