Crowley High’s Kyron Benoit takes over as head coach of his alma mater | High Schools

Crowley High was in search of a new head football coach, and defensive coordinator Kyron Benoit was positioning himself for the job.

Benoit served as defensive coordinator for the past four seasons and was a quarterback for the Gents who graduated in 2008 and signed with UL as a linebacker.

He was named head coach Friday after being on the staff since his UL days.

Benoit serving as the lead guy this spring with previous head coach Jeptha Wall having already left the school.

“It’s a dream come true,” Benoit said. “It’s full circle for me knowing the history and everything. I came here after my medical redshirt year at UL as a volunteer and the last four years I’ve gotten the opportunity to be defensive coordinator.

“To see how far I’ve come to now be in the head chair is surreal, and I tell the kids if you pay your dues, then you could be that guy.”

The Gents were usually a contender with Benoit on staff, and they will be looking to get back on track after going winless last season.

“We had four young freshmen starting on defense,” Benoit said. “It was a learning curve for us last year, and we’ve been building around younger guys. We’re just rebuilding for by the time they’re juniors and seniors, they’ll be ready to go.”

The Gents have several young athletes Benoit is excited about.

“Our offense will be tailored to our athletes,” Benoit said. “We have some sub 4.40 guys, and we plan to use them a lot. Just bringing back the excitement of Crowley football. Once we get that excitement, the kids will want to play, give it their all and the wins will follow. Our motto will be building true gentlemen on and off the field. On the field we’ll be gritty, blue collar, hard-working guys.”

With Benoit already familiar with the program, the transition to head coach shouldn’t be a major one.

“I’ve been kind of stepping in with coach Wall’s vacancy,” Benoit said. “The kids have been giving me respect, and I’ve had the advantage of being able to work and talk with them. I’m excited to talk with them more and see where we go from here. I’m looking to bring in a couple (coaches) outside, but hopefully everyone here is willing to stay.”

Benoit sees a lot of potential in the Gents’ football program.

“This is a key turning point,” Benoit said. “We have young talent flowing in, and I fell into a blessing with these kids. We have a great opportunity to do something special the next couple of years, and it’s all about how we mold them. They could be scary good.”