Football: Cajun snapper Morella finds spot after breaking leg

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, November 5, 2015

 

Cajuns long snapper Stephen Morella (49) participates in warmups during the Sept. 12 game against Northwestern State at Cajun Field.(Photo: Paul Kieu/The Advertiser)

 

Stephen Morella can’t be sure what would have happened.

He was an undersized defensive end at Lafayette High, and perhaps could have walked on or even signed somewhere as a linebacker.

But a broken leg, sustained during the final summer practice prior to his 2011 senior season, changed all that.

“At the time,” the 5-foot-11, 231-pound Morella said, “I had decent speed and size.

“But after I broke my leg, a lot of that went out the window, because it was such a critical injury that it took two years to get back to 100 percent.”

So after missing his entire senior season with the Lions, and after multiple surgeries, Morella walked on at UL as a snapper with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

With former Cajun snappers Matt Rosenbalm and John Broussard both around in 2012, Morella was limited mostly to snagging balls while redshirting as a freshman.

That was fine, especially since the leg would not have allowed him to do much more anyway.

Both this season and last, though, the now fourth-year junior has been UL’s snapper for both PATs and field goals.

UL went 9-4 and beat Nevada in last year’s New Orleans Bowl. The Cajuns are 3-4 this year as they prepare to play at Georgia State on Saturday.

And Morella — who works with two fellow locals, kicker Stevie Artigue of Lafayette High and holder Jake Guidry of Carencro High, could not be happier things turned out like they did.

“I have no regrets. I love where I’m at,” he said. “I love what’s going on over here. I’ve been a part of some great wins, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”