Port Allen excelling in defensive mode

• By ROBIN FAMBROUGH
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Oct 15, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:45 a.m.

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As his unbeaten Port Allen High team prepares for its District 9-3A opener at Plaquemine High, coach Guy Blanchard naturally goes into a defensive mode.

Blanchard is not defending his team. Instead, the PAHS coach talks about Port Allen’s first-team defense that has allowed 15 points in four games.

“We’ve been playing well,” Blanchard said. “Of the 15 points they’ve given up, seven of those came when the offense fumbled deep on our end of the field. They’ve flat out shut people down. Plaquemine will without a doubt be the best offense we’ve faced. I think it will be a good test.”

Noting Plaquemine has lost three games by a total of seven points, including last week’s 29-27 loss to Brusly, Blanchard calls the Green Devils the best 0-4 team in the state.

That doesn’t change the fact the Pelicans (4-0) will rely on a defense that returns seven starters and is led by first-year defensive coordinator Steve Thomas, who moved from St. Amant to Port Allen last spring.

In three of four games, PAHS have held the other team to negative rushing yardage. The most total yardage PAHS has allowed is 160 yards.

“When I came in, I had some ideas about what I wanted to do,” Thomas said. “I knew there were a lot of guys coming back from last year, and some with a lot of athletic ability.

“That’s why we’re running a 4-2-5 defense. It’s different than what they did before, but they’ve caught on really well. Basically, as long as they line up correctly, they know what their responsibilities are. From there, they react and make plays.”

Thomas coached linebackers for two seasons at St. Amant. Before that, he spent four seasons as an assistant at another Ascension school, Dutchtown.

   When talking about his unit, Thomas also credits the previous defensive coordinator, Leonard Parker, who now handles special teams and still works with the defense as well as assistants Chris Cummings (former LSU defensive back) and James Foreman.

Plaquemine coach Blake Kling also was part of the St. Amant staff for one season when Thomas was there.

That fact adds intrigue to the matchup. So does the play of PHS quarterback Ryan Travis, a multi-purpose threat who has already committed to Tulane.

Travis thrown for 591 yards and three TDs and has rushed for 335 yards and five TDs.