WHS getting healthy as district starts

Published 12:30 am Wednesday, October 3, 2018

In order to get district football play started on the right foot this Friday, Westgate High School faces the arduous task of slowing down a St. Thomas More squad that is averaging over 58 points per game at the midway mark of the regular season.

“They have a big time quarterback in Caleb Holstein,” WHS head coach Ryan Antoine said. “He can make every throw in the book. They have great receivers, a good offensive line and a good running game.

“We’ll have to do our best to limit their possessions and contain them. All the way around, St. Thomas More is a well-coached, well-disciplined team. Their players go out and execute on so many things that it makes it hard to focus on any one thing.”

Holstein (6-foot-5, 210 pounds, Jr.) has completed 100 of 147 passes for 1,640 yards with 19 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Two of his favorite targets, wide receivers Grant Arceneaux and Deion Senegal, are among the top 20 receivers in the state.

The two seniors have combined to haul in 55 receptions and 13 touchdowns for the Cougars (4-1).

Westgate, meanwhile, is sitting at 3-2 after an impressive road win at Patterson last week. The Tigers are finally getting healthy again despite the loss of senior quarterback/running back Darian Charles to a career-ending injury in week four.

“We’ve got to go out there and put a full game together,” said Antoine, whose club will be looking for its first win at home. “This past Friday, we played one of our best games but we had a real bad second quarter in which we gave them a chance to get back into the game.

“We left a lot of points on the board. We had two interceptions, one a pick-six, called back by penalties and we dropped two more interceptions.”

Westgate’s offensive line is coming off its best effort of the season, as running backs Tyreese Jackson, Tahj Boyance and Steven Antoine all enjoyed success carrying the football in the 47-22 win at Patterson.

As a top senior recruit, Jackson is a household name, while Boyance and Antoine are freshmen.

“Tahj and Steve do a great job,” Antoine said. “Coach Randall Antoine does a helluva job with them. I give him complete control and he works them tooth and nail.

“Our running backs are probably the hardest-working group on the team. They come early to practice and stay the latest. With the work the freshmen have been putting in, there was no doubt that I would have the confidence to bring them in and give Tyreese a breather.”

With receivers such as Kayshon Boutte, Makholven Sonn and Javon Marks on board, the Tigers are well-known as a team that can move the chains through the air, but Antoine wants his offense to be versatile.

“We were able to run the ball and be physical last week,” Antoine said. “That’s something we didn’t do in the past that we do now. We have a physical mentality we didn’t have in the past.

“Our offensive line has been a work in progress. Coach (Stephen) Schaub is getting them to help put together our identity as a physical team.”

The Tigers continue to benefit from the exploits of outside linebacker Keith Lopez, who missed almost the entire first two games of the season while his hand healed.

“You kind of get emotional when you think about the things he’s been through at Westgate,” Antoine said. “The games Keith is having for us are a blessing. He’s just out here wanting a chance to play football and he got a committable offer from Jackson State.

“He works his tail off and, as a result, makes things happen. Everybody loves Keith. He’s definitely one who people like to root for. He laughs and smiles and often doesn’t say a thing. He’s a linebacker now but was an all-district receiver as a sophomore.”

Westgate is also reaping the fruits of the labor of quarterback Mar’keyvrick Eddie, who returned last week after missing three-and-a-half games (shoulder) and threw three touchdown passes.

“He’s just smooth,” Antoine said. “A senior guy who has been in situations. A four-year starter at corner, receiver and now quarterback. It’s the experience he brings. Like Keith, he brings an added element to the field. Guys want to make plays around him.”