'Jacks to play for outright district title

The Patterson-Franklin game was moved to Thursday to avoid inclement weather, but the Hornets can still rain on the Lumberjacks’ playoff seeding.
Patterson (7-2, 5-0) has won seven straight games and sits atop the District 8-3A standings needing a win Thursday for the outright district championship.
“We were hearing that there’s a 90 percent chance of rain with thunderstorms Friday, so we couldn’t take a chance of playing in those conditions or having the game cancelled,” Patterson Coach Chad Blanchard said. “If we couldn’t get the game in, it would definitely hurt our playoff seeding.”
Patterson is seeded fourth in the Class 3A power rankings and No. 8 in the latest Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A poll.
The ’Jacks pounded North Vermilion, 62-17, in district play last week to put themselves in the catbird’s seat with one game remaining.
North Vermilion took a 3-0 lead on the first series of the game when standout Connor Dupuy kicked a 48-yard field goal with 9:26 remaining in the first quarter.
The Patriots would never lead again after Patterson’s Tristen Ausama broke free for a 47-yard touchdown run on the Lumberjacks’ third play from scrimmage.
Patterson added a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Sirbatian Charles to Mykel Jones with 6:02 remaining in the first quarter to push the lead to 14-3.
Patterson got another big pass play from the offense when Charles found dual-threat D.J. Jones on a 51-yard strike for a score. Christian Soria added the extra-point kick for a 21-3 lead with 3:21 left in the quarter.
North Vermilion cut the lead to 21-10 with 2:59 remaining, but that momentum was short lived, as Patterson answered with a 9-yard scoring run from Charles. The senior carried nine times for 82 yards and a touchdown, while he completed 12 of 18 passes for 233 yards and a season-high five touchdowns.
He has completed 98 of 149 passes for 1,592 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions this season.
“We did a really good job of executing on offense,” Blanchard said. “We have a good group of skill guys, and our offensive line has gotten better as the season has gone on and our quarterback does such a good job of handling the offensive game plan.”
Patterson pushed the lead to 28-10 at the end of the first quarter.
North Vermilion opened the second quarter with a fumble that D.J. Jones recovered and ran back 66 yards for a touchdown to extend the Patterson lead to 35-10.
Charles capped the half with touchdown passes to Mykel Jones (26 yards) and Nehemiah Augustus (eight yards) to push the Patterson lead to 49-10 at halftime.
Augustus leads Patterson’s receivers with 25 receptions for 449 yards and six touchdowns, while D.J. Jones has 24 catches for 367 yards with four touchdowns and Brennan Gouaux, 14 catches for 282 yards and three scores. Mykel Jones also has returned from injury to grab 14 balls for 264 yards and six touchdowns.
The leading rushers for the ’Jacks this season are Charles with 105 carries for 534 yards and four touchdowns; D.J. Jones, 51 carries for 497 yards and seven scores; and Ausama, 87 totes for 453 yards and seven touchdowns.
Patterson’s offense is averaging 40.2 points per game and 403.7 yards per game.
Franklin (1-8, 0-5) comes into the game with a six-game losing streak, including a 36-0 non-district loss to East St. John last week.
“We’ve talked to the kids a lot about having a letdown game in week 10,” Blanchard said. “We can’t look at their record, because Franklin has enough athletes to give you a problem if you don’t prepare right.”
Offensively, the Hornets average just 14 points per game and haven’t scored in their last two games.
“They throw the ball around pretty good,” Blanchard said. “And you have to remember they have several of those big-time track guys out there at receiver and running back.”
Franklin was the Class 3A state runner-up in track and field last season.
Patterson’s defense allows 22 points per game this season and just less than 17 points per game in district play. They are surrendering 277 yards of total offense a contest.
“We’ve had some pleasant surprises on defense this season, and we knew (we) had some solid guys who have performed very well for us,” the second-year coach said. “Seniors Charlie Kelly (DE/T) and Blake Dreyer (LB) are leaders on that side of the ball, and linebackers Dominique Washington and Kenneth Washington have played very well for us.”
Thursday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.