Dave’s Picks: Smooth, Rough and Beautiful
November 15, 2011
Ronald McGee
November 17, 2011
The final seconds have ticked off the clock and the prep football regular season is officially over.
It’s now time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
I know, I know, you think I’m talking about the playoffs. With good reason, too, because a handful of locals are still trying to make good on their season-long goal of making it to the Superdome.
But I have something even better for you all today.
You might have guessed it by now (but you probably didn’t), I’m talking about the Casey Awards. Who needs a state championship trophy when one can have a trophy with my face on it?
I think the majority would rather a trophy of my good-looking mug over a trophy of Louisiana’s boot-looking landmass any day of the week, right?
I’ll take those boos as a sign that you all think I’m boooootiful, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Previous winners of this prestigious award have gone on to become All-District, All-State and even All-American performers, OK, OK, I admit, they were already all of those things when I gave them the award, but you get the point.
Regardless, here are the elite of the elite, the cream of the crop, your 2011 Casey Award winners for the 2011 prep football season.
The Saturday Afternoon Superstar Award
(Tri-parish standout most likely to make a splash in college)
Winner: Patterson linebacker Lorenzo Phillips.
Phillips is big, fast and strong. Most importantly, he plays mean. You’ll hear all about the Lumberjacks’ offense a couple of awards from now, but it’s the team’s defense this year that makes the Jacks elite. That’s mostly due to Phillips, who anchors a talented group of linebackers with his stout, 6-foot, 1-inch and 215-pound frame.
Phillips is currently mulling offers from the best programs in the country and LSU appears to be one of the favorites for his services. Whether he ends up in Baton Rouge or any other college town, one thing is for sure, this guy can play and it won’t take him long to have an impact. Heck, it’ll probably be pretty similar to his former teammate and current LSU freshman Kenny Hilliard, who is already making a name for himself as a Tiger.
The Lightning in a Bottle Award
(Most explosive playmaker)
Winner: South Terrebonne wingback Jaquis Flores.
There will probably never be another Phillip Livas in this area. But inside of South Terrebonne’s offense, Flores plays the part pretty doggone well. Sometimes a halfback, sometimes a receiver, but always a threat, Flores has wowed opponents all year, helping push the Gators to an 8-2 regular season.
The South Terrebonne senior’s stats resemble that of a video game in some contests, including in the season finale when he carried the pigskin just five times, but amassed 188 yards. If that’s not lightning, I don’t know what is. Things are always about to change when Flores gets the ball.
The Wild, Wild West Award
(Best gun-slinging quarterback)
Winner: Patterson quarterback Justice Jones.
Last year, this was a tough choice, as we had a slew of elite quarterbacks within the Tri-parishes. This year, this award was a rout. Jones is far and away the best passing quarterback in the area, wowing opposing defensive backs all year inside of the Lumberjacks explosive, no huddle offense. Anyone with any cause for debate should consider this number; Patterson has scored 56 or more points five times this year. That’s an amazing number, and it’s largely thanks to Jones’ powerful right arm.
The Stretch Armstrong Super-Slash Award
(Player with the most versatility)
Winner: South Lafourche quarterback Seth Griffin.
We loosely list Griffin as the Tarpons’ quarterback. But the truth is, his role cannot be described in one word, nor 11 letters. Griffin did everything for South Lafourche in 2011, having two separate games where he passed, rushed and caught touchdowns.
In another game, he rushed for 79 yards, passed for 267 more and had an interception in the defensive backfield as a safety. Griffin’s final line for the season will show you just how ridiculously gifted he is. He completed 81-of-163 passes for 1,258 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 686 yards on 147 carries with seven more touchdowns.
As a receiver, Griffin caught three passes for 46 yards with two touchdowns and as a defensive back, he compiled 62 tackles, a sack and two interceptions. Not bad, Mr. Griffin. Not bad at all.
The Tri-Parish Rookie of the Year Award
(Best first-year football player)
Winner: Houma Christian quarterback Nate Frye.
