Hilliard leads Patterson into 2010

As Kenny Hilliard goes, so will the Patterson Lumberjacks in 2010.

The highly-touted running back returns for his senior year at Patterson after three stellar seasons already under his belt.

“There’s no doubt he’s important,” said Patterson head coach Tommy Minton. “We need him to have a good year for us to have a good year.”

And after leading the Lumberjacks to five playoff victories and 6,000 yards in three seasons, Hilliard is achieving personal goals as well as helping Patterson achieve team goals.

“Kenny is a big, physical runner. He does a great job of breaking tackles. When he gets in the open field, he can run away from people,” Minton said. “People drastically underestimate his speed. You don’t have the number of 50-plus yard runs in the past few years without his speed, and he’s done that against teams that have speed on the field themselves.”

Sitting less than 1,500 yards shy of the all-time Louisiana rushing record, Minton said Hilliard isn’t thinking about the record, rather he’s focused on helping his team achieve its ultimate goal of playing for a state championship.

“If we play as a team, the type of football we’re capable of playing, the record will take care of itself,” the coach said. “It’ll be nice when he gets it, but it’s not something we’re focused on.”

And after verbally committing to continue his playing career at LSU in December, Hilliard’s mind is at ease now that the grind of recruiting is over.

“He’s concentrated on playing football and doesn’t have that in the back of his mind to worry about,” Minton said. “The number of college offers he’s got tells you the kind of player he is.”

Joining Hilliard in Patterson’s backfield will be new starting quarterback, junior Justice Jones.

Jones saw a little playing time at quarterback in varsity games last season, but he brings two years of experience leading the junior varsity as the signal caller.

“He’s had a real good summer in 7-on-7, and he’s gone to a ton of camps and combines, and I feel he’s maturing into a good football player,” Minton said.

With an inexperienced quarterback, a profoundly seasoned running back and three, third-year starting offensive linemen returning – seniors Joe Henry, Tyler Brewer and Dalvin Skinner – Minton expects to continue running the ball heavily.

“I feel like [Henry, Brewer and Skinner] lead us up front and provide Kenny with a lot of protection,” he said. “With him back for his senior year, we can look for him to get 25 to 30 touches every week.”

Running the spread offense, Patterson will typically play multiple wide receivers.

Junior Jaydrick DeClouette and sophomore Deondra Skinner will return as starters in the first two spots, but newcomers Mark Jones and Rahim Griffin should see opportunities to make plays as well.

“[DeClouette and Skinner] are experienced receivers. They’re good receivers that can make big plays,” Minton said. “The guys stepping into the other spots, [Jones and Griffin], are going to be able to make plays also. That’s a position where we feel we have a lot of depth even though [Jones and Griffin] are not returning starters, but they have played a lot.”

Defensively, Patterson returns three linebackers, and Minton said this unit will need to lead the defense in order for it to be successful.

Juniors Termane Lightfoot and Lorenzo Phillips return after starting last season and senior Keith Trosclair enters his third year starting.

“The experience [Lightfoot and Phillips] got last year and with Keith Trosclair as a third-year starter gives us a lot of experience at a very valuable position,” Minton said. “All three run very well, and they play with a defensive attitude. They’ll hit you. We’re very fortunate to have them.”

Unlike most high schools, the Lumberjacks implement a 3-4 defense in order to take advantage of the skill set common to many Patterson players.

“The biggest advantage is we have more linebacker, safety-type kids, so we’re more of a speed related team,” the coach explained. “We don’t have the number of huge defensive linemen some other programs might have.”

Senior Shaquille Austin will be the only returning starter on the defensive line, while First-Team All-district performers senior cornerback Dexter Aucoin and junior safety Trevon Stewart return in the secondary.

After receiving scholarship offers from Tulsa, Arizona State, Louisiana Tech, Memphis, South Alabama and Utah State, Aucoin verbally committed to Tulsa’s Golden Hurricanes in June.

Patterson Lumberjacks

District 6-3A

Sept. 2 East St. John

Sept. 10 Redemptorist

Sept. 17 @ Cecilia

Sept. 24 @ St. James

Oct. 1 @Comeaux

Oct. 8 @ Catholic (NI)*

Oct. 15 E.D. White*

Oct. 22 Franklin*

Oct. 29 West St. Mary*

Nov. 5 @ Berwick*

* Denotes district game

Coach: Tommy Minton

Assistant Coaches: Chad Blanchard, Jared Ross, Ryan Jensen,

Ryan Taylor, Bill Harris, Mark Millet, Don Cox, Coby Minton

Record last season: 9-4

Returning Starters: 6 on offense, 6 on defense

Players to Watch: Halfback Kenny Hilliard, receivers Jaydrick DeClouette and Deondra Skinner and linebacker Keith Trosclair

Primary Strength: Explosive running game

Fun FACTS

1,500: The total yards Kenny Hilliard needs to break the all-time Louisiana rushing record

2,512: The total rushing yards Hilliard accumulated last season

4: The number of times the Lumberjacks scored 48 or more points in 2009

Standout halfback Kenny Hilliard poses for a photo prior to a summer practice. The Lumberjacks halfback stands less than 1,500 yards from the all-time state rushing record. RICHARD FISCHER TRI-PARISH TIMES