NEW HOME: Ellender looks to make waves in 4A

Ellender is facing a good news-bad news situation for its upcoming 2007 football season.

The good news is the Patriots are dropping from District 5A to 4A, so the competition will not be quite as stiff.

The bad news is the squad is now in the same district with two traditional New Orleans-area standouts, Shaw and Belle Chasse.

Shaw was the District 4A state runner-up last season and is being singled out to finish first in district this year.

Belle Chasse is picked to finish second.

“District will be real competitive,” said Tawaskie Anderson, who is embarking on his sixth season as Ellender’s head coach. “We have to show up and play hard every Friday. It’s wide open. It won’t be easy.”

Ellender was 2-4 in district last year, 4-6 overall.

The Patriots will field a 45-man squad this year.

“We have enough players for them to (only) play on one side of the ball, if we stay injury free,” Anderson said.

Still, the team’s goal is to win district and state championships.

The Patriots will be helped greatly by the return of senior quarterback Hosea Chatman, who passed for 737 yards in 2006 and was an all-district honorable-mention pick in 2006.

Chatman will be aided by four veteran offensive skill players-senior running back Jesse Turner, junior fullback Jonathan Guidry, senior wide receiver Jamal Nixon, and senior split end Bradford Matthews.

All four seniors have been playing together since they were sophomores.

Turner, who rushed for 1,213 yards, was second-team, all-district last year, while Guidry was all-district honorable mention.

Chatman said he will be throwing mostly to Nixon, although Matthews led Ellender in receiving in 2006 with 277 yards.

Nixon was second-team all-district last year as a kick returner.

The offense will smart a bit from the graduation of linemen Phil Arcement, who nearly busted the scales at 360 pounds, and Derek Dark. Nevertheless, the offensive line’s average weight this year is a formidable 290 pounds.

“Our goal is to become more balanced on offense,” Anderson said.

The defensive line will definitely hurt from the graduation of linebacker Joe Crappel, who led the team in 2006 with 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

But the Patriots hope to make up for his loss with the play of defensive tackle Ardale Burns, who made second-team all-district last year as a freshman.

Ellender’s secondary promises to be strong with the return of juniors Leonard Folse and Javine Robinson, and senior Ronkeem Howard.

“Our secondary will be much improved,” Anderson said.

Folse was second in sacks for the Patriot defense last year playing in the secondary, and fourth in tackles.

Robinson and Howard had 14 and 15 tackles, respectively, in 2006.

Carl Verdin, a returning linebacker, had 18 tackles last year.

Ellender’s practice field is located in an industrial section of Houma. Helicopters fly overhead regularly, and the clanging of metal can be heard echoing across the field.

Anderson said the clatter’s not annoying.

“When we practice, nothing else exists,” he said.

To help keep the mood light, team members provide one another with an ample supply of nicknames.

One player estimated that around half the squad has some sort of moniker.

Five-foot, seven-inch senior Dexter Pierre is called “Shrimp,” 210-pound junior fullback Jonathan Guidry goes by “Whopper,” and sophomore lineman Jacob Guidry is known as “Lil’ Brother.”

Ellender begins its season Friday at the South Lafourche Jamboree.

Quarterback Chatman, though, has his eye on new district foe Vandebilt High School.

“It’s the crosstown thing,” he said.