Hammond Head Coach Dorsett Buckels Is Weathering The Storm For The Tornadoes

by Jace LeJeune

When Dorsett Buckels was named the head coach of the Hammond Tornadoes last season, not only did Buckels have to immediately win the team over, but he also had to do so during one of the most challenging times to be a high school head football coach in recent history.

"The biggest adjustment is just coming in," Coach Buckels said. "Coming in so late, I knew that we were not going to do everything that I wanted to do. I didn't want to change much because I didn't want them to not be prepared on Friday nights. I wanted to come in and oversee everything because I came in like two weeks before the season started."

Coming in two weeks before a season for a season that came with a lot more questions than answers really made the team learn life lessons along the way.

"This teaches them on how to face adversity, and that everything is not going to work for them all the time," Coach Buckels said. "We can control only what we can control. However, we were going to be prepared as if there was going to be a season. We are going to work hard everyday and try to get better."

This philosophy for Coach Buckels has carried over recently when he helped build the Capitol Lions football program into a playoff contender at the Class 2A ranks.

"It is about just changing the culture," Coach Buckels said. "When you are in the classroom, think about team over me. When you are on the field, think about team over me. That means I am not going to be selfish and think about me. Always be a selfless player. Again, that also goes in the community, the classroom, and also on the field as well. We are going to do it how and when it is supposed to be done."

These important life lessons were also learned for Buckels when he was one of the players under Nick Saban that helped the LSU Tigers football team become a powerhouse.

"Coach Saban always preached discipline and doing the little things," Coach Buckels said. "Paying attention to the little details will take you a long way. We want to make you a better person and make sure that you are a productive citizen once you leave. That's my whole thing there."

Despite only winning one game in 2020, Coach Buckels saw a lot of positives to take away after being able to coach on the fly during the season.

"We made sure to focus on the fundamentals," Coach Buckels said. "We are just trying to get the little things right and make sure that everybody is a student of the game. When you know what everybody has to do, it can make things a lot easier. I feel like we got better at that over the course of the season."

Now, with a whole offseason, Coach Buckels and the rest of the Hammond coaching staff will get the opportunity to change the culture or weather the storm by educating their players even more for what they want to do.

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Jace is from Addis, LA but resides in Port Allen, LA. Jace has graduated recently from Southeastern Louisiana University with a major in Communications. Jace has also broadcasted games as a play by play announcer for Southeastern’s basketball games on ESPN Plus. Also, Jace has anchored and reported on Southeastern’s award winning show “The Big Game.” This is Jace’s fifth year as Associate Editor at Louisiana Football Magazine. He is also a graduate from Catholic High School in baton-rouge where he was the editor of the school newspaper the “Bearly Published.” While at CHS, Jace also announced their football, basketball, and baseball games for the Bruin Broadcast Network which is the Catholic High’s streaming website for their events. On weekends, Jace is the PA announcer for his middle school football games. At home, Jace enjoys time with his family and friends. Besides being a huge football fan, Jace is also an avid NHRA drag racing fan.