Editor’s Note: This story will appear in “Playmakers,” The Vicksburg Post’s annual football preview magazine. The 48-page special edition will be included with the Aug. 24-25 weekend edition of The Post and includes previews, features and more for all of Warren County’s high school teams.

Eli Labauve enjoys reading comic books in his spare time, and one of his favorite characters is the Flash.

At 6-foot and 240 pounds, Labauve won’t be mistaken for the DC Comics speedster any time soon. He is, however, hoping to be a Superman this season.

Labauve is in his second season as Tallulah Academy’s starting center. He’s one of only three seniors on the roster, and as such is being thrust into a bigger role than many offensive linemen who can remain fairly anonymous.

The Trojans lost nine seniors to graduation this offseason, after finishing 9-4 and reaching the second round of the MAIS Class 1A playoffs in 2023.

“It’s weird. The last class had a lot of seniors, too, but the class before that you could make up almost two whole teams of them. We’ve got to step up and lead,” Labauve said. “I’ve been doing it for a long time now, so it’s just get out there. Not much to mentally prepare for me.”

Tallulah Academy has gone 26-11 over the past three seasons, with three playoff appearances and one trip to the MAIS Class 2A championship game in 2022.

Labauve was a part of all three teams, either as a role player or starter, and developed into a reliable piece of the offensive line.

“He’s the one that’s been starting for a couple of years. He’s a very quiet leader. He knows blocking assignments, he knows everything,” Tallulah coach Bart Wood said. “You don’t hear much from him, but he knows everything and all the kids look up to him because he’s smart.”

Besides a high football I.Q., Wood said Labauve is technically sound. Labauve’s snaps are accurate — an obviously important ability for a center to master, but one that still proves tricky for some — and he’s able to handle whatever defender he’s matched up against.

“He’s just in the right position, always,” Wood said. “He knows how to turn the guy, he knows how to seal the hole. He’s not the biggest, or the strongest, or the fastest, but he knows how to do it. And he never misses a snap.”

With Labauve in the lineup, center is one position Wood neither had to restock nor worry about when he retooled the roster this season. Most of the starting offense and defense will be freshmen and sophomores who are proving themselves for the first time.

Labauve’s linemates Tripp Gayle and Stewart Grady are a junior and sophomore, respectively. Although they played some in 2023, both are first-time starters.

Having a solid veteran like Labauve in between them brought some peace of mind, Wood said.

“He’s a quiet leader, and that’s what I like about him,” Wood said. “I would be a lot more worried if we didn’t have him there. He brings so much to the table for us.”

2024 Tallulah Academy schedule
All games begin at 7 p.m.
Aug. 16 — Tallulah Academy 48, Tensas Academy 26
Aug. 23 — Riverdale
Aug. 30 — at Franklin Academy
Sept. 6 — *Briarfield
Sept. 13 — *at Union Christian
Sept. 20 — Wilkinson County Christian
Sept. 27 — Prairie View
Oct. 4 — at Columbus Christian
Oct. 11 — at Prentiss Christian
Oct. 18 — *River Oaks
Oct. 25 — *at Claiborne Academy
*MAIS District 2-1A games