Quartet of area players net Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A All-State recognition

A quartet of area football players received Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 3A Honorable Mention All-State honors.
Patterson High School had three senior selections — quarterback Sirbatian Charles, running back D.J. Jones, and defensive back Nehemiah Augustus. Berwick had one selection, senior wide receiver Audwin Williams.
Charles completed 134 of 210 passes (63.8 percent) for 2,052 yards with 27 touchdowns and five interceptions.
He also rushed 129 times for 669 yards and five touchdowns.
“He’s a two-year starter for us, and he had another great season,” said Chad Blanchard, who coached Charles this season before stepping down as head coach and athletic director last week. “Threw for 2,000 yards last year. Threw for another 2,000 this year. … He provided another element for us this year in that we were going to need him to run the ball a lot more. … He led us in carries. He carried the ball over 120 times, and we did it because it’s part of his talent base. He can do it. He always has. … He’s a natural leader. He’s a great kid. His work ethic is fantastic, and we’re hoping that some colleges take a shot on him.”
Jones rushed 68 times for 696 yards and 11 touchdowns, while he caught 28 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns.
“D.J. had a great year," Blanchard said. "D.J. was one of those kids that he’s played a lot ever since he’s been with us ever since his freshman year, but he took on a huge role this year at running back and at receiver.”
He also was key for the Lumberjacks in their return unit, Blanchard said, and he played defensive back.
“He was really versatile for us,” Blanchard said. “Explosive football player. Comes to work every day and was real important to the success that we had.”
Augustus recorded seven interceptions on defense, among his other defensive stats, which weren’t available today.
Augustus was a four-year starter for Patterson who Blanchard said was used in a lot of different ways throughout his high school career.
“Took on a very big leadership role for us this year. Offensively, he was an important part of what we did, and then defensively, he was the district MVP. Changing up some of what we asked him to do. We put him in the defensive backfield a little bit more this year because we needed help there, and he responded to everything we asked him to do. He’s a great athlete. A great football player.”
Patterson finished its 2015 season with a 9-3 mark, falling to West Feliciana in the regional round of the playoffs.
Berwick’s Williams concluded his senior season with 48 receptions for 958 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“Popsii, as he’s known as around Berwick, (has) been a great leader of our team. … It says a lot for a guy who caught as many passes and had as many yards as he had on our team,” Berwick High School Coach Craig Brodie said. “He got double-teamed a lot (and) he still made plays, so we’re proud of the work he’s done.”
Berwick finished its 2015 season with a 3-7 mark.
Other District 9-3A representatives earning all-state honors included Kaplan defensive lineman Jaise Meche, a first-team selection; and honorable mention selections Jerick Romero and Julius Johnson, both of Kaplan; Elijah Mitchell of Erath; and Jeremy Rounds of E.D. White.
Junior running back Travis Etienne of Jennings was the state’s Offensive Most Valuable Player, while Sully Laiche of state champion Lutcher was the Defensive MVP. Dwain Jenkins, who led St. James to a Class 3A runner-up finish, was the Class 3A Coach of the Year.
Additional reporting by www.theadvocate.com/sports.