By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Teammates and onlookers howled with delight as East St. John linebacker Amani Martin swarmed a Wildcats’ ballcarrier behind the line of scrimmage in a Thursday 11-on-11 spring practice.

The Wildcats have had their share of offensive stars throughout the first two years of the Phillip Banko era, be it Darion Monroe, Leonard Davis or Dez Broussard. But a constant has been the Wildcats’ aggressive, hard-hitting defensive play, something that looks primed to continue under Banko if Wednesday’s practice is any indication. 

“Everyone’s motor is running high,” said Martin. “We stuff the run. In 5A, a lot of teams base their offense on running the ball. We’re not letting anyone run on us.”

A year ago, Banko seemed primed to have  one of the state’s most dominant defensive teams under his command after the Wildcats put together an extremely impressive preseason. ESJ largely stopped a powerful St. Augustine attack in a preseason scrimmage, holding All-State tailback Leonard Fournette in check. Then the Wildcats played St. Charles Catholic to a 6-6 tie in a preseason jamboree, ESJ scoring its lone touchdown on a Martin interception return.

Then Issac happened. The hurricane left East St. John’s school campus flooded and displaced its student body and faculty entirely, rendered the team’s fieldhouse and practice field unusable, and left the football team in flux just as its season was to begin.

East St. John played its first game with half of its roster, due to lack of uniforms and equipment, then its second and third against a pair of top-ranked teams in Parkview Baptist and John Curtis. The Wildcats dropped to 0-3, but put together an inspiring rally thereafter – ESJ won five of its final six games to qualify for the postseason and tally a winning regular season mark.

The team is still displaced, practicing at Leon Godchaux Junior High. Banko said he hopes the team can be back in its fieldhouse by the fall, but isn’t sure that will happen.

Things aren’t completely back to normal this spring. But it’s more normal than it was, which is all the Wildcats ask.

“It is what it is,” said Martin. “As long as we’ve got grass, we’re gonna play.”

East St. John is rolling toward its spring game next Friday at 6 p.m. at O. Perry Walker. Banko said he is pleased thus far with the team’s work in spring, especially along the offensive and defensive lines. He’s also very pleased with the team’s progress in the kicking game, where a trio of soccer players have stepped up – punter Eric Joseph and kickers Hector Barrera and Lino Barrera.

The ESJ defensive line stands as perhaps the Wildcats’ biggest prospective strength. The Wildcats boast six seniors in the line’s rotation and a plethora of size and physicality. Darren Williams, Chris Williams, Davarion Stockman and Charlie Payne are among those expected to play big roles.

“We’re gonna be alright because we’ve got a good defensive line,” said Banko. “They’re having a very productive spring.”

Said Martin, “Our defensive line is really, really good. We should be able to stop the run and get our pass rushers into good (yardage) situations.”

Offensively, East St. John is changing philosophies, moving from a pro-style base offense to a spread attack.

Who triggers that attack will come down to who emerges out of the quarterback competition between Gerald Munoz and Xavier Lewis, who have been splitting reps with the first team.

At tailback, speedster Jacob McNeil and powerful Nigel Anderson each return after carving out significant roles a year ago.

ESJ looks to have significant talent at receiver, with Jared Jackson returning after leading the team down the stretch a year ago. A new threat could emerge as well in senior Kyle Patterson. Patterson, the starting point guard of ESJ’s basketball team, is playing football for the first time this spring and is already turning heads.

The offensive line is in transition, and ultimately the team’s success will likely depend on how quickly things gel there. Banko said he likes the look of that unit.

“We’re getting good work in,” said center Kyron Wilkens. “Our (defensive) front four are bigger than we are, so we’re challenged every day. It’s intense. There’s a lot of trash talking back and forth. We like to have fun with it.”