Dantzler appointed Patterson football coach

Marvin Dantzler officially was appointed Patterson High School’s head football coach and health and physical education teacher, effective Monday, during Thursday’s St. Mary Parish School Board meeting in Centerville.
Dantzler’s appointment, announced by Superintendent Leonard Armato, did not require board approval.
Dantzler will replace former head coach Chad Blanchard, who resigned his position as head football coach and athletic director in December to “pursue other opportunities that will benefit my family,” Blanchard said in a statement at the time. According to The Advocate, he took an offensive assistant coaching position at Destrehan High School, effective Jan. 4.
As for Dantzler, a Louisiana native, he comes to Patterson after four years as head coach at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 36-year-old coach finished with a 33-12 record at Booker T. Washington, including back-to-back Class 6A semifinal appearances in 2014 and 2015. He also qualified for the playoffs in his first two seasons at the school.
“Being from Louisiana, I knew the Hilliards,” Dantzler said of the football family that includes Patterson High grads and former NFL players Dalton Hilliard and Ike Hilliard and current Houston Texan Kenny Hilliard. “I was a Dalton Hilliard fan, and I kept up with what was going (on) in the state no matter where I was. So I knew there was good football here, and once I took interest in the job, I really started researching the school, and I saw all the talent Patterson has produced. I also found out about the passion of this community for Patterson football, and I like a fan base that will come and support the team.”
Dantzler was chosen from among more than 50 applicants for the job, Armato said.
“I was swayed toward Coach Dantzler pretty early on in the process,” Patterson High Principal Rachael Sanders said. “I liked the conviction he spoke about football with. He didn’t sugarcoat the football talk with me, and I respected that. He just seemed like an old-school football guy, which I think our team respects and will work for a guy like that.”
Patterson finished the 2015 season with a 9-3 mark, a District 8-3A title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs where it was upset by West Feliciana.
Look for more on this new hire at www.stmarynow.com later this afternoon as well as in Monday’s newspaper.