By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

East St. John football coach Phillip Banko wasn’t making any comparisons between his 2011 and prospective 2012 football squads, not after six days of spring practice. But the coach was upbeat all the same.

That’s because regardless of how talented this year’s core of players is compared to last year’s, this spring has simply run more smoothly. It’s not a shock, as all now know what the second-year East St. John coach expects — on and off the field.

“These guys understand off the bat what we want to accomplish, and each day they do what they need to do to make it happen,” said Banko. “Nobody is here just putting in their time. They’re here trying to get better. They’re looking to win each day. That’s what I like to see. We’ve just been having fun.”

Aside from embracing the culture that Banko and the 2011 Wildcats established, the players have shown an accelerated understanding of the coaching staff’s on-field system.

“We had a little scrimmage the other day, and the offense got down to the goalline,” said Banko. “We hadn’t installed our goalline packages, so we were just going to run base.

“But our defensive line guys are calling out a play that we ran last year in this situation. I had to tell them, no … but that’s a good sign. That tells me they’re starting to think like we do, like coaches. This time last season, we were just trying to find ourselves.”

Continuity helps. East St. John has brought back its entire coaching staff from 2011, nobody opting to step down or go elsewhere.

Offensively, the big question for ESJ is the matter of who will replace Darion Monroe, the Wildcats’ stellar quarterback of the last two seasons. Monroe is off to Tulane, where he officially signed on National Signing Day, and three current Wildcats are vying to replace him under center: Gerald Munoz, Leonard Davis and Xavier Lewis.

And there will be no spoilers, Banko said. This competition will run until the very start of the season: he plans to keep the announcement under wraps until after the team’s jamboree, meaning all three players will have ample time to assert their talents.

“What I like about those three are that when one is under center, the other guys are helping him, cheering him on. They’re not sitting back and hoping he falls on his face,” said Banko. “They’re all going to get a chance to play, regardless.”

He’s also pleased to see depth emerge offensively. Deszmann Broussard returns after a tremendous season at wide receiver, and Kadeem Vance, among others, look promising at running back. But at each position, Banko believes he has numerous players who can make a difference.

And that , he says, is a huge plus on the special teams unit.

“We’ve got several guys that can flat out fly who will be on our kick coverage teams. Last year, in a lot of cases, those guys out there for us had to go right in with the starting team afterwards,” said Banko. “That can take a lot out of you … We look to pattern ourselves after the top 10 5A programs each year, and those teams have (players who specialize in coverage).”

Banko and his coaches had a little extra help recently as well, as former Wildcats and current collegiate standouts Patrick Lewis, Bryce Robertson and Bryson James have recently been on hand to help out.

“I can tell them something 100 times, but if those guys say it, they’ll do it,” said Banko. “It was good to have them out there.”

Banko said Monday that the team would be running Oklahoma drills and emphasizing hitting “the right way” as practice continues this week. On Friday, the results will be on display at Joe Keller Memorial Stadium for the annual Black and Gold game, an intrasquad scrimmage.

This year’s game will have a different format than in year’s past, resembling a game more than a practice. It will be played over two quarters with a running clock.

“And then we’ll film it, come back Monday and critique it,” said Banko. “These kids have been learning, getting after it, making strides every day. And having fun out there too, we all are… that’s what the spring is all about.” 쇓