Quinton Cook

Spring and summer football were very important for New Iberia Senior High School as the Yellow Jackets prepare for the 2021 season, senior Quinton Cook said.

“I thought spring was great because we were able to put all the pieces together for the upcoming season,” he said. “It is an important process in getting everyone to play.”

Cook played a big role on a NISH team last season that won six games and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a generation.

“Going to the second round of the playoffs was big,” Cook said. “We hadn’t done that in a long time.”

Cook has been playing on the defensive side of the ball since his freshman year and admits that playing defense has become easier and easier as the years go by.

He also played on the offensive side of the ball in 2020 as a tight end in the NISH wing-T attack.

“To me it was just a different position,” Cook said. “Instead of rushing the offense I was blocking for the offense. It was almost the same thing just on the opposite side of the ball.”

Cook didn’t score on either side of the ball last year and that’s something he would like to change for the 2021 season.

“I would like to score a touchdown on either side of the ball,” he said. “To do it (on offense and defense) in the same game would be incredible.”

The big NISH lineman, who also plays on the basketball team, prefers the defensive side of the ball but the reason is a bit surprising.

“It’s the position that I’ve been playing the longest so it’s easier for me than to play on the offensive side of the ball.” he said.

As a defensive first person, his favorite play last year was a sack against Donaldsonville but as a student of the game and not one to call attention to himself, he declined to talk about it at length.

Still the NISH senior does have goals for the upcoming season, even if they are modest.

“I just want to go as far as we did last year, maybe go farther,” Cook said. “That and get ready for college.”

He’s being recruited by several schools from Memphis to Texas Southern to Southeastern Louisiana to Louisiana-Monroe.

Bu for now, he’ll take the advice of good friend and Texas Southern-signee Michael Akins.

“Play fast and hard,” Cook said. “You’ll go places.”