RIVER RIDGE — With the month of August almost here, only one month remains until week one of Louisiana high school football, and one — if not the most — intriguing games that week features PelicanPreps.com's top-ranked Class 2A John Curtis versus Cottonwood, Utah, which is led by LSU commitment QB Alex Cate.

The Patriots have had a productive offseason, according to Curtis QB and RB coach Jeff Curtis.

"We had a really good summer," Curtis said. "The players worked hard and our young guys are progressing well. The attendance at our workouts has been exceptional."

The Curtis squad that takes the field this fall will be a youthful group, with 14 underclassmen among the top 18 prospects.

Curtis spoke highly of junior QB Kyle Collura, who assumes the starting role after Johnnie Thiel transferred to East St. John.

"Kyle's back to 100% (following a collarbone injury in the spring)," said Curtis. "He attended the Manning Passing Academy recently and also did some 7-on-7. He's been working hard."

Collura (6-1, 185, 4.85) certainly has a great teacher in Curtis, who ran the Patriots' veer to perfection several years ago and went on to play for Tulane.

"Kyle has deceptive speed," continued Curtis. "He has a chance to be a good player, even at the next level. He's a very smart guy, and he was ready to play even if Johnnie would have been here. Kyle is familiar with our system, and he's a leader by example in the weight room."

Although the Patriots graduated three excellent running backs, there is no shortage of players ready to contribute this fall.

"We'll use at least five backs," said Curtis. "Blaine Roberts (6-0, 180, 4.5; 48 carries for 306 yards and 5 TDs) is a senior, and he's a speed guy.

The stable of runners also includes junior David Seeman (5-10, 190, 425 yards rushing), junior Daryl Brister (5-10, 175), Scotty Encalade, and of course, Student-Sports All-American Joe McKnight.

"We have a lot of depth," said Curtis, "with guys that can fill in if we have some injuries. Last year, our top three backs were out with injuries at one point."

The Cottonwood game pits a wide-open shotgun offense, led by a high-profile quarterback, against the in-your-face veer that is the Curtis trademark. Cate recently attended the LSU football camp and was impressive.

"We got tape of them in the last week-or-so," said Curtis, "but we haven't really broken it down yet."

The Curtis coaching staff takes a consistent approach with every opponent.

"We prepare for each opposing team equally and take the same approach to each game," Curtis said. "We focus on the basics, fundamentals, and special teams."

The tape on Cottonwood will undoubtedly show a ton a passing by Cate (6-0, 200, 5.08), who led the state of Utah in passing last year with 3,437 yards and 40 TDs.

The Colts went 10-4 in Utah's second-largest classification and reached the 4A state final (50-43 loss to Davis High School of Kaysville, Utah).

"Cate is a really, really, good football player," said Curtis. "Our guys were wide-eyed when they saw that Cottonwood has a QB that is going to play for LSU. I understand that Cottonwood had a couple of other players that were impressive at the recent LSU camp, as well."

Curtis' toughest competition for the Class 2A title may also be its toughest competition for the District 10-2A title. St. James is the No. 2-ranked team in the PelicanPreps.com 2A preseason poll, and the Wildcats will host the Patriots in week nine in a game that could very well be a prelude to a rematch in the playoffs.

"St. James is loaded," said Curtis. "They have everybody back from a semifinalist team last year. They played Hahnville off their feet at the end of last year, and they can play with anybody in the state in any classification."

Rumors are abundant on the Internet concerning a possible showdown between John Curtis and Evangel this fall, in the event that one-or-more of Evangel's non-district opponents forfeits the game.

"I haven't heard of anything," said Curtis, "so anything I said would be pure speculation on my part. We'd love to fill one of the two open dates we have on the schedule, though. One problem with a game against Evangel may be the travel involved for either team, but maybe we could meet in the middle and play."

That's something that a lot of football fanatics in this state would love to see happen.