Setting the Standard: Buckeye’s new football coach preps for new season

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Seven-on-sevens are dominating the offseason for many teams, and it gives coaches a chance to see how their offense is working together.

For Buckeye High School’s head football coach Ben McLaughlin, seven-on-seven tournaments allow him to keep setting his standards.

McLaughlin took over a team that finished 4-6 last season and coming from Alexandria Senior High School as an offensive coordinator with a 5A state title under his belt and Louisiana Christian University as the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator, he plans to turn the program around and finish with wins this season.

Even though he is a first-year head coach, having an offensive background is preparing the Panthers during seven-on-sevens for the season by improving their passing game and focusing on throwing the ball with accuracy and hitting their targets.

“We are out doing this seven-on-seven,” said McLaughlin “Some people call it underwear football. Is it real football? No, but we get to talk about different things. We are so much better right now than we were a month ago. It is a new team, it is my first year there, so we are really trying to set the standard and teach these kids from seniors down to the 8th graders on what the standard is going to be, and so far, the kids are showing up kids are there. They are not sleeping in, they are communicating, they are working hard and that is all you can ask for.”

He wants to implement the skills that are needed to become a winning team, which will be a gradual process for the Panthers, but no matter the outcome of the upcoming season, his focus is making an impact on the program.

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