Taylor Abshire makes North Vermilion his new home

LEROY - The old cliché says that “home is where the heart is,” and it took Taylor Abshire a little while to get used to having a new home in the North Vermilion community.
“When I first got to North Vermilion, it was kind of a difficult transition for me because all of my friends lived and went to school in Erath, and I did not really have friends at North Vermilion,” explained the senior running back.
Abshire spent his freshman year with Erath High, before heading 17 minutes down the road to district title contender and foe, North Vermilion.
“At Erath I didn’t have much of an opportunity to play my freshman year, but when I transferred to North Vermilion in my sophmore year, I had an opportunity and I took it,” said Abshire. “I won the starting role in the third game of the season.”
After that game, there was no looking back for Abshire. He has steadily improved, and is coming off of a season in which he helped the Patriots finish second in the district behind Notre Dame, and clinch a berth in the playoffs before losing to Loranger High School in the first round.
There is a familiar face on the sidelines for the Patriots, but he is in a different role for the upcoming season. Richard Prejean is the new head coach of the team, and he is someone that is accustomed to the Patriot culture and he has developed a rapport with the players on the team.
“We were already familiar with coach Prejean because he was an assistant,” admitted Abshire. “He has taken the job by the horns, and he is doing a good job. We have a really good coaching staff, and I think everything will workout fine.”
Abshire looks to play a pivotal role this season in a Patriot offense that has featured the running game quite a bit.
“We have guys that can run ball, and that will help everyone out,” he said. “I hope to get a lot of carries this season, and help the team win some games, and get further than last year.”
The Patriots have a team with a plethora of young players, and Abshire is expected to have a bigger leadership role heading into this season.
North Vermilion will have their hands full this season with talented teams that finished below them in the district last year looking to surpass them on the totem pole as well as the vaunted Notre Dame Pioneers who sit at the top of the district.
Abshire has one year left in a Patriot uniform, and he credits the atmosphere at North Vermilion for making him feel comfortable and making the adjustment easier after leaving Erath.
“Playing for North Vermilion has been an honor,” he said. “It is a brotherhood at this school. Those guys on the team are my brothers.”