New coach sees bright future at EMHS

George W. Bush was still the president of the United States the last time Ellender Memorial High School won a football game.

But despite the team’s 1,031-day and 23-game winless drought, no one seems to be hanging their heads inside the Patriots locker room.

That’s because new coach Terry Washington believes his team has the talent and the work ethic to make things right after what has been a long few seasons at Ellender.

“I’m excited about the possibilities of this young and I emphasize the word YOUNG group of guys,” Washington said. “We only have eight seniors. This is a young football team. … But this thing could get exciting, because we have some untapped talent here that people just didn’t see.”

Washington’s path to Ellender chronicles what’s been a wild summer for both the coach and the Patriots’ program.

A longtime assistant coach at schools such as Scotlandville Magnet, Sarah Reed and Jeanerette high schools, Washington wasn’t supposed to coach at Ellender in 2011.

That task was supposed to fall onto the shoulders of Timothy Betts, who was hired by the school to replace last year’s coach Tawaskie Anderson.

But Betts’ tenure lasted for just one set of spring practices after he was arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student.

Betts, who is currently out of jail after posting a $100,000 bond, is no longer an employee of the Terrebonne Parish School District.

His departure shifted eyeballs to Washington, who said he was waiting out an opportunity to coach at another school when he was offered the job at Ellender.

He accepted the job and said he believes he’s found a diamond in the rough.

“Lo and behold, this job just kind of fell into my lap,” Washington says with a smile. “And I’m elated. The job I was waiting for actually came open two weeks after I came here and I told them thank you, but no thank you. This is just a perfect fit.”

The team Washington inherits will return “about 15 starters”, but Ellender is nowhere near experienced and is glittered with several sophomores and juniors across the field.

One of those underclassmen is sophomore quarterback Dustin Creppel, who Washington said is one of three Patriots competing for the team’s starting quarterback position.

Creppel played sparingly in 2010 and said the team’s offense has been solid throughout fall practices.

“It’s been good,” he said. “Everything is beginning to come together. We know we have a lot more work to do, though.”

If things don’t work out for Creppel, Washington said the Patriots are also grooming a “highly talented freshman” under center.

Sticking to his old-school roots, Washington said he doesn’t name freshmen players in interviews. He was quick to add that the team’s mystery ninth grade quarterback will be worth the wait.

“This kid I’m talking about, he’s going to be really, really good,” the coach said fighting back a smile. “I just have to handle freshmen a certain way.”

Another player the Patriots will need to move the chains offensively is utility back Ralph Singleton.

Standing 5-foot-9-inches and being listed at just 138 pounds, Singleton will see time as a halfback and a wide receiver this season.

He said he’s one of several athletes the team has capable of making plays. That’s a necessity for Ellender, who is replacing wide receiver Jermaine Johnson, who was the team’s lone statistical big-play threat for the past two seasons.

“We’ve got a lot of talent and we’ve got a lot of speed,” Singleton said. “We’re ready to put people in a position to score.”

Athletes aren’t usually the problem at Ellender, the school historically has produced plenty of those.

But the Patriots have historically been thin up front, which usually nullifies the team’s athletes.

Washington said developing the team’s offensive line is a work in progress. He added that’s a major focus of he and his coaching staff throughout his entire first season with the team.

“We’re not small, but we’re not as big as we should be,” Washington said. “Once again, we’re trying to build this thing through our ninth grade group and some of those freshmen came in here weighing 280 pounds. But again, we’re young. We’re going to take some lumps on the offensive line this year. But it’s our hope that when those freshmen can grow up a little bit and move the defense around a little bit.”

Defensively, the Patriots return several starters, including defensive linemen Todd Fitch, Wilshawn Jones and safety Drake Granier.

Ellender’s defense was put to the task last season and allowed more than 50 points per game.

Granier believes with a new system and all the returnees, that number will decrease, it has to for the team to get out of the loss column.

“Offense can win us games, but defense will win us the championships,” Granier said. “We know we need to really get better. There’s no question about it.”

Ellender opens its season Sept. 2 in a home tilt with Terrebonne. Regardless of the week-to-week opponent, the Patriots just want to win a game.

They believe they have the man to get them that and more in Washington, who’s turned around several struggling programs in his career.

“He’s been to the Dome,” Granier said. “He’s a good coach. To know that he’s taken programs from losing records to winning records, that just makes me like him even more. That’s exactly what we need right now at Ellender.”

“He’s an awesome coach,” Singleton said, “He’ll get us there.”

Washington won’t make predictions, but added he watched film of the team’s previous failures and believes he can get them fixed.

There’s nowhere to go, but up.

“We’re not going to win every game,” Washington said. “But if we can compete week in and week out and have a chance to win at the end of the game, from being in some close games, you’ll learn how to win later on. We have to teach these kids first how to compete, then second how to win when they get there.

“But I’m very excited to be here. These kids work hard and they only want one thing, to be successful. Things can’t get harder. We can’t fall any lower. We’ve lost 23 games in a row. And because of that, these kids are hungry for success and they want to do it not just for them, but for their community. And that’s a strong, strong motivator. I’m excited to be a part of it. … We’ll see what happens.”

Ellender High Patriots

District 8-4A

Sept. 2 vs. Terrebonne

Sept. 9 at H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 16 at West St. Mary

Sept. 23 at Albany

Sept. 30 vs. Northlake Christian

Oct. 6 vs. Assumption*

Oct. 14 at Morgan City*

Oct. 20 at East Jefferson

Oct. 28 vs. South Terrebonne*

Nov. 4 at Vandebilt*

* Denotes district game

Coach: Terry Washington

Assistant Coaches: Ryan Davis, John Haslitt, Tim Tabor, Jerome Wilson

Record last season: 0-10

Returning Starters: 15

Players to Watch: Drake Granier, Ralph Singleton, Dustin Creppel

Primary Strengths: Athletes in skill positions

Fun FACTS

1,031: The number of days that have passed since Ellender’s last win

50+: The amount of players currently on the Patriots’ roster, a number that is up from recent years

3: The number of consecutive road games the Patriots will play after an opening day home tilt with Terrebonne

Ellender quarterback Dustin Creppel drops back at a spring practice. Creppel is one of several returnees on a Patriots squad looking to win its first game since the 2008 season. CASEY GISCLAIR