No. 7 seed Patterson will meet No. 10 Loranger in Class 3A regional rematch

Patterson braces for another showdown with Loranger in the regional round of the Class 3A state playoffs as the No. 7 seed Lumberjacks will host No. 10 seed Loranger Friday at the Sugar Dome.
The Lumberjacks and the Wolves went toe-to-toe last season in the playoffs with Patterson pulling out a 16-14 home win.
Both teams come into Friday’s game after blowout wins.
Patterson (8-3) won its eighth straight game with a 56-18 beat down of No. 26 seed Richwood.
The Lumberjacks’ offense got things going with a bang when quarterback Sirbatian Charles hooked up with standout receiver Mykel Jones for a 15-yard touchdown on the team’s first possession. Jones made a one-handed catch with a Richwood defender holding on to his left arm. Christian Soria added the point-after attempt and the rout was on.
Patterson’s defense added a safety at the 7:31 mark of the first quarter for a 9-0 lead, and Jones took the ensuing kick 60 yards for a touchdown, extending the lead to 16-0 with more than 7 minutes left in the first quarter.
The ’Jacks added two second quarter rushing touchdowns from Tristen Ausama and an 18-yard pass from Charles to Daylon Charlot to push the lead to 36-0 with 3:08 left before the half.
Charles finished the game by completing 10 of 15 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Charlot had four catches for 76 yards and a score while Jones had three receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Patterson led 36-6 at halftime.
The ’Jacks’ offense totaled nearly 400 yards of offense. Patterson averages 39.3 points per game.
Six different players had sacks for Loranger Friday in the Wolves 35-7 pummeling of Bogalusa.
“We have been working on our rules for pass protection and the run game all week,” Patterson head coach Chad Blanchard said. “I think we’ll be OK and they’re going to have to make some decisions on what they want to stop.”
Blanchard said Loranger plays a “true” 3-4 defense.
“But they give you different looks and bring pressure with their linebackers,” Blanchard said. “Most people think a three-four is designed to stop the pass because of the number of players in the secondary, but it’s really designed to stop the run.”
Patterson was pretty balanced last week with 222 yards rushing and 128 yards passing.
“We’ll see what they try to take away and we’ll make our adjustments,” Blanchard said. “But we’ll still get the ball in the hands of our playmakers.”
Tristen Ausama had another big night on the ground for Patterson. The junior carried 16 times for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He leads Patterson’s ground game with 147 carries for 1,103 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Charles has rushed for 419 yards on 76 carries with five scores.
John Davis also has rushed for 261 yards on 52 carries with three scores this year.
Charles has completed 95 of 157 passes for 1,682 yards with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Charlot leads Patterson’s receivers with 25 catches for 607 yards and 11 scores, while Jones has 32 catches for 597 yards and eight touchdowns.
Loranger (7-4) totaled 340 yards rushing. Senior Cody James had 146 yards on 11 carries, while senior Cody Watts added 77 yards on six carries. Devonte Green had eight rushes for 74 yards.
“They’re a spread team,” Blanchard said. “They’re in shotgun 90 percent of the time, but they want to run the football. They use several running backs and the quarterback can hurt you with the run, too. They use different run-reads. They will leave someone unblocked and option off that player. We just have to play assignment football and be disciplined.”
Patterson’s defense struggled against the run last week with Richwood quarterback David Allen carrying 14 times for 249 yards and three long touchdown runs.
“Our kids are prideful so they will not be looking to let anyone run up and down the field Friday,” Blanchard said.
Patterson struggled against the run early this season but has been stellar the last several weeks.
“Patterson is a very good team that has most of their guys back from last year, and offensively, they are very athletic,” Loranger head coach Sam Messina said after last week’s game.
Additional reporting by www.lorangerhighschool.net.