SMSH’s Javone Wiltz (6) gets instructions for the play from the sidelines Friday against Franklinton.

ST. MARTINVILLE — The quarterback didn’t know what hit him.

During last Friday’s playoff game, Franklinton’s Jasper Lasalle took the snap and stepped back into the pocket to scan the field for an open wide receiver. Unbeknownst to Lasalle, St. Martinville senior safety Javone Wiltz was blitzing from the blindside. The result was Wiltz popping Lasalle so hard that he laid on the turf for a good five minutes afterwards, until trainers helped him to his feet and off the field.

“You just get that tunnel vision you know?” said Wiltz, when it comes to plays like the one he made Friday night. “You see the quarterback and it is just you and him. All that anger you got built up you just take it out on him.”

Wiltz has been taking out his anger on opposing offenses for three seasons.

Wiltz has lined up as SMSH starting strong safety since he was a sophomore and has earned District 5-4A honors the past two seasons, and will likely do so again this season. The 6-foot tall, 190-pound senior is an old-fashioned thumper and a player Tigers head coach Vince DeRouen loves having on the backend of his defense.

“He brings toughness,” said DeRouen, whose team plays host to Belle Chasse on Friday in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs. “He is a real hard hitter. He will make all the tackles and is a savvy football player. He is not an arm tackler and he is always around the football.”

“Coach Vince always tells us to be aggressive,” Wiltz said. “So it is on me to bring that to the table.”

Wiltz began displaying that toughness almost immediately for SMSH after he was thrust into a starting role. 

“When I first came to practice as a strong safety when I was a sophomore we had some good depth,” Wiltz said. “Then some guys left the team and some other got injured so I was up next. So I just took the knowledge from my coaches and older players like Trevon Goings and used it to become a better all-around player.”

As much as Wiltz prides himself on putting a hard lick on a quarterback or running back, the Tigers safety also had worked at being just as efficient in pass coverage — and more importantly as a team leader. 

“I pride myself on being an all-around player,” Wiltz said. 

“I’ve got to be on the run and I’ve got to be on the pass. I’ve got to be all over the field and I’ve got to be a leader. If our unit is struggling then I’ve got to be the one to tell them it is going to be alright and keep playing harder and faster.”

“He is definitely a tough player and makes our defense tougher,” DeRouen said. 

“He is not scared to put his nose and shoulder in there and the other guys see that. He brings a pop and leadership to our defense.”

Even though he currently has no scholarship offers, Wiltz still has aspirations of playing in college, whether that is walking on somewhere or going to a junior college to get a chance to play. Regardless of which path he chooses, Wiltz will definitely will be bringing that toughness and knack for big hits with him.

“When you play football you’ve got to be aggressive,” Wiltz said. “It’s a man’s sport. If you are not man enough then you can’t play it.”