On the road to recognition and respectability,
Wright (New Orleans) made a right turn last week thanks to the direction of
Anthony Oates.
Oates' 270 all-purpose yards in last week's win helped earn him recognition as the Capital One Bank High Yield Student Athlete of the Week.
Courtesy photo
The accomplished quarterback fueled the Warriors' latest high-powered performance with a lengthy touchdown pass to his brother in Wright's 34-6 victory over Ecole Classique (Metairie, La.).
Not only did the Warriors improve to 2-1 while atoning for last year's 41-28 loss to Ecole Classique, but they demonstrated just how far they've come in their second year of varsity competition.
Much of that improvement is due to the handiwork of Oates, who capped the game's first drive with a 63-yard touchdown pass to his brother,
Antoine Oates.
Larry Bush added a 5-yard touchdown run on the next series before Anthony showed that his feet are just as impressive as his arm.
Oates weaved his way through the Ecole Classique defense en route to a 64-yard touchdown run that hiked Wright's lead to 22-0. The Warriors upped their halftime advantage to 28-0 and only a running second-half clock kept them from scoring more often. After scoring on their first four first-half possessions, the Warriors scored one of two times they held possession in the second half.
In all, Oates completed 7 of 10 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown and rushed six times for 103 yards and a score in accumulating 270 all-purpose yards. For his effort, he has been chosen the New Orleans Capital One Bank High Yield Player of the Week.
It's a fitting reward for Oates, who has helped Wright's spread offense average 45 points per game through its first three contests. The Warriors will return to action against Carver (New Orleans) on Thursday.
"We figured it would be to our advantage to spread teams out with a more up-tempo offense," Wright coach Brian Glover told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "It will get the quarterback time to understand pre-snap reads."
Oates has taken advantage of the situation in somewhat of a bittersweet achievement. He and a host of other seniors will be gone next year when the Warriors can finally compete for honors in District 9-2A, which includes national powerhouse