HUSTLE, HIT, AND WIN

Before the season started, no contenders expected Curtis to lead the division or to even be a top seed in the playoffs. Everyone but the team felt this way, and everyone loves a good “underdog” story. Any team can pull off wins in the first half of the season, but the second half separates the average teams from the championship-winning teams, and Curtis separates themselves from the rest of the pack. This so-called “underdog” story has left the rest of the league baffled since they had such low expectations for Curtis this year. The Patriots knew they were championship contenders from day one, but it’s a special feeling when everyone in the league finally notices and feels threatened. The team is more confident than before, which is a scary thing to face and leaves other teams less optimistic about their ability to beat the Patriots. Teams can try to rally against Curtis, but they end up falling empty-handed with another loss added to their record. The offense has gained a new voice with a new scheme of constantly changing players throughout a drive, leaving defenses confused and allowing Curtis to have big plays. Quarterbacks Jordan Smith and Dagan Bruno are perfect examples of this. Being allowed to switch up the most important player on the field constantly weakens opponents in their defensive schemes. The offense wouldn’t score points if it weren’t for the defense. In critical moments, the defense has always stepped up and allowed the offense to score, and when the offense doesn’t consistently score, they stand back up excited for another challenge. The second half of the season was filled with tough district opponents and injuries for the team, but this didn’t stop the team from battling into an 8-2 record, and being ready to battle as the 3rd seed in the playoffs.

Curtis revisited an iconic rival at Joe Yenni on October 7th, ending in a 36-0 win for the Patriots, where they showed immense dominance over the Rummel Raiders. Going into the game, the Raiders were another test for the Patriots since both teams had a 4-1 record at the time. By halftime, it seemed clear that only one of these teams deserved their impressive record since Curtis completely humiliated Rummel. A 4 yard-run by Marlon Prout kicked open the door for a surprise fake extra-point play where Junior quarterback Dagan Bruno ran in for the extra two points. A quick defensive stop allowed Curtis to score again with a 6-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Jordan Smith. The Raiders tried their best to respond by marching down the field, but the defense held them to the 18-yard line, where Rummel attempted a kick. Special teams are an often overlooked art of the game, but Curtis still takes pride in it and has never let up on their special teams effort. Junior Zack Drake dove for the kick, blocking it as it went up in the air. The ball was recovered by Junior Michael Turner, and he brought it back for an 82-yard touchdown run. The bizarre part of the kick is that Zack was one of the farthest players from the kicker when the play happened, and he still blocked the kick. It wasn’t his play to make, but his high effort and dedication allowed him to make the play of the game. When asked about the play, Zack replied, "My hand hurt.” By halftime, the score was 22 to 0, but Curtis didn’t let up. The opening halftime drive for the Raiders ended with a pick by Sophomore Jason Curtis, thanks to a tipped pass by Sophomore linebacker Hayden Delatte. Thanks to the defense, the amazing field position allowed the offense to score on a 30-yard touchdown run by Junior Kaheam Smith. With the game being so lopsided, younger players were given the opportunity to play. Seeing the younger players go out there and give it their all is always enjoyable. They work as hard as everyone else during practices, and when Freshman Cain Van Norden was asked about this, he replied, “As a player, I was very excited to play in the Rummel game. It was a great game. I got a tackle. We blew them out, and we shut them out.” Doubters thought this was where the winning streak for Curtis was going to end, but it ended up in a blowout match that didn’t even feel close.

