Daniel Roane new Redemptorist football coach

It took a few days for the process to run its course, but by Friday afternoon, Daniel Roane was making phone calls, practice plans and greeting players as Redemptorist’s new head football coach.

The 28-year-old Roane was one of five applicants interviewed for the Wolves’ job after Craig Laborde abruptly resigned after just more thn a month on the job to accept a head coaching position in Pensacola, Fla.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” Roane said. “Redemptorist is a program with such great tradition. I know we’ve got a lot of work to do, like hiring a staff, getting some more kids out and getting ready for the jamboree.”

Redemptorist was not the only local school generating coaching news Friday. Capitol High hired longtime middle school coach and former Grambling standout Claude Coleman as its boys basketball coach.

Roane spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Houma’s Terrebonne High. A 2002 graduate of Barbe-Lake Charles, Roane served as a student assistant at LSU from 2006-08. He graduated from LSU in 2009.

Redemptorist Principal Mary Beth Andereck announced Roane’s hiring Friday, saying it took several days for the hiring process to be complete.

“We’re excited to have Daniel here,” Andereck said. “He’s been with us for a few days, but we had to wait until everything was finalized before making an announcement.”

Roane will technically be the fourth RHS coach in three years. Longtime Redemptorist staff member Guy Mistretta resigned following the 2010 season and is now the head coach at The Dunham School, a District 7-2A rival of the Wolves. Mistretta coached the Wolves to a 3A state title in 2005, one of three titles the school won during the last decade.

Ex-Redemptorist player Aaron Vice led the Wolves to a 4-7 record last fall and resigned in the spring, initially planning to become an assistant at Alexandria Senior High. Vice is now a graduate assistant coach at LSU.

Laborde came to Redemptorist after helping start the program at Miller-McCoy-New Orleans. He was the head coach at South Plaquemines last season. Citing family concerns, Laborde said he resigned in early July to become head coach at Pensacola-based Washington High.

Roane met RHS players for the first time on Friday. He is also looking to hire several assistant coaches, looking to mesh together a group of faculty and nonfaculty coaches. Roane also spent time making phone calls and planning to finalize the annual All Catholic Jamboree set for RHS.

“I’ve already had several guys call about coaching here,” Roane said. “I can’t say what we’re going to do offensively and defensively until I see the players we have. I understand that the number of players is down and there were rumors about the school not having a team. But we’re going to do whatever we can to get kids to come out. The goal is to be competitive and do whatever fits our personnel the best.”

Coleman takes over at Capitol after spending 11 years as head boys coach at Broadmoor Middle School. He was head coach at Career Academy in 2011-12. Coleman spent one season as an assistant boys and girls coach at Istrouma.

“I always wanted to be a head coach, but I wanted to have the perfect situation,” Coleman said. “And I feel like I have that here with a principal and other coaches who will be very supportive.

“My understanding is that we only have six players coming back, so we’ll be in a rebuilding mode. We want to keep the guys we have and then add to that number once school starts.”

Coleman, a Grambling standout coached by recent Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee Aaron James, played for the Tigers from 1994-96.

Former Belaire High track coach Roy Walker is the new principal at Capitol. Walker said Katrell Dixon, the Lions’ coach last year, remains on the faculty/staff.