There would be no regrets for Landyn Craft.
After sitting out last football season, the St. Thomas More senior running back wasn’t going to look back and ponder what might have been.
“I wasn’t going to miss the chance to go out there and play with my brothers one more time,” said Craft, whose collegiate future is in baseball.
Perhaps more than any other Cougar, senior running back Owen Bailey was vocal and persuasive when it came to encouraging Craft to return to the gridiron.
“That’s the beauty of our team this year,” offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said. “We have so many people contributing. Owen and Landyn are tremendous teammates. In a culture where ‘it’s all about me’ these days, those guys get more excited for the other one’s success than their own.”
Craft leads the team in rushing with 439 yards on 64 carries with seven touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound bruiser wore down Barbe in last week’s 35-14 win, rushing for close to 100 yards with three touchdowns and punishing the previously undefeated Buccaneers with his size and speed.
“I’m just really excited about how well we’ve developed the running back room under strength and conditioning coach David LeBlanc,” said Savoie, whose 6-1 Cougars put their 4-0 District 3-5A record on the line at Southside (4-3, 3-1) on Friday.
Bailey’s (64 carries for 412 yards, three TDs) numbers are almost identical to Craft. Sophomore Connor Baer, who has rushed for 369 yards on 27 carries and three TDs, draws comparisons to former Cougars star Hutch Swilley, now at McNeese State.
“Coming into the season, the question was how much depth we would have behind Owen,” Savoie said. “Having Craft come in, we feel like we have two solid seniors with development underneath them.”
Sophomore quarterbacks Grayson Hemard and Preston Pelleriin have combined for 363 yards on 81 carries and two TDs.
“We joke about it,” Savoie said of this year’s ground attack, which is in contrast to some seasons where the stats were skewed toward the passing game. “Our offense is designed to take what the defense gives us.”
With the Cougars’ huge offensive line, defenses are usually forced to give up chunks of yardage to whichever Cougar is carrying the ball.
“Owen is probably the most physical downhill runner,” Savoie said of the 5-foot-8, 185-pounder. “His running style doesn’t match his body. He runs with a big ole heart and a ton of passion.”
Baer is elusive with great vision, a talented back who can cut on a dime and pull away in the open field, said Savoie, who described Craft as a “perfect combination” of what Bailey and Baer bring to the table.
“Landyn is a tremendous athlete and great teammate,” Savoie said. “There are a lot of qualities to him, with just as many off the field.”
Another bonus for Craft was the chance to reunite with Cougars running backs coach Eric Miller, who coached him in middle school at L.J. Alleman.
“Against Barbe, we faced some exotic defensive looks, stunts and blitzes,” Miller said. “In the second half, we stepped up and what had been a 6-yard gain became a 20-yard gain.”
Craft said the Cougars, who are No. 5 in the LHSAA Division I select power ratings and the only non-Catholic League program in the top six, are determined to reduce mistakes and strive for domination.
While his football career will likely conclude this season, Craft enjoys the sport just as much — if not more — than baseball.
“It just depends on whatever I’m doing at that time,” he said. “I love being out there with my brothers.”
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