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NEW ORLEANS – Elijah Mitchell has barely scratched the surface of how good he can be.
The Erath High product gave fans and coaches a peek at that potential – a tease frame, more than a freeze frame – during UL’s 2017 season.
But a foot injury against Idaho put Mitchell on the shelf for half of the season and all of spring drills, robbing him of a chance to impress new coach Billy Napier and his staff on the field.
Not to worry. Napier has plans for Mitchell as soon as he gets healthy.
“We want to get Elijah ready to play,” Napier said during Monday’s Sun Belt Conference Media Day activities. “He will be on a modified schedule, but we’re eager to have him work his way in there and be part of the offense.
“He’s got a lisfranc injury, which basically is a dislocation of the foot. It’s a two-operation kind of thing. It’s very subjective. There’s no textbook for when he should come back.”
Sophomore Trey Ragas has earned the right to be the lead back heading into fall drills after a team-best 813 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2017. But Napier’s fast-paced attack has room for many contributors, such as Mitchell and Cecilia High-ex Raymond Calais Jr.
Mitchell rushed 11 times for 56 yards and a touchdown against SLU, gained 84 on just 8 carries at Tulsa – scoring both on the ground and through the air – and totalled 107 yards and a pair of scores versus UL Monroe.
“Obviously, you can see on film that he’s got talent,” Napier said.
The new coach also sees bright things ahead for Calais, whose main contributiion has been special teams with a pair of kickoff return touchdowns against SLU the highlight.
A former track star at Cecilia, Calais has 1,044 yards in career kick returns and 205 yards on 38 carries in limited action on offense. He saw extended time on offense in the spring.
“Raymond will be a big part of our offense,” Napier said. “We want to be creative in ways we try to get him the ball.”
Trying to best utilize talented running backs is just one of many tasks Napier must solve as the program’s leader.
“The challenge is in front of us,” said Napier, who is already hard at work on his 2019 recruiting class. “We want to create a personality that can deal with adversity within a season, within a game, within a quarter.
“It starts with how we go about our business inside the building, and a belief that we can do special things.”
It is clear Napier is expecting special things from his pair of Acadiana area backs.
“We have Calais for two more years, and Mitchell hopefully for three more, and we could see both of them become household names before their Cajun careers are over,” he said.

On June 15, 2018 in the stillness of listening to the recitation of the rosary, Audrey Rita Reaux quietly and peacefully slipped away to be with the Lord.  On Monday, July 30, 2018 a Christian Mass of celebration of her life will be held at St Theresa Of the Child Jesus Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m. with Fr. Chester Arceneaux as the celebrant.  
Audrey, who was a very devout Catholic attended mass daily as well as always going to her regular Holy Hour every Saturday.  She was a Eucharistic minister at St. Theresa Catholic Church for many years and also administered Communion to the sick and elderly at the nursing home before she became ill.  Audrey was a lung cancer survivor for over 10 years.
After having taught in the Vermilion Parish School system for over 30 years, Audrey retired but remained active as she helped tutor kids at the Briggs Learning Center for a couple of years.  She always instilled in her school kids to stay in school and reminded them that education was the key to a Successful life.  She was a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Seton Elementary School and also taught at Herod Elementary (old East Abbeville Elementary) until her retirement.  Though she had no children of her own, she treated and loved all of her school kids with love and affection.
For over 60 years, Audrey was a faithful member of Our Lady of Lourdes Court #77 Knights of St Peter Claver Auxillary and was also one of the  2016 recipients of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for St. Theresa Catholic Church for outstanding work in her church and community .
Audrey is survived by her sister Helen Reaux Gordon of Seattle, Washington; two brothers  Allen “Blacky” (Camille) Reaux of Las Vegas, Nevada and Donald (Shirley) Reaux of San Diego, California; she is also survived by several nieces, nephews and godchildren.
She was preceded by her parents Mamie LaBauve Reaux and John M. Reaux Sr.; three brother John M. Reaux Jr., Raymond “Red” Reaux and Peter Marcus “ T-Set” Reaux.
Kinchen Funeral Home – 218 N. St. Valerie Street – Abbeville, LA (337) 898-9595 is in charge of final arrangements. Additionally, condolences to the family may be expressed on our website at: www.kinchenfuneralhome.com.

Gulf Coast Bank has been a supporter of Hospice of Acadiana for many years.
Hospice of Acadiana, Inc. remains the only non-profit hospice in our area. They have the longest record of continuous service of any hospice in Louisiana, and since their inception, they have served over 24,000 patients and their families.
Mike Hebert, Gulf Coast Bank Investment Executive, and Hospice of Acadiana Board Member, presented Gulf Coast Bank’s donation to Kacee Thompson, Hospice of Acadiana Foundation Director.
“We continue to be a proud supporter of Hospice of Acadiana and the service they provide to members of our community in their time of need,” said Mike Hebert.
Hospice of Acadiana provides medical care, counseling, and spiritual direction to persons with life-threatening conditions and their families. Visit www.hospiceacadiana.com to contribute to their mission, or to learn more about their services.
Gulf Coast Bank is a locally-owned and operated full-service banking institution with thirteen locations within Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes, including branches inside three area Walmarts.