By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

RESERVE — In the string of contenders East St. John is scheduled to face to begin the season, Division I contenders Rummel and John Curtis are the ones that garner most of the attention. Scotlandville falls under the radar, conversely. 

But the Hornets lost by just three points to Rummel in last year’s Division I postseason and finished with an 8-3 record, their victories including a  21-7 victory over ESJ in Week Two of last season.

This Friday, Scotlandville hosts the Wildcats. The Hornets bring back 18 starters, while East St. John attempts to lick its wounds after a 39-0 loss to Rummel. 

“No doubt, they’re a good football team,” East St. John coach Phillip Banko said. “They know what they’re doing and they do it very well. That Rummel team we just lost to, Scotlandville pushed them last year. This will be a challenge, to be sure.”

Scotlandville (1-0) defeated McKinley in Week One, 19-3. McKinley led 3-0 in that game but wouldn’t score again as the Hornets finished with 19 consecutive points. 

The Hornets held McKinley to 21 yards on 24 carries and to just 50 yards passing. 

D.J. Williams, Delmas Holmes and Reggie Cleveland are among the Hornets’ top playmakers. 

“They try to beat you with formations, to outflank you,” Banko said. “We have to be very conscious of that. It’s a chess game. It’s not the same quarterback as last season, but the guy they have now can really let it rip. They run a lot of screens, and that’s something we practice defending every day. They do a lot of different things and are multiple offensively.”

Scotlandville’s calling card is its defense. A big defensive front line backed up by what Banko calls a group of “demons” at linebacker who fly to the ball to comprise a ferocious front seven. 

The positive for ESJ (0-1) is, as good as Scotlandville is on that side of the ball, the defense the Wildcats just faced in Rummel isn’t likely to be topped in on-field ability. 

“(Rummel’s) front is as good as the one we had last year, maybe even better,” Banko said. “I don’t know that we’ll face another one like that going forward.”

Banko reiterated that his team has to improve mightily following the 39-0 loss Friday, but also noted the Wildcats hung tough for three quarters, Rummel led 16-0 midway through the third before the Raiders slammed the door with 25 points the rest of the way.

“They’re a better team than we are,” Banko said. “These opponents we have early are making us better. Maybe other people don’t see it, but I do. We could play a team we overmatch and start off with a win, but it won’t prepare us for district like a Rummel or Scotlandville will.”

One bright spot in the opener, the coach said, was the play of tailback Nigel Anderson. Anderson gained 65 yards rushing, but was also very strong in pass protection, giving some stability to a team with five new starters on the offensive line.

“They blitzed just about every time,” Banko said. “Nigel picked up his protection each time they did. He played a little quarterback and we had him in at linebacker for a little while as well. He punted twice. He did a little of everything.”

 

Of Riverside’s 31-0 victory over Loranger last season, Rebels coach Bill Stubbs believes only one thing matters. 

That it doesn’t. 

“That was almost a full 365 days ago,” Stubbs said, fresh off of his team’s dramatic 36-30 victory at Evangel last week. “We know they’re a much, much improved team and I’ll tell you what … We’ve got to be much, much improved when we play them.”

Riverside will host the 3A Wolves Friday night at Mickey Roussel Field. Last season’s game was considered the coming out party for an improved Riverside defense. Evan Veron had 1.5 sacks and Brandon Hymel added a pick-six interception return in that victory, and the Rebels special teams also blocked a punt in the win.

Stubbs again reiterated last year is just that, and noted Loranger was a very young team that now returns most of its starting squad.

“If you look at the jamboree, they beat Ponchatoula,” Stubbs said. “That’s a team expected to win its 5A district. They’ve got a running back who is very, very good. You have to wrap him up or he can go to the house on you. They’ve got a couple of wide receivers and their quarterback does a fine job within their offense. He puts the ball in the right spots.”

Defensively, Stubbs noted Loranger’s solid size up front in its 3-4 defense and praised the linebacking corps. 

He also credited the Wolves’ secondary for some impressive play, but also indicated that unit could have its hands full.

“I like our wide receivers, there, for sure,” Stubbs said. “They present some challenges, but I like our guys in those matchups.”

Kendall Martin made his first start at safety for the Rebels Friday night and made a huge impact, intercepting three Evangel passes.

Martin played quarterback and wide receiver last season for Riverside, but is making a quick adjustment.

“He’s a very gifted kid that’s just starting out on that side of the ball,” Stubbs said. “He’s got a ton of skill and he’s just now starting to realize it. He’s playing a lot more disciplined and as he grows and continues down that path, he’s going to be very, very good.”