Patterson just wants to play.

The second-ranked Lumberjacks had its season opener cancelled last week due to inclement weather.

Crowley High School officials decided that traveling in tropical storm conditions after the ball game would put its players and fans in an “unsafe situation.”

“We were all very disappointed,” Patterson head coach Tommy Minton said. “If you work hard all week, you want it to pay off on Friday. That’s one game our seniors can’t get back.”

The majority of the high school football games around the state were played despite the weather. PHS will now open the season on the road.

“Hopefully this will make our kids even more focused and ready to play,” Minton said. “I think our seniors will keep the team’s focus where it belongs, on Central Lafourche.”

The Class 5A Trojans (0-1) lost to Ponchatoula, 35-10, last Thursday.

Central Lafourche went (2-8) last season but returns some good skill people.

The offense is led by quarterback Luke Falgout. He is a run and pass threat for the Trojans. He was 4-of-9 passing for 45 yards and a touchdown and an interception last week.

“They run the single wing,” Minton said. “Both the quarterback and the tailback are good athletes and they have good size on the offensive line.”

Lee Blanchard (5-10, 250) is the team’s best run blocker.

Jeremiah Ballard was the Trojans’ top rusher carrying 15 times for 68 yards a week ago. He also played quarterback; he was 0-of-8 passing in the game.

“He’s a very athletic kid that we will have to wrap up but the biggest thing is to play our responsibility, so we shut down the cut-back lanes,” Minton said. “We can’t be overly aggressive against their misdirection.”

Other running backs for CLHS includes Latrell Gabriel (six carries for 31 yards) and Bryson Davis (14 carries for 54 yards) last week. Central Lafourche rushed for 147 total yards in the game.

The top receivers were Dorian Parker (one catch for 16 yards), Darius Ross (one catch for 15 yards), Rance Ward (one catch for four yards) and Josh Joseph (one catch for 10 yards).

Defensively, the Trojans play a four-man front with mainly zone coverage in the secondary.

“They like to bring pressure with their linebackers,” Minton said. “They didn’t play poorly defensively last week.”

The top tacklers were Trey Billiot (five solo/10 assists), Daniel Moreno (five solo/six assists) and Jared Breaux (five solo/11 assists).

“If we protect the ball and avoid turnovers then we should be OK offensively,” Minton said.

Patterson is led by all-state quarterback Justice Jones. Jones completed 172 of 313 passes for 2,531 yards and 27 TDs last season.

“We will try to be balanced on offense but we have to take what the defense gives us,” Minton added.

Jaydrick Declouet is the team’s leading returning receiver with 34 catches for 605 yards and seven scores a year ago. Deondre Skinner will also be a big threat in the passing game after catching 24 passes for over 400 yards as a sophomore. Junior Earl Andrews will be the third receiver for the Jacks.

Mark Jones and Trevon Stewart will share time in the backfield. M. Jones carried 45 times for 340 yards with four scores a season ago, while Stewart is a run/pass threat out of the backfield.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.