Ellender fighting rash of key offensive injuries

Figaro’s big day spoiled Jay Thomas’ NSU reunion
October 15, 2013
‘Shot heard ’round the pitch’ lands player at NSU
October 15, 2013
Figaro’s big day spoiled Jay Thomas’ NSU reunion
October 15, 2013
‘Shot heard ’round the pitch’ lands player at NSU
October 15, 2013

Prior to this season, the Ellender football team had been blessed with good health throughout head coach Terry Washington’s tenure.


But the Patriots (3-3, 0-1 in district) have been battered and bruised all throughout 2013.

The key losses are beginning to affect the team’s firepower on the offensive side of the football.

With injuries mounting throughout the depth chart, Ellender has lost three of its past four games, including two-straight defeats at home.


In the latest defeat – a 46-16 drumming at the hands of Assumption, the Patriots suffered their biggest blow out the season when elite quarterback Dustin Creppel went down with a shoulder injury.

Washington said the ailment will likely keep Creppel out for “a few games”.

“One of the things we told everyone at the beginning of the season was that we could be pretty good if we just stayed away from injuries,” Washington said. “But for the first time since I’ve been at this school, we’ve been hit by just a big rash of injuries. The injury bug has a pretty big grip on us, and it’s not an excuse, but we just have a lot of young guys out there who are being asked to play in key positions.”


The Patriots’ biggest injuries have come along its potent offense – a unit that was one of the top passing offenses in all of Louisiana throughout last season.

Washington said the bad karma started in the preseason when the Patriots lost Kevin Lucien in the team’s preseason scrimmage with Central Catholic of Morgan City.

“He hasn’t played one down this season,” Washington said. “And that’s big because Kevin is a big-time player for us. He’s a big key to our offense.”


But in the first game of the season – a 40-14 Ellender win against Madison Prep, athlete Thomas Johnson also went down.

“His injury was on probably the second or third series of the year,” Washington said. “Then again right there, right off the bat, we lose one of our guys before we even really get started.”

Then in the third game of the season, utility receiver Jarred Turner also went down – an injury that loomed huge because when healthy, Turner was pitching in 235 all-purpose yards per game for Ellender.


His injury leaves just receiver Dan Mitchell and halfback Justin Johnson as the lone experienced playmakers for Ellender’s once-loaded offense.

Against Assumption, the lack of experience was present as the Mustangs double-teamed Mitchell and then crammed the box to take Johnson’s running ability away.

“They had a great gameplan – they were really well-coached to defend us,” Washington said. “They really put a lot of pressure on Dan and Justin to make plays with guys around them. They were really sort of daring us to put the ball in the hands of some of our younger kids to see if they could rise to the occasion.”


But it all reached its low point in the second half of that loss when Creppel went down with a shoulder injury – the same shoulder that he injured during his sophomore season.

Washington said that the senior gun slinger will likely miss a few games with the ailment. In his absence, sophomore Curtis Anderson will guide the Patriots’ offense.

Washington said that Anderson is skilled and could likely be a big-time player. But he’s not quite on Creppel’s level just yet – especially not in the passing game, which is where Ellender has thrived.


“He can actually run the football pretty good back there,” Washington said of Anderson. “He was the JV quarterback before, so we’re moving him up now to the varsity role. Is he ready for that kind of a step up? We think he’s going to be pretty good. We think he’s ready to play. But he’s not Dustin Creppel. He’s not going to do a lot of the things that he did for us. It’s up to us as coaches to keep him level-headed and playing to his skills.”

But the good news for the Patriots is that the schedule going forward isn’t so bad.

The Patriots play Morgan City on the road this Friday. The Tigers are 0-6 on the season and have struggled to fin consistent offense or defense under first-year coach Dennis Lorio.


From there, Ellender stays on the road in a non-district tilt with Franklin.

Washington said he believes a few of the team’s injured players will be able to return within the coming weeks – a situation that he likened to when a team makes a key trade in the middle of the season to better its roster.

“We won’t be the same football team when they are back – we’ll be much better,” Washington said.


It is the coach’s hope that the team will approach its peak before the season ends with district rivals South Terrebonne and Vandebilt.

“We want to use these next two weeks to work a lot of the new guys in and to see if we can get some of the injury guys back,” Washington said. “We really hope that we can start to get healthy and turn the corner.

“If we can do that, we hope to peak, win some games and make a push for the playoffs. Once we’re in, who knows what might happen? But we have to get healthy first and finish the season strong.”


Ellender’s players and coaches line up for the national anthem during Thursday night’s game between the Patriots and Assumption. Ellender’s pre-game lineup isn’t as long as it has been in recent weeks, because a rash of injuries have taken several of the team’s top playmakers out of the lineup. 

CASEY GISCLAIR | TRI-PARISH TIMES