'Jacks to open district against Kaplan Friday

Patterson has ratcheted up the intensity with its District 8-3A opener looming Friday against Kaplan in the Sugar Dome.
Patterson (2-2) overcame early turnovers to manhandle Ellender Memorial 56-14 last week at the Sugar Dome.
“We had some turnovers early that hurt big time,” Patterson Coach Chad Blanchard said after the game. “We got down there (in the red zone) two or three times and didn’t score. We had a fumble they returned for a touchdown. We’ve got to clean up those mistakes, especially with district starting.”
Blanchard says his Lumberjacks responded well in practice all week.
“Whenever you’re getting ready for district play, the intensity picks up,” he said. “I’m actually looking for more as we get closer to game day.”
Patterson rolled up 369 yards rushing in Friday’s game, led by Tristen Ausama’s 134 yards and Sirbatian Charles’ 128 yards. It was Charles’ second consecutive 100-yard game.
Ausama leads the squad in rushing this season with 68 carries for 281 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Charles has rushed 60 times for 261 yards.
Dontre Nicholas also had a strong rushing game, carrying 8 times for 63 yards and a score late in the game.
Charles also was sharp through the air, completing 10-of-16 passes for 121 yards with 2 scores and 1 interception. He had a 35-yard touchdown to D.J. Jones and 9-yarder to Ausama.
This season, he has completed 47-of-78 passes for 655 yards with 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Dual threat standout D.J. Jones had 3 catches for 51 yards and 1 touchdown Friday and he rushed 4 times for 38 yards. Jones has also been stellar on special teams this season.
Other top receivers Friday were Ausama, 3 catches for 14 yards and 1 touchdown; Brennan Gouaux, 1 catch for 20 yards; and Jordan Butler, 1 catch for 24 yards.
Jones leads the squad in receiving this season with 13 catches for 189 yards and 1 touchdown, while Nehemiah Augustus added 12 catches for 174 yards and 1 touchdown. Gouaux has contributed 7 catches for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Patterson’s offense should get a big lift this week with the return of starting receivers Mykel Jones and Shay Ragas.
“Their teammates are very excited to get them back,” Blanchard said. “I’m excited, too, for these two kids who worked extremely hard to get back for their senior seasons. I saw the work they put in, and it’s a testament to the character of those kids.”
Mykel Jones is one of the top wide receiver recruits in the class of 2016. The 6-foot, 180-pound prospect, is rated the No. 32 receiver and the No. 184 overall player in the country per the 247Sports Composite. Jones released his top four schools, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Ole Miss, in no specific order, before the season.
He had 35 catches for 622 yards and nine scores last year.
Ragas started on offense and defense for Patterson last season, garnering all-district honors.
Kaplan (2-2, 0-1) lost 20-16 to E.D. White Friday.
“Kaplan is a good physical defense,” Blanchard said. “They run a 3-4 with a lot of zone in the secondary. They’re good at stopping the run. Their defensive line and linebackers are good tacklers.”
Offensively, Kaplan is a Wing-T team.
“Their offensive linemen really do a good job of coming off the ball,” Blanchard said. “The running backs also run hard. They won’t outrun you, but they’ll pound you.”
Kaplan is led on offense by seniors Julius Johnson and Grant Frick. Johnson has rushed 109 times for 558 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Frick has carried the ball 58 times for 355 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Jade Herpin, who didn’t play a week ago, has completed 8 of 23 passes for 157 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Patterson’s defense played another good Wing-T team, Catholic High-New Iberia, two weeks ago.
“The guys are working on their assignments to slow down the Wing-T,” Blanchard said. “But that offense always creates some problems, hopefully our experience will help.”
Friday game will kick off at 7 p.m.