Morgan joins Abbeville’s football coaching staff

Some still remember Morgan Breaux running track for North Vermilion and UL and how good she was on the oval.
She won the state high school indoor meet in the 55-meter dash in 2010.
Abbeville High head football coach Roderick Moy certainly does. That’s why the AHS coach hired Breaux. Morgan Breaux Hebert is the football team’s conditioning coach and part-time running backs coach for his football team.
“It would be different if it was somebody we didn’t know,” Moy said. “But I’ve known her since the eighth grade, I know what she’s about, I know what her character is, and if there is one thing I know that she can do, it’s run.
“When we hired her for summer conditioning, we worked on running form and worked on carrying form in whatever we did. Well, who do we want to do that, our running backs? So why not hire a running backs coach who is going to make sure our technique is there.”
Hebert steps into a rare role, a female coach in the mostly-male dominated football coaching ranks.
“I am here to spread my knowledge and help Coach Moy get these running backs to have a good season, “Hebert said. “I have a track background and a degree in exercise science, and I’m here to help them out,”
Hebert, who ran track for four years at UL Lafayette, plays a role that predominately involved conditioning the Abbeville athletes.
“It’s been run,” she said. “We have a lot of talent. If these guys believe in themselves half as much as we believe in them, we’re going to be unstoppable.”
Hebert’s duties include teaching the athletes proper and correct running form and trying to get them to run faster.
And even thought she has, “zero football background,” that didn’t stop Moy from hiring her.
“You can always teach football, the Abbeville coach said. “But Morgan brings so much more to the program than that. She was a Division I athlete.
“About 75 percent of our kids have a desire to play Division I football at a school like UL. So, if I can bring in someone, who competed at the Division I level to bring that knowledge of what it takes to compete at that level and give it to our kids, that’s a no-brainer.”
Hebert feels that she can be a positive influence and help coach the Wildcats.
“They have taken to the constructive criticism that I’ve given them,” Hebert said. “I’ve seen a tremendous difference in them.
“I’m building my knowledge of the sport, and I love it. I can’t wait to see what Friday night is like on the field. I hope that this is a continuous future for me.”