By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

RESERVE – East St. John football coach Phillip Banko wasn’t trying to scare his players when he showed them the hefty itinerary awaiting them on their upcoming excursion, a field trip of sorts.

The Wildcats were preparing to spend a few days at Camp Villere, a Louisiana Army/Air National Guard camp near Slidell.

“We’re going to unload and get used to barracks life for a little bit,” said Banko. 

Banko said that the purpose of the stay is to allow his players to get some hands-on experience in learning about leadership, teamwork, accountability  and character.

Those are things Banko has stressed since day one of his tenure as East St. John coach, a tenure that will take him into his second season with the team in 2012. 

The team, he said, began to embrace those ideas last season, one in which the Wildcats secured a share of the District 8-5A championship and earned a 35-3 bi-district postseason victory over Brother Martin, the first postseason win for the Cats’ since 2006. 

This summer, his Wildcats have taken those ideas to another level.

“These young people are buying in. We’re more of a team than we were even last year,” he said. “They know exactly what they’re doing and they understand the work that it takes to get to where we want to go.”

A year ago, it was well-known entering the season  that Darion Monroe would be the team’s leader. The talented quarterback – who signed with Tulane earlier this year on National Signing Day – came off of one of the most impressive statistical seasons in team history and lived up to expectations as a senior. 

Monroe now plays for new Tulane coach Curtis Johnson, and Banko has tabbed Leonard Davis to play in his stead. Davis, like Monroe did before him, has moved from defensive back to quarterback. And like Monroe before him, he’s committed to Tulane, where he and Monroe will once again be defensive backs.  

“Leonard is a defensive back and that’s where he’ll play at Tulane,” said Banko. “But he’s our best quarterback. We’re not going to put the kind of load on him that we put on D-Bo (Monroe). We’re going to spread the wealth out on offense. But we like what we’re seeing from Leonard and (backup quarterback) Gerald Munoz. They’re both turning into pretty good football players.”

East St. John at times had trouble establishing a running game last season, but Banko believes that will correct itself this season. The Wildcats boast an offensive line returning largely intact and a stable of talented, experienced running backs. 

Junior Kadeem Vance stands among those rushers as a potential highlight-maker for the team. At only 5-foot-7, he’s small in stature.

But Vance began to break out as a playmaker late in 2011, and Banko believes bigger things could be in store. 

“Most look at him and see a small, bitty guy,” said Banko. “But this is a guy who’ll clean and jerk 250 and who has one of the top times in the 300 meter hurdles in track. He’s the little engine that shouldn’t, but he does it.”

At wide receiver, senior Deszmann Broussard returns after a standout season in 2011 and should again be one of the team’s top targets, especially given the departure of the graduated Rashad Green. 

“We won’t be quite as explosive or dynamic as we were last year, not all of the time,” said Banko. “But we’ve got a good mix. We’ll move the chains.”

Xavier Lewis projects to be one of the team’s top players on the defensive side of the ball, a 6-foot-2-inch cornerback who will be just a sophomore. 

“He’s been working extremely hard,” said Banko. “He’s been out in California and he’ll be back today (Thursday). While he was out there, he was up at the Rose Bowl, running the stairs. You can see the work ethic, and he’s a guy with a tremendous amount of talent to go along with it.”

He’s also especially pleased with the team’s offseason turnout of freshmen.

“We had 35 freshmen who trained with us all summer,” said Banko. “They’ve come out and done the work. We’ve got guys on our team who may miss the bus, but they find a way to get here.”

Banko admitted that the team’s schedule this year is daunting, with its district slate once again projecting to be a minefield, including rivalry tilts with Destrehan and Hahnville. 

But those games are months away. Banko wants his team’s eyes squarely on the present.

“Win the day,” said Banko. “Win the practice, win each play … We want our kids to understand that the destination is not your battle. The battle is the journey.”