August 7, 2009

Jeff Fedotin
Special to Rivals High

MORE: Complete RivalsHigh 100 Countdown | No. 26 ranked East St. Louis coach has suit filed

Top 100 countdown No. 9 John Curtis, Louisiana

COACH: J.T. Curtis LAST SEASON: 14-1, Louisiana 2A State Champs FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 19 Nationally After J.T. Curtis succeeded his father and school founder, John, as coach in 1969, the River Ridge (La.) John Curtis Christian School football team finished 0-10, scoring two touchdowns the entire season. "[I] thought maybe insurance is what I needed to do," J.T. Curtis said. Curtis, however, stuck with the right career and has molded the Patriots into one of the country's best football programs. The Patriots have made the state championship game every year since 1995. They have won 23 state titles, including 11 of the past 13. In 2009, they will try to win the 2A state title for the sixth consecutive year. "That's pretty much everyone's goal," senior defensive lineman Walker Ashburn said. "We also don't want be known as the seniors who couldn't get it done." Like typical Curtis teams, the 2009 version - which returns six starters on offense and seven on defense - will rely on its depth. When voters for high school all-American teams researched Curtis alum and USC running back Joe McKnight - whose younger brother Jonathan plays on the 2009 team - some assumed his statistics were incorrect because he had so few rushing yards. "One of our philosophies here is that we want to play as many as we can," Curtis said. "We don't feature one guy. We're a balanced offense." That balance is displayed at the quarterback position. Evan Ingram is gone, and senior Bryce Jenkins (5 feet 11, 190 pounds) and junior Brandon Bourgeois (5-10, 170) will both play, with Jenkins seeing a bit more action. Both can throw the ball, but they will mostly be charged with running the ball and making sound reads in the Patriots' hard-nosed, option offense. The Patriots typically pass only five or six times a game. "We might run the same play 20 times one game," right tackle Luke Charpentier said. "Every play you're gonna have someone lined up in front of you, and it's your job to just blow them off the ball." Seniors Charpentier (6-4, 315) and Darrian Campbell (6-4, 325) will anchor a young offense that lost eight starters, including fellow linemen George Alonzo, Russ Gisclair and Shane Conrady. The mammoth tackles will pave the way for running backs Torrey Pierce (5-9, 155), who gained 596 yards on 78 carries in 2008, Quincy Smith and Jordan Frost. The Patriots will use a running back-by-committee approach as they look to replace Kenny Cain (enrolled at TCU) and Marchez Patterson, who both graduated. "Our offense will be pretty good, if our defense can carry us early and give us an opportunity to mature on offense and get our feet on the ground," Curtis said. Seniors Ashburn (6-2, 260) and Jermaine Collins (5-10, 200) will carry that load - both literally and figuratively - for the Patriots' defense, which primarily employs a 3-4 among its multiple alignments. Ashburn posted 91 tackles and 14 sacks last year, and Collins compensates for his lack of size with excellent speed. The secondary may serve as the deepest unit on the team. Senior starters McKnight (6-1, 170) and Jordan Hanberry (5-8, 180) are back along with Shane Baham (5-10, 170). Juniors Raydell Mason (6-0, 180) and Jimmie Turner (5-10, 170) will see action as well. McKnight, who also plays wide receiver and returns kicks, has the explosive special-teams ability of his brother in addition to his coverage skills. "He's an outstanding player," Curtis said, "and a guy who can make plays and is a true corner at the next level." Two schools that play at an elite level, Curtis and Trinity - a team from Texas that was ranked No. 1 in the RivalsHigh 100 for much of the season - met in the first week of the 2008 season in a nationally televised game on Labor Day at Texas Stadium. Through the famed hole in the roof, the sun baked the visitors while Hurricane Gustav simultaneously ravaged their hometown. Some of the younger Patriots stayed in Louisiana because of the storm. Although Curtis lost the game, 28-12, it propelled the team toward a championship season. "Our players probably had as much adversity in that game as you could imagine," Curtis said. "The way they competed ? it really shot them forward and really allowed them to mature and grow as a team." Curtis had originally planned to play Katy, another Texas powerhouse, this year before the Tigers bowed out. J.T. Curtis said the team still is trying to schedule a national contest - perhaps in Florida or Georgia. He tabbed that likelihood as "50-50." Whether the Patriots land another game against a proven high school program may be up in the air, but the goal of winning a state title remains the same as it has since J.T. Curtis assumed the coaching duties from his father 40 years ago.