In today’s edition of Three Point Stance, Rodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux discuss the best specialists in the area: 

Who is the best kicker in Southwest Louisiana?

WA: Daiwrun Arzu of LaGrange gives the Gator defense a boost with his kickoffs that go for touchbacks and emerged as an offensive weapon as his field goal accuracy improved over the course of last season.

RA: Adam Ieyoub of St. Louis. This is a tough one between two seniors, St. Louis Catholic’s Ieyoub and Sulphur’s Cade Baggett (see next question). They will be on the same field on Friday at the Lake Area Jamboree when the Tors take on the Saints. 

Ieyoub is the Saints’ do-everything kicking specialist who earned first-team 4-3A All-District and LSWA 3A All-state first team honors last year after making 19-of-23 PATs and 3-of-5 field goals with a long of 38-yards. He also averaged 41.7 yards per punt and had 29 touchbacks on 36 kickoffs. 

Who is the best punter in the area?

WA: Jaren Dugas of Iowa, who gets bonus points for also being a starting cornerback and part-time receiver. 

RA: Cade Baggett of Sulphur. Baggett is a rare four-year starter at the 5A-level. He earned second-team 3-5A all-district honors last year as a punter with an average of 35 yards, but he is also a very accurate place kicker, scoring 75 points for the Tors last year. He made 57-of-59 PATs and 6-of-8 field goals with a long of 43.

Who is the top kick returner in Southwest Louisiana?

   WA: Keshawn Lyons of Elton, who gets bonus points for being a quarterback, defensive back and punter.

RA: As he emerges out of Travis Etienne’s shadow, Darrian Achane of Jennings, a 5-10, 170-pound junior, will get plenty of chances this year to show off his explosive playmaking ability as a kick and punt returner and running back. Achane returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdowns last year.