By RYAN ARENA
Sports Editor

Entering the 2008 season, people knew what to expect from Alex Singleton. The East St. John senior was coming off of an All-State campaign in his first season as the Wildcats starting running back, and everyone knew he would once again be the hub of the Wildcats offense.

Certainly, he was.

People weren’t quite sure what kind of season Courtland Taylor would have. Not two years removed from ACL surgery, and replacing the ever-productive Jonathan Cancienne at tailback, Taylor had the weight of the world upon him.

Four months later, the senior will now cast his own shadow upon the running game next season.

Finally, people pretty much knew what to expect from the West St. John defense, which has been among the state’s stingiest year in and year out. But after the departure of Class 1A All-State Defensive MVP Blake Comminie from the defensive line, it wasn’t known who would step up.

So Blake Carter made his name known.

All three turned in tremendous seasons in 2008, and all three have been chosen by L’Observateur to headline the 2008 All St. John Parish Team.

Singleton and Taylor have been selected as Co-Offensive Most Valuable Players, and Carter takes the mantle as the Defensive Most Valuable Player.

It is the second consecutive season that Singleton has received the honor. In nine games this season, he rushed for 906 yards (leading the parish) and 10 touchdowns on 180 carries against a brutal schedule that included Acadiana twice, Bastrop (during their historic winning streak), Destrehan, and Hahnville. Last year, the schedule was just as lethal – but this year, all eyes were on Alex.

After all of that, you’d expect him to be worn out. You’d be wrong.

“It was fun to face those teams,” said Singleton with a laugh. “It went alright for me. All of those teams had good players, and so did we. It was mostly a lot of fun.”

124 of those yards and two of those touchdowns came against Acadiana in the playoffs, where the Wildcats came up just short, seeing their season end the same way it began – with a 28-21 loss at Acadiana. He gained his yards in his usual fashion – bowling over people, dragging defenders for extra yardage.

But on that final weekend, he just seemed to run with a little extra juice.

“I was trying to get to that endzone. I was trying my hardest,” he said. “But we just came up short.”

Like Singleton, Taylor and the St. Charles running game often became the focus of defensive coordinators as the Comets looked to break in first year quarterback Marc Picciola on the fly.

Taylor was up to the task. He rushed for 901 yards and a parish-leading 14 touchdowns on 177 carries. He also tacked on 10 catches for 117 yards and a score.

“At the end of last season, people didn’t know how I’d do this year,” said Taylor. “I worked real hard in the weight room and the practice field to get ready. But the main thing is I’ve got a lot of people behind me. I knew that if I just did my part, I’d be fine.”

His play was a major driving force behind a nine-game winning streak and what many felt was improbable when the season began – an outright District 9-3A crown, complete with a win over the eventual Class 3A champion Lutcher Bulldogs. Taylor would later be named the Offensive MVP of District 9-3A.

“In my junior year, we got beat pretty bad twice by Lutcher,” Taylor said. “I just knew I didn’t want to go out like that as a senior.”

St. Charles finished 9-2, ending with a loss to Redemptorist in the second round of the playoffs.

“We fell short by one game. Redemptorist has a lot of speed and talent,” Taylor said. “But it was a good run.”

While West St. John finished 6-4 with an undefeated District 9-1A crown, defensive lineman Blake Carter and his teammates only played in nine of those 10 games – one came via forfeit.

It left more than enough time for Carter to make his mark. The junior recorded 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks, forced six fumbles and recovered three.

Carter played both at tackle and end for the Rams, and his disruptive presence was a starting point for a defense that simply kept teams out of the endzone. The Rams allowed one offensive touchdown or less in five of their seven regular season games, and tacked on a shutout in the playoffs.

That was key – with Robert Valdez taking over the coaching duties from Laury Dupont, the offense needed time to learn a new system.

“At the beginning, we knew we had to play strong,” Carter said. “The offense still needed some time. We felt like if we held teams to 14 or less, our offense would come through. If we hold them to 14, we win.”

Carter is quick to credit the play of his teammates on each side of the ball. Of running back Kenneth Dabney: “He may not be big, but he plays with the heart of a 7’5 person”. And of safety Corey Warmington: “He’s a heck of a safety. He stopped a lot of guys from scoring.”

He says his penchant for forcing fumbles stems from a desire to lead by example.

“I feel like I have to be a leader. Every time I see the ball, I’m looking to take it from them,” he says.

After a postseason loss to Ouachita Christian, Carter’s already looking toward 2009 with the belief that the defense may be even better.

For Singleton and Taylor, there is no next season at the high school level. But if it must end, there’s nothing wrong with going out as an MVP in your senior year.