'It's just crazy': How KD Patterson became T.L. Hanna's feature back in 56-35 win against J.L. Mann
Near-equal distribution of carries among T.L. Hanna’s three main running backs has been key to the Yellow Jackets averaging more than 400 rushing yards per game.
Two weeks ago, KD Patterson had fewer chances than teammates Vashun Burton and Josh Donald. But Patterson’s career game Friday night in a 56-35 win at J.L. Mann may have made him the feature back.
Patterson ran 19 times for 222 yards and scored six touchdowns.
“It’s just crazy,” Patterson said.
T.L. Hanna (7-1, 2-0) came into the game as No. 8 team in the 864Huddle Super 25 rankings of high school football teams, while J.L. Mann (6-2, 1-1) was No. 11. In the Class AAAAA statewide poll, T.L. Hanna is No. 4 and J.L. Mann is No. 10, having joined that list last week for the first time this season.
“He’s a special young man,” T.L. Hanna coach Jason Tone said. “He really picked a good game to shine. It takes the guys up front blocking for him. It takes the running backs faking and blocking. It’s a total team effort when it comes to what we do offensively.
“But when he gets to the second level, he’s just so hard to tackle. And he’s got elite speed.”
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Patterson said he knew it was going to be a big night early on the Yellow Jacket’s first possession of the game, maybe as early as an 8-yard run on their first snap of the game.
“I was breaking a lot of tackles,” Patterson said. “So, I knew I was going to have a good night.”
He finished that initial drive with a 17-yard touchdown and was just getting started. Patterson had three TD runs (also a 10-yarder and 40-yarder) and matched that in the second half (6, 35 and 15).
Patterson (6-foot-0, 185) is a junior who was called up to varsity last season after a couple games on JV and eventually worked himself up the pecking order of T.L. Hanna’s loaded backfield.
“I wasn’t a first-quarter player,” Pattterson said. “I just played my part and did my thing and now I’m here. I just knew I had to work hard. And when I got my chances, I had to go hard every time.”
He’s now run for 1,097 yards this season with 18 touchdowns.
T.L. Hanna’s strong offensive line opens holes and creates a push that gets running backs to the second level. That’s where Patterson is so dangerous.
“Big shout-out to our offensive line,” he said. “That’s how we get our touchdowns. The offensive line just opens everything up.”
Patterson said the only interest he’s gotten from colleges so far is from Coastal Carolina.
“I feel like things are going to change,” he said. “I feel like I’m going to start getting more attention.”
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: SC high school football: T.L. Hanna RB's 'crazy' night beats J.L. Mann