After a long trip to Acadiana, the Patriots, embarrassed the Rams in front of their home crowd in a 35-16 victory on October 14. Curtis was already familiar with Acadiana after facing them two years ago, ending in a close loss. Everyone who remembered the loss wanted it to be a different story this year. Not only to beat Acadiana but to blow them out and to remind everyone that this Curtis team was different. After a Curtis fumble, Acadiana was within striking distance to open the game with a score. The defense ran out on the field and played extraordinarily, stopping the Rams in their tracks and causing a 4th down stop thanks to an explosive tackle by senior linebacker Justin Horne. With a new life, the offense ran down the field to score thanks to a 60-yard run by sophomore running back Marlon Prout, which allowed a 3-yard touchdown run by Junior Kaheam Smith. Curtis didn’t slow down, and sophomore running back Marlon Prout ran for a touchdown before the half, giving the Patriots a 14-0 lead going into the half. The Rams responded back in the start of the 3rd quarter with a touchdown run, but Curtis punched right back in the 4th quarter with a jet sweep run touchdown by Junior wide receiver Michael Turner. The Rams tried to fight their way back by scoring a touchdown in the 4th, but Curtis shut the door with a 33-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Marlon Prout and another 31-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Jordan Smith. Everyone in the Acadiana crowd was stunned. The feeling of blowing out a team in their own stadium in front of their home crowd is indescribable. The defense played incredibly and had multiple sacks in the game, thanks to Junior defensive end Zack Drake slowing down the quarterback and giving his teammates an opportunity for a sack. Everyone who got a sack thanked Drake and gave him a free lunch the next week as a thank you gift. Senior defensive tackle John Morter had a game to remember, getting over 11 tackles and a sack. When questioned about the game he had and the mentality going into it, he said, “ The defense played very well that night. It was a away game so we played in their backyard. I had one of my best games. I had 11 tackles and two sacks, my first of the season. It was just a really good moment for us because last time we played them was my sophomore year and they beat us. For us to go over there and beat them very bad was just meant for me.” The Patriots marched into Acadiana in front of their home crowd and left with a blowout victory which showed people how Curtis was a dominant force to go against.

In a matchup to remember, the Patriots led a colossal comeback to take down the Purple Knights in a 28-21 win on the sunny afternoon of Saturday, October 22. Both teams only had one loss thus far in the season, and this game decided who would be in the driver's seat in taking district. St. Augustine, also known as St. Aug, beat Zachary earlier this year. Everyone predicted a St. Aug victory since Curtis came short in their match against Zachary, but it’s almost like everyone forgot about improving as the season goes on. The Patriots weren’t going to back down without a fight. Earlier that week, alumni from the first state championship won back in 1975 came to talk to the players. Over 47 years ago, they still remembered their playing days and spoke about how the team should never quit in the face of a challenge. To add more flare to the story, Coach Leon Curtis was being inducted into the John Curtis Hall of Fame during halftime of the game. Everyone on the team wanted to bring home a win for him. Senior linebacker Justin Horne said, “Well first of all we wanted to win. That was first. We got into the mindset that it was Coach Leon’s Hall of Fame game. We knew we had to push through at the end especially since that was my coach so I couldn’t leave my last year without him getting his win on his Hall of Fame game. Congratulations to him, all the success he had all over his years. We just had a good game against St. Aug and we just had to follow through for him.” St. Aug went up with an early 14-point lead in the first quarter. Still, Curtis responded with a beautifully thrown 35-yard touchdown pass from Junior quarterback Dagan Bruno to Junior wide receiver Tyler Mitchell. St. Aug tried to end the game early on by scoring again in the 3rd quarter. Last year’s team probably would have said this was it, that the game was over, and to keep their head down. This year's team was different. As many kids would say, “They had that dawg in them. " They weren’t backing down without a fight. A 4th and long situation in St. Aug’s territory was, up to that point, the game's most important play. With 6 St. Aug players rushing into Dagan Bruno, he threw a screen pass to sophomore running back Marlon Prout, who sprinted for the touchdown. Amazing play calling by the Patriots, knowing how aggressive St. Aug was going to be on 4th down, allowed the screen pass to work with over half of St. Aug’s defense being out of the play. After a long drive and being stopped by the Curtis defense, St. Aug saw the writing on the wall and tried desperately not to give this game away by going for a fake punt on the 50-yard line. Senior wide receiver Paul Faciane noticed it right away and made the tackle to give the offense the ball back. St. Aug had the Curtis offense on a 3rd and long situation, but the Curtis had a trick up their sleeve. Having two amazing quarterbacks not only gives you a chance to swap them in confusing defenses but also allows you to have two amazing passers in the same play. Senior quarterback Jordan Smith took the snap and pitched it to Dagan Bruno, who threw it to Tyler Mitchell for a spectacular 40-yard catch. It gave the offense the perfect opportunity to punch to ball in for a touchdown by Marlon Prout, his 2nd of the day. With the game tied, the defense needed to step up and stop St. Aug from going down the field to score. St. Aug quarterback, Amare Cooper, stepped back and threw an underthrown ball. Senior cornerback Tyler Hayes saw this, intercepted the ball, and ran it back for a pick-six while making his best Deion Sanders impression. When asked about this game-saving interception, Tyler said, “It just came to me, I read the play and I just picked it. Big players make big plays.” St. Aug tried to run down the field to tie the game hopefully, but the defense stood firm and left the Purple Knights unable to tie the game. The Patriots came back from being down 14 against St. Aug and ended the day with a win for Coach Leon.

