St. Martinville senior Brian Wiltz is one who lets his actions on the field do the taking for him.

ST. MARTINVILLE —Walk softly and carry a big stick.  

It’s a phrase that aptly describes St. Martinville senior athlete Brian Wiltz Jr., the leading returning offensive performer from last year’s 12-1 Class 4A quarterfinalist team. 

“He doesn’t say much,” SMHS head coach Vincent Derouen said of Wiltz.  “I don’t think I’ve heard him say more than two or three words since I’ve been here.  

“He leads by example.  With the way he puts in work, the other kids follow him.”

Last year, Wiltz accounted for approximately 2,000 all-purpose yards.  

He racked up 800 return yards on special teams with three long touchdowns, accompanied by 700 yards receiving and 500 rushing yards. 

“He’s definitely explosive in the return game,” Derouen said.  “And when he catches a short pass, he can take it to the house.

“He’s always a threat for a home run, just a hard-working kid who isn’t big size-wise but is really quick and strong.  He’s one of the strongest pound-for-pound on the team.”

Wiltz can do it all, whether’s it at receiver, kick returner, quarterback, or as the ballcarrier on a speed sweep.

“He can give defenses a problem,” Derouen said.  “That’s how he is.  He’s been getting playing time since early during his career, and college people like him. 

“In the spring we put him at quarterback and he did some good things in the wildcat formation.  He’s good with the books.  We’ve been getting calls about him.  It may not be at a big school, but he’ll be able to play college somewhere.”

With projected starting quarterback Kyrin LeBlanc still recovering from offseason surgery, Wiltz stepped in as the first-team signal-caller in the spring game at Westgate and scored two touchdowns.

“When he put him in the wildcat, I think he’ll be effective,” Derouen said.  “We have the quarterback (LeBlanc) back, too, and when Brian is in the slot he can turn a quick route into something big.  He scored every way imaginable last year.”

Wiltz was the second-leading receiver and third-leading rusher on last year’s team behind a pair of seniors. 

In week two last year, he returned a kick 99 yards to paydirt to open the second half of a win over Lafayette High.  

The following week, Wiltz caught a 21-yard touchdown pass and also threw a 40-yard TD pass in a 28-21 win over Comeaux.

“I try to score every time I get a chance,” he said.  “I rely on my speed and vision.”