’Jacks look to get on track versus Catholic High-NI

Patterson gets a break after two straight weeks against Class 5A teams, but Catholic High-New Iberia won’t be a cakewalk Friday in New Iberia.
Catholic High (2-0) is currently ranked fourth in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 2A poll with 95 points and one first-place vote.
As for Patterson (0-2), the Lumberjacks dug themselves a big hole for the second week in a row en route to a 42-27 loss to East Ascension Friday.
“Our kids competed and we knew they would,” Patterson head coach Chad Blanchard said after Friday’s game. “They know we play a tough pre-district schedule. We try to schedule some teams that we know are going to be good and in the long run, it’s only going to make us better.”
Patterson also started last season with losses to Brother Martin and East Ascension before making a playoff run.
East Ascension used big plays to grab a 21-0 second quarter lead.
“We made some careless mistakes tonight and it put us under the gun early, but we did a good job of fighting to come back,” Blanchard said following the contest. “We have some things to straighten out, and we need for some guys to step up for us.”
Patterson standout receiver and Alabama commitment Daylon Charlot had a big game Friday. Charlot had four catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the Tri-City area with six catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
Quarterback Sirbatian Charles also had a good game, going 11-of-28 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. The junior has completed 19-of-48 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns.
The ’Jacks other standout receiver, Mykel Jones, is off to a slow start with five catches for 34 yards.
“I know what kind of talent we have on that side of the ball,” Blanchard said. “It’s only a matter time before we really get it rolling. We just have to stay sound in what we do and just keep working hard.”
One area Blanchard would like to see the offense improve, however, is on the ground.
“We’ve run the ball pretty well, but because of the teams we played in the first two weeks, we felt our advantage was outside, so we threw the ball more,” he said. “We need to start getting long drives that protects our defense.”
Patterson has rushed for 275 yards and passed for 341 this season. Tristen Ausama leads the ’Jacks’ rushers with 26 carries for 133 yards and two touchdowns.
Patterson’s defense needs protection after two weeks. The ’Jacks’ “D” has surrendered 607 rushing yards through two games, or 303.5 yards per contest.
“We have more guys going both ways and fewer players this season, so we’ve struggled some,” Blanchard said. “But we’ve also had assignment busts getting new players some experience. But (we) need those guys to learn and step up.”
Catholic High used turnovers to bomb Erath 63-7 Friday, jumping out a 35-0 first quarter. Catholic High standouts quarterback Jason Pellerin and running backs Andre Bellefontaine and Seth Pierre all had big games. Pellerin, an Ole Miss commit, had 41 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also passed for 170 yards and two scores. Bellefontaine had three touchdowns — two rushing and one receiving — and Pierre had two touchdowns on the ground in the first half.
“They are a very talented and experienced team, and that’s why they’re ranked so high,” Blanchard said. “Looking at the film, it seems like every kid that played against us last year is back.”
Defensively, Catholic High held Erath to less than 50 yards in the first half and Erath off the scoreboard in the first three quarters.
Catholic High head coach Brent Indest expects more of a challenge from Patterson.
“Patterson played two (Class) 5A teams to start the year,” Indest said. “They’re going to come out and look at us like we’re a bunch of little guys. They have a tremendous amount of team speed and two BCS-type receivers and a running back that just murdered us last year. It was very important that we came out and show the focus and discipline that we did tonight. That’s the only thing that’s going to give us a chance against Patterson.”
Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Additional reporting by The Daily Iberian.