Colonels ready for Southland play after 3rd win
October 1, 2013Beat-up Trojans scrambling to find quarterbacks
October 1, 2013
The Patterson Lumberjacks wanted to send a message to the rest of Class 3A in their victory last Friday over Vandebilt Catholic.
Message received.
The Lumberjacks rolled up right at 500 yards of total offense in their 51-19 victory over the Terriers at Buddy Marcello Stadium, with quarterback Spencer Landry accounting for six touchdowns – four passing, two rushing – on the night.
It was the second straight week the Lumberjacks lit up the scoreboard after scoring 46 points in a 46-25 victory over Catholic of New Iberia the previous week.
For a Patterson team that started 0-2, though admittedly against tough non-district competition from two Class 5A schools in Brother Martin and East Ascension, the past two weeks have been a welcome sight.
“We lost to two good 5A teams,” Patterson coach Tommy Minton said. “But we play those guys so we can get better and get some experience.
“The whole deal is we want the rest of the state to know we might be 2-2, but when it comes to playing 3A schools, they better put a mark on their schedule,” Minton said emphatically.
In last Friday’s game, the Lumberjacks scored early, often, and quickly.
Patterson got its first touchdown off a Vandebilt Catholic turnover just past the midway point of the first quarter, and later capped off an 85-yard drive when Landry ran for a 25-yard touchdown with 8:30 to play in the first half.
Later in the first half, Landry engineered a 66-yard drive using just five plays in 1:36 to help the Lumberjacks to a 22-7 halftime lead.
In the second half, Patterson had four touchdown drives, including two big scoring plays, the first on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Landry to receiver Mykal Jones on the Lumberjacks’ first possession of the third quarter. That drive covered 80 yards on four plays in less than two minutes.
A subsequent drive resulted in a 95-yard touchdown catch-and-run from Landry to receiver Daylon Charlet.
Clearly, the Lumberjacks can score points. Now they want to maintain their momentum and get on a roll before district play begins.
“Every year, we want to win our district and get in the playoffs and make a run,” Minton said. “That’s our focus every year. Sometimes we do it and sometimes we don’t. But I’d rather set lofty goals and not achieve them rather than under-achieve.”
For his part, Landry said the team also wants to silence any critics they may have had after their first two games of the season.
“At the beginning, I think a lot of people were doubting us,” Landry said. “We had a home game last week and the home attendance wasn’t really that great. But we’re always going to do what we’ve been doing. People don’t realize what a hard schedule we had. We’re always going to play and work hard and do what we practice to do.”
Things appear to be setting up nicely for Patterson, but the team does have some areas they’d like to improve on.
Minton said the Lumberjacks would like to run the ball more efficiently, particularly early on in games. Patterson got 166 yards on the ground in last Friday’s victory, although many of those came in the second half with the team leading comfortably.
“That’s one area we definitely need to work on,” Minton said. “(Against Catholic-New Iberia) was the only week we actually ran the ball really well. (Vandebilt) was ganging up and that’s how we were able to pull the zone read and Spencer had two nice touchdown runs off that. But between the tackles, we didn’t run the ball as effectively as we would like.”
Special teams are another area of concern for Patterson. The Lumberjacks gave up a pair of long kickoff returns in last Friday’s game and repeatedly attempted two-point conversions due to struggles in their kicking game.
Defensively, Patterson has a lot of faith in its unit despite a rough showing against East Ascension in Week 2 when they allowed 66 points.
Minton said he was impressed by the speed and focus of his group.
“We’ve got really good team speed, and when the kids are focused and play their assignments and get lined up correctly, they play hard and run to the football,” he said. “We’ve haven’t had any problems there.”
While there’s still a lot of football left to be played and the Lumberjacks are a long way from where they want to be, the last two weeks would appear to serve as proof that Patterson isn’t likely going anywhere any time soon.
“We’ve got a young football team and I see them getting better each week,” Minton said. “I also see the work ethic at practice and through the summer, so I knew we just needed some experience. These kids are going to do nothing but get better.”
The Lumberjacks return to the field this Friday in a home game with Westlake.
Patterson’s dominant passing attack gave Vandebilt fits during Friday night’s big road win. The Lumberjacks are now 2-2 on the season. They tout that they are ready to make waves in the Class 3A landscape after having one of the most challenging pre-district schedules in Louisiana.
