MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / September 9, 2000

RESERVE – East St. John’s Darwin Pittman realizes he has big shoes to fillas the 2000 season opens.

Or maybe more appropriately, big shoulder pads, as he takes over as theteam’s quarterback.

After all, all Pittman is doing is following two of the most prolific signalcallers in a program that has produced its share of prolific quarterbacks.

Floyd Smith set records last season with 1,791 yards and 23 touchdowns,including five in one game against South Terrebonne. The 23 touchdownsbroke the record of 22, set by Franklin McKinnis in 1998. McKinnis alsopassed for over 1,700 yards. Both quarterbacks led the Wildcats to secondplace finishes in district and berths in the state regionals.

But Pittman said he is not feeling any pressure in stepping into that spot.

After all, he, too, has experience in the Wildcats wide-open attack andwas a major target for both McKinnis and Smith over the last two years asan all-district tight end.

“It’s been a real challenge but I don’t feel any pressure,” Pittman said ofswitching from tight end to quarterback. “I’m just taking it like I didwhen I was the tight end but I have a bigger role to play. When you playtight end in this offense, you have to know everything. Tight ends and A-backs play a big part in the offense. You are the quarterback of theoffensive line.”

Pittman was listed as a quarterback his freshman year. But with McKinnisand Smith ahead of him, he was moved to tight end where he became anintegral part of the offense.

“I wanted to try to find somewhere to start,” Pittman said. “Playing tightend taught me a lot.”

With the graduation of Smith and Randy Sutherland, who filled in whenSmith was hurt last year, the Wildcats were looking for someone to stepup during the spring and summer. During the summer, Pittman went to EastSt. John head coach Ronnie Stephens and asked for a chance to playquarterback. Just before the team left for camp in Thibodaux in earlyAugust, Pittman got that shot.

While playing tight end, Pittman picked up a few things from Smith. Therewas one attribute that Smith had that continues to impress his successor.

“His leadership ability, on and off the field,” Pittman said of Smith. “Healways led the team. He took charge of the huddle. He let us know what hewanted done.”

Pittman continued to work with Smith over the summer.

“He taught me a lot of things,” Pittman said. “He taught me when the gameis on the line, I should want the ball in nobody else’s hand but mine. If hehadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be the quarterback right now.”While the Wildcats lost both all-district receivers Roydel Williams andChris Bush, both now at Tulane, they do return a solid receiving corps inwide outs Wade Walker and Ray Del Patterson, A-back Louis Gardner andtight end Mervin Williams. Also returning is senior running back ChuckieBurl, a 1,000-yard rusher last season. Fullback Tremaine Moore had ateam-high 81 yards in the Wildcats’ opener against Lutcher.

Pittman got off to a good start in the River Parishes Jamboree against St.

Charles Catholic, completing four of his 11 passes for 122 yards,including a 69-yard touchdown pass to Walker, in helping the Wildcats to a17-7 victory, Lutcher held him in check in the season opener, however, ashe completed 5-of-15 passes for 55 yards while being intercepted threetimes.

Ironically, Pittman’s counterpart in that game, Risley St. Germain, was inthe same boat as he was. St. Germain was also an all-district tight endlast season and was making his first start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

“I really didn’t think about it that much until coach brought it up,”Pittman said of both players making the switch to quarterback. “It mightbe for the best for both of us.”

Stephens said he expects Pittman to bounce back from the performancealong with the rest of the team.

“We expect him to pick it up from last week,” Stephens said. “The rest ofthe offense has to pick it up, too. He knows the offense. He just has toexecute it just like the rest of the offense.”

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