Mid-Season MVP
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When I determined the criteria for a mid-year most valuable player, I wasn't looking for the player with necessarily the most dominant stats. I was looking for a team that might be winless instead of 5-0, if he wasn't on the squad, and only one player truly fit the bill, in my opinion: Ole Miss quarterback commit Jason Pellerin of Catholic-New Iberia.
You won't find Pellerin listed anywhere among the latest rankings of the Louisiana Sports Writers Associations' top passers, because Catholic utilizes a run-first option offense. You will find him on the list of the state's top scorers with 12 rushing touchdowns: nearly two-and-a-half per game for the 6-foot-5 quarterback.
If you want to examine some of his single-game outings this fall, in week one Pellerin ran for three and threw for another touchdown as Catholic toppled defending Division IV state champ Vermilion Catholic, a team that had given Catholic trouble in past years. Pellerin's offense produced 49 first-half points in a week two demolition of Erath, with the three-star QB tossing two touchdowns and running for two more.
In week three versus Patterson, a talent-laden team led by four-star Alabama WR commit Daylon Charlot and four-star WR Mykel Jones, Pellerin helped his club to a 20-7 halftime lead despite being hampered with a sore knee. After Patterson roared back to take the lead in the fourth quarterback, Pellerin put the pain to the side and sparked the game-winning drive with initial keepers for 20 and 15 yards, respectively, and he capped things off to give Catholic the lead again for good on an 18-yard carry to paydirt.
Pellerin scampered for four scores the following week vs. E.D. White and, last week, he gained 169 yards rushing (121 in the first half) and threw a touchdown pass as the Panthers pummeled the Pioneers in a feat that doesn't happen often to Lewis Cook's squads.
"First, Jason is a very unselfish player," said Catholic head coach Brent Indest. "He would thrive in any system. We utilize him more as a runner and even though we don't throw that much, he can make the big pass at critical moments."
Indest has news for incorrect rumors that are floating around.
"Jason's a polished passer," he said. "He could light it up in the spread."
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the future Ole Miss Rebel is his demeanor as a field general.
"Jason's not extremely vocal but he is vocal," Indest said, "and he's the hardest-worker on the team."
Pellerin took some criticism for his passing after a lackluster performance in front of several recruiting analysts at the CORE6 Showcase earlier this year in New Orleans, but to be fair, it was the first time he'd picked up a pigskin in quite some time. He was in the middle of a highly successful baseball season when that showcase took place. In fact, he paced the Panthers to a Class 2A state runner-up finish to Kaplan, smashing multiple homers in the 2A tournament.
"Our offensive line has been great," he downplayed, although he was forced to admit that he took the ball 93 yards for a touchdown in the Notre Dame game. "It's a great honor to be 5-0. We've played some tough teams and have focused and done our job. My hat's off to the coaches because they give us the gameplan we need against tough opponents. We were 4-1 a few years ago to start the year with a loss to Teurlings but haven't been 5-0 during my career."
He'll take his official visit to Oxford in January and hopes to get a ticket to watch the Rebels visit LSU.
Many critics says Pellerin will never play quarterback in the SEC; that he's destined for a position change to tight end or linebacker or defensive end.
"People can say what they want - it's their opinion - about me not playing quarterback but only time will tell," said the senior, who did throw for just under 2,000 yards last year for a team that finished one-point away from reaching the state championship.
Catholic's 2013 season ended at the hands of Calvary Baptist and bracket analysts are already predicting Calvary to get the top seed with Catholic at number two - setting up a potential rematch in the Superdome for the Division III crown.
As Indest would remind his troops, though, there's a lot of football to played between now and then and you can bet he's going to savor every game he gets to coach his star signal-caller.