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Patterson senior Kenny Hilliard became an All-American and the leading rusher in the history of Louisiana prep football as a halfback.
He became a participant in the State Quarterfinals as a linebacker.
With the Lumberjacks facing a stout Kaplan rushing attack, Hilliard said he pleaded with Patterson coach Tommy Minton all week to see time on both sides of the football Friday night.
The coach gave into his All-American’s request, and Hilliard didn’t disappoint, making his presence felt, slowing down the Pirates offense in the second half to allow Patterson to score a 49-38 win.
“Kenny’s just one of those kids who’s a difference maker when he’s on the field,” Minton said. “It don’t matter what side [of the ball] he’s on, he’s a difference maker. He was a special player tonight.”
Minton said Hilliard has been asking to be on defense all year long, but the Lumberjacks held him out because he has nursed a sprained ankle.
Hilliard said that after watching Kaplan’s run-based offense on film, he really raised the bantering to become a both ways player, because he doesn’t want to fall short of the state championship.
“I know I had to step it up in the playoffs, so I had to go both ways for my team,” Hilliard said. “This is my senior year, so I have to do what I have to do.”
Initially, even with Hilliard’s added firepower, the unit struggled, allowing 24 first-half points.
But the Lumberjacks stiffened in the second half and rallied, despite trailing in the fourth quarter.
“We just needed some big stops on defense,” Hilliard said. “God blessed us in the second half and we were able to fight to get some when we needed them.”
With Kaplan finally off the field, Hilliard was able to go back to what he does best n run. The LSU commitment had five total touchdowns, including the one to clinch the win.
Hilliard had more than 200 yards of total offense on the game, which was played in extremely foggy conditions.
Conditions worsened so bad in the second half that Hilliard had to remove his helmet visor from his facemask just to be able to see down the field.
From the perspective of the defense, it only made things worse, because Hilliard is hard enough to tackle even when one can see him perfectly.
“He was inspired,” Patterson senior defensive end Shaquille Austin said. “He played with a lot of passion tonight. Going both ways … that’s tough, but Kenny just loves it. He was amazing.”
With the win, Patterson will move onto the Elite 8, where they will take on Redemptorist, who downed the Lumberjacks 28-13 on national TV in the second week of the season.
But Hilliard missed the second half of that game with a bad ankle, and Patterson coaches and players believe both sides are totally different teams now.
“We’ve got to get out, get a game plan and look at what they’re doing different offensively to see if anything has changed,” Minton said. “And we’ll just go from there. We’ll be ready.”
Austin agreed and said he and Lumberjack players were cheering for Redemptorist, because like their name states n Patterson wants redemption.
“We’ve just got that mindset that we’re not going to let anybody get in the way from us going to the Dome,” he said. “We’ve just got to want it bad enough. We’ve got that first game in our minds. We’re going to be remembering that in practice.”
For Hilliard, the game will be even more special. Because while yes, it is another obstacle to win the state title, he will also be facing two of his good friends and future teammates, fellow LSU commitments Jeremy Hill and La’El Collins.
“It’s rematch time,” Hilliard said. “Me, La’El and Jeremy, we all go way back, so I know they’re going to be excited that they’re playing us again. And it’s going to be the same for us. It’s going to be a good game. I just hope everybody from Patterson comes up to Baton Rouge with us.”
Who knows, maybe then Hilliard will play special teams, too.
Either way, the Lumberjacks are one step closer to the Dome.
Elsewhere in the Tri-parish area:
Patterson wasn’t the only Tri-parish school to punch their ticket to the quarterfinals.
In Class 1A, underdog No. 11-seed Central Catholic upset No. 6-seed Logansport 36-29 to get to the next round. For Central Catholic, the task doesn’t get easier, because they now will play No. 3-seed Oberlin.
Up two classes in 3A, E.D. White kept their push for the Superdome alive, as well. The Cardinals smashed No. 4-seed Marksville on the road, 52-19. With the win, E.D. White will now host Parkview Baptist.
While the Eagles and Cardinals celebrated their wins, magical seasons ended for two Houma schools.
In Class 5A, Terrebonne fell on the road to Jesuit, 17-13. The Tigers ended their season with a 10-2 record.
Just down the road, Vandebilt Catholic also had their season end, falling in Bastrop by a 48-28 margin to knock the team out of the Class 4A playoffs.
This week’s playoff schedule n
Class 3A: Parkview Baptist @ E.D. White
Patterson @ Redemptorist
Class 1A: Central Catholic @ Oberlin
Patterson halfback Kenny Hilliard looks for a hole in Friday’s Regional Round win against Kaplan. Hilliard rushed for more than 200 yards and five touchdowns in the win. CASEY GISCLAIR
