Coach believes cohesion, trust, respect key to any success

With two All-State selections and seven all-district players returning, you would think the Patterson Lumberjacks are as close to a sure bet as there is to get the Superdome in December.

But 21 years of coaching, 11 at Patterson, has taught head coach Tommie Minton there is no sure thing.

“One of the big things that deals with success, especially playoff success, is team chemistry, he said. “I’ve seen good teams that don’t do well in the playoffs, and I’ve seen teams that maybe aren’t as talented get to the Dome. I’ve had four or five teams more talented than this group.”

Building team cohesion, trust and respect is a year-round process. It begins in the offseason programs and hopefully carries into the season.

The Lumberjacks got plenty of chances to develop those bonds throughout the summer.

“We played 30 seven-on-seven-games in the summer,” said senior quarterback Terrance Johnson, an All-State honorable mention pick in last year. “We were 29-1 in them.”

The Lumber Jacks went 10-4 (4-0 in District 7-3A) in the 2007 and advanced to the state semifinals before falling to Westlake 36-7. That lost has fueled the team to work even harder to fulfill the goal of winning a state title.

“We got badly outplayed against Westlake,” said sophomore running back Kenny Hillard, 1st Team All-State selection last season. “I’m looking forward to meeting them again this season. We’ll be ready this time.”

One thing that has worked for the Lumberjacks is a no-huddle spread offense, which averaged 32.5 points a game last season. Johnson (3,000) and Hillard (1,800) combined for nearly 5,000 yards of offense.

“They (opponents) think because we have four wideouts, that we just throw every play,” said Johnson. “Our offense is a quick, balanced attack.”

By the end of last season, teams were loading up close to the line to take away Hillard’s ground game. To better combat that threat this season, he added 12 pounds of muscle and taken two-tenths of a second off his 40-yard time over the summer.

“I really noticed that during the Notre Dame game, they were bringing a lot of guys in the box,” he said. “I needed to bulk up to dish out more punishment when I run inside. I’m also blocking harder than ever.”

Besides Johnson and Hillard, offensive returning starters include 2nd Team All-District picks Antoine Todd (senior wide receiver), Destin Rink (junior guard) and Jesse Williams (senior center); senior slotback Ethan Smoorenburg and sophomore tackle Joe Henry.

The newcomers are sophomore linemen Tyler Brewer and Keith Trosclair and juniors wideouts Josh Navarro and Josh Jones.

“The last two years we haven’t been as big and physical as I’d like to be on the offensive line,” said Minton. “The new linemen are big, strong kids. As they get more experience, this could be one of best offensive lines we’ve had in a while.”

On defense, the Lumberjacks lost six starters from last year, including all three linebackers and two defensive backs.

To ensure there is depth and experience to all parts of the 3-4 defense, which play a lot of man coverage and bring lots of pressure, Minton moved some of his best players to new positions.

“We took Landon Lightfoot who was a 1st team All-District defensive end and Grant LaGrange who was a 1st Team All-District safety and move them to linebacker,” he said. “We felt like we putting two of our better playmakers in a position to make more plays.”

Two other senior 1st Team All-District selections are back for the Lumberjacks – tackle Willis Verdine and cornerback Troy Watson. Senior Bret Dore is the final returning starter.

The six new defensive starters are senior linebacker Shal’jaup Williams, juniors John Hartman (tackle), R.J. Abshire (linebacker) and Alan Angeron (strong safety), and sophomores Nino Blackburn (nose guard) and Dexter Aucoin (free safety).

On special teams, junior Toi Willis is the kicker, LaGrange is the punter and Hillard will return punts and kicks.

Patterson and E.D. White look to battle each other again for the District 7-3A championship.

“Traditionally, E.D. White comes up with a good team and I think this year will be no different,” Minton said. “Franklin has one of the better clubs it’s had in many years.”

Winning the district title would mark a successful season, but the Lumberjacks know the have the potential for a bigger prize.

“We have the talent to win a state title,” said Johnson. “We just need to stay focused, stay hungry and make everything come together right.”