John Curtis brings back his top four tacklers from last season as the Patriots aim to win another state championship.
Those four players, plus a fifth returning starter, helped Curtis win its 28th state championship two years ago with a shutout against Brother Martin at the Caesars Superdome.
After a quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Catholic-Baton Rouge last season, the Patriots enter 2024 hungry.
“We want everyone in the locker room to feel like they won a state championship,” said veteran inside linebacker Hayden Delatte.
Players can’t understand the feeling of winning a state championship until the clock hits zero, he said.
“It’s really surreal,” Delatte said.
He led the team last season with 111 tackles, closely followed by junior inside linebacker Jeffrey Curtis with 107. Senior defensive tackle Logan Barnes had 65 tackles and senior safety Jason Curtis had 63.
The fifth returning starter is senior cornerback Trey Brown. Last season, he had the most interceptions on his team with three.
“This is the best feeling I’ve had from a defense in all four of my years,” said Jason Curtis, who has three seasons of starting experience. “And considering what it took two years ago (to win a state championship) and what we have now, I really think we have a chance.”
Jason and Jeffrey Curtis are cousins and both grandsons of JT Curtis, who returns for his 56th season as head coach. Their fathers are also coaches at Curtis.
Other defensive players from last season include veteran defensive lineman Tyre Gordon and veteran cornerback Kien Franklin.
On offense, the Patriots return with only two regulars: senior JoJo Fagin as tight end and junior Willie Boldon as right tackle.
Senior AJ Smith will be a primary running back after playing primarily on defense as an outside linebacker the past two seasons. Smith played sparingly on offense last season behind a trio of senior running backs, rushing for 195 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Jack Corcoran, who also scored two rushing touchdowns, has experience on offense.
Senior Reggie Johnson and junior Drake Mason will split time at quarterback, taking the place of two-year starter Dagan Bruno, now a preferred walk-on at Tulane. Seniors Juan Washington and Xavier Brown have the most experience among the wideouts.
“This year is going to be about the guys stepping up,” Fagin said. “These young guys have been behind a great O-line for four years now. It’s just experience, really. I trust these guys know what they’re doing.”
Curtis, just beginning its 10th season in District 9-5A, will play all home games at Shine on Airline. The opening game of Week 1 is against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia), a team that went 13-1 last season and reached the state private school finals.
Curtis is the only 9-5A school to beat Edna Karr in the last two seasons, which the Patriots did in Week 10 of last season. The two district losses came to Holy Cross and Rummel. The season ended when Catholic scored the winning touchdown with two seconds left. Curtis went 8-3 overall and 4-2 in the district last season.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” Jeffrey Curtis said of last season. “We gained a lot both personally and physically on the football field. I think that helped.”
