The Oklahoman’s Super 30: Why DaMontre Patterson moved to Sulphur for his senior season
SULPHUR — DaMontre Patterson relished the chance to play football in front of more people.
After spending his first two high school seasons at Class A Elmore City-Pernell, Patterson took the leap into Class 4A at Ada. The competition level increased. He had a better chance of Division I recruiters noticing him.
The star receiver’s audience had grown, but one comforting element of familiarity was missing. With Ada often competing far from the place where he grew up, most of Patterson’s large family fan club could no longer attend every game.
“His senior year, we wanted to move him back closer to home so everyone can get back into going to the games,” said Jolonda Patterson, his mother, “because that’s a tradition.”
Ranked No. 6 on The Oklahoman’s Super 30 list of the state’s best prospects in the 2024 class, Patterson is surrounded by family tradition.
This has bolstered him on his rise as a recruit, and it’s the reason he has chosen to conclude his high school career in Sulphur.
There, Patterson has found the best of both worlds from his two previous stops. Like Elmore City, Sulphur is a short drive from Wynnewood, where many of his relatives live. Competition-wise, it’s not a drastic change – the Bulldogs compete in Class 3A, only one classification below Ada.
Because he spent his childhood in southern Oklahoma, Patterson had already eased into Sulphur’s program by spring break.
“I already kind of knew everybody,” Patterson said, “so it really wasn’t that hard.”
And Sulphur coach Corey Cole knew about Patterson.
With offers trickling in, Patterson made a name for himself before he arrived in Sulphur, garnering Division I interest on both sides of the ball.
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“I think he’s a lockdown defensive back, and I think he’s also a guy that can cause a lot of problems out there on the edge, over the top offensively,” Cole said. “And (he’s) dynamic, dynamic in the return game, so there’s lots of options for him and lots of opportunities.”
Cole was also aware of Patterson’s family’s extraordinary achievements at Wynnewood High School.
Jolonda Patterson balanced several sports, winning All-State track and field honors every year of high school before playing basketball at Murray State and softball at Langston. Several of Patterson’s uncles played football, and now, Patterson is adding his layer to the legacy.
He can find his All-State track jacket in the colossal collection of awards at his great-grandmother’s house.
“That’s a big generational deal,” Jolonda said.
On Friday nights, those generations would unite to watch her son play at Elmore City, only about 15 miles from Wynnewood. Although the crowds might have been relatively small at a Class A school, Patterson could typically find as many as 25 of his relatives in the stands.
This was the lifestyle Patterson knew, but as he grew, he wanted to chase his dreams.
At Elmore City, Patterson landed one offer from Marshall, a West Virginia-based member of the Sun Belt Conference.
“I surprised my mom with it,” Patterson said, “and she started crying.”
The Marshall offer was a sure sign he had D-I potential, and with hopes of more exposure, he aspired to compete at a larger high school. All of his friends from 7-on-7 football played for bigger programs, so Patterson was the one outlier.
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At first, he wanted to move to Texas, Jolonda said.
Eventually, they decided to stay in their home state and relocate about 50 miles to Ada.
Throughout a 7-4 season, Patterson faced a slew of formidable opponents: McAlester, Poteau, Hilldale, Broken Bow and state champion Wagoner. Continuing to achieve on a much larger stage, Patterson received more offers, fulfilling his wish.
Along with Marshall, his list features Arkansas Baptist, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, California, Colorado, Michigan State and New Hampshire.
Although he is focused solely on football at the next level, his track background might be giving his recruitment an extra boost.
“I think it carried over a lot because of my 100 time,” Patterson said. “They see how fast I really am.”
He breezed through the 100-meter dash in 10.56 seconds at the Class 4A state track meet this past spring, and his situation made the feat more stunning.
Entering the meet, Patterson was not in his best shape. He had missed most of the season and fallen behind on conditioning because he was recovering from a hamstring injury.
But on the track, sheer competitiveness kicked in and propelled him to first place.
He carries that energy to the football field, elevating Sulphur in preparation for the season. College football might take him to a different region of the country, but with one year of high school left, Patterson is making the most of another chance to play in front of his extended family.
“He’s got a really great personality and (is) one of those kids that people gravitate towards because he’s always got a good head on his shoulders,” Cole said. “He’s an encouraging teammate, and he’s always working to get better.
“He knows he’s still got a ways to go. He’s still fairly young. He’s hungry every day and trying to take that next step.”
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The Oklahoman's 2024 Super 30
Name: DaMontre Patterson
School: Sulphur
Super 30 ranking: No. 6
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 160 pounds
Position: Wide receiver/defensive back
Recruited by: Arkansas Baptist, Arkansas Pine Bluff, California, Colorado, Marshall, Michigan State, New Hampshire
About the series
The Oklahoman’s Super 30 feature series will spotlight each high school football player on the Super 30 recruit rankings for the 2024 class. The series continued Thursday with No. 6, DaMontre Patterson of Sulphur. See No. 5 on the list in Friday's edition of The Oklahoman. Here are the last five players we’ve featured:
No. 10: Will Smith, DE/LB, Choctaw
No. 9: Andy Bass, QB, Heritage Hall
No. 8: Witt Edwards, WR/LB, Wagoner
No. 7: Cooper Alexander, TE, Washington
No. 6: DaMontre Patterson, WR/DB, Sulphur
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma HS football: DaMontre Patterson, Sulphur recruiting profile