Being reminded of last year's loss against Brother Martin, the Patriots rewrote the story in a 23-14 win over the Crusaders on October 28. After the previous week's win against St. Aug., the Patriots had to face another divisional opponent to continue their lead in the division. Curtis struck first with a 10-yard touchdown run by senior running back Aaron Johnson. Brother Martin punted the ball back in their next possession, allowing sophomore running back Marlon Prout to have a huge 45-yard run, opening up for a 1-yard touchdown run by Junior quarterback Dagan Bruno. The Crusaders responded with a touchdown of their own. Coming into the half, Brother Martin got an 85-yard kick return touchdown. The game was too close for comfort, 14-13, with the Crusaders leading. The offense responded after the kick return touchdown, running down the field for a 3-yard touchdown run by senior running back Jason Gabriel. The game was still within Brother Martin’s reach. All they needed was to score again to take the one-point lead. The defense played masterfully in the 2nd half, stopping the Crusaders repeatedly. The Crusader defense slowed down the Patriot’s offense, but the defense kept coming back on the field, eliminating the Crusaders from scoring for themselves. Everyone loves an excellent defensive game, but for extra insurance for a Curtis victory, Junior kicker Jaden Alphonso kicked a 24-yard field goal. After the loss to Brother Martin last year, the entire team played with everything they had to make sure the outcome was different, and they ended up winning 23-14 over Brother Martin and increased the division lead.

In a heavy-weight matchup, Curtis fell short to the Edna Karr Cougars in a 38-6 loss on November 4, but the team still kept their pride and learned from the game. The entire week this matchup was looked forward to, with two of the best teams in the state playing against each other for a chance to prove who was the best. It was also crucial since it was Senior Night, a night to honor the seniors and their years of dedication to playing. Over 20 seniors were remembered this night, and it’s been an event they have been looking forward to ever since becoming one. Long-time player Michael Sam-pang was asked about his Senior Night and how much he was looking forward to it. He responded, “ I’ve been going to Curtis for about 17 years, going on 18. I’ve been looking forward to my senior night since I was young. I’ll always see the other seniors having their senior night, and they had a lot of fun, so I was looking forward to a fun senior night.” Curtis kept fighting until the end, knowing there was much to learn from this game. Championship winning teams can take losses and learn from them to become even better. Curtis had a bye week after the game, holding onto their 3rd seed spot, and the entire week was spent practicing to improve for the playoffs, especially for another matchup against the Cougars. Going into the playoffs as the 3rd seed, Curtis is ready to fight anyone who crosses their path. If it so happens to be Karr, then it’ll be a motivated fight since everyone on the team will be reminded of the loss. Curtis fought until the end but fell short against the Cougars, and you are mistaken if you think this team will accept this type of outcome again.