This award was bound to go to a Houma Christian player, their whole team was comprised of rookies because it was their first-ever varsity season. Frye earned his mark as the best of the best among Warriors, serving as a dual threat in the rushing and passing game. Houma Christian took lumps in its inaugural season, struggling to just a two-win season. But with Frye and a handful of other standouts coming back in 2012, who’s to say the Warriors won’t double, if not triple that win number?
The Tri-parish’s Walking Brick Wall Award
(Most dominant defensive player)
Winner: Thibodaux linebacker Trey Granier.
For the first time in Casey Awards history, we have a back-to-back champion with Granier. The Thibodaux standout missed half of the season with a knee injury, so tackle for tackle, he cannot stack up with the best of the best in the area.
When he was in the lineup, Granier was a force for the Tigers, even scoring a couple of defensive touchdowns for his team. Granier is already an LSU commitment, so he will now move on in his career. If he’s anywhere close to as dominant at the next level as he was in Thibodaux his sophomore, junior and half of his senior season, look out, because the next great LSU linebacker might be born.
The Toughness Personified Award
(Toughest, most gritty player)
Winner: Morgan City quarterback Hoang Nguyen
Morgan City is not the most talented team in the area. That’s not a knock to them at all, it’s just a fact. They are rebuilding their program, turning it inside out under new coach Brandon Nowlin (more about him later).
The Tigers won five games this year, thanks in large part to Nguyen, who emerged to become the heart and soul of the Tigers’ offense. Nguyen isn’t the biggest kid on the block. He’s actually probably closer to one of the smallest. His gritty personality and winning instincts always put the Tigers in a position to be competitive this season. Nowlin said it best mid-season when he said “If not for [Nguyen], there’s no telling where we might be.”
The Les Miles, Eat Grass and Take Names Award
(Tri-parish’s Coach of the Year)
Winner: Morgan City coach Brandon Nowlin.
Morgan City is cleaning up in the back half of our awards this year. Nowlin takes home the top coaching prize, earning a narrow victory over last year’s winner Laury Dupont and South Terrebonne coach Richard Curlin.
The reason for his victory is the huge progression the team made in 2011. Morgan City has long been a 2-8 or 3-7 team.
This year, the Tigers showed being bad was no longer an option, upping their record to 5-5 and finishing one win shy of their first playoff berth since the 1990s. Nowlin played at LSU under Nick Saban and a lot of the Alabama coach’s personality can be seen in the Morgan City headman.
With another year or two of progression, the Tigers just may establish themselves as one of St. Mary Parish’s top dogs alongside Patterson and Central Catholic.
OK, OK, we’ve handed out all of our awards except one, the big one, the MVP Award. This award is so difficult to hand out each year because we have such a vast array of talented players at so many different positions. The runner-up for this year’s award is Griffin, who truly was a joy to watch this season. Had the Tarpons made the playoffs, he would have won the award and it wouldn’t have been close, because if we’re talking about “value,” no one has more value to his team than that guy.
But because his team failed to reach the field of 32, we’ll go another direction with our most prestigious award.
The Most Valuable Player Award
(Tri-parish’s most valuable asset in the 2011 football season)
Winner: Patterson quarterback Justice Jones, halfback Trevon Stewart, receiver Jaydrick Declouet and linebackers Lorenzo Phillips and Tremaine Lightfoot.
Some might say I took the easy way out by taking all five of the Lumberjacks’ top standouts, but each player adds so much to the team’s arsenal. Justice provides the brains with his decision-making. Stewart provides the speed and versatility. Declouet gives the team a deep threat. Likewise, Phillips and Lightfoot provide the team with toughness. Patterson is hands-down the best team in the area and the beauty of their squad is that no one player determines their success. Everyone is equally valuable, which makes them a mean machine with a solid shot to win the state championship.
The 2011 Casey Awards winners detail the best of the best in 2011 Tri-parish prep football. Pictured are some of this year’s winners (Top from left) Patterson linebacker Lorenzo Phillips, South Terrebonne wingback Jaquis Flores and (below) South Lafourche quarterback Seth Griffin.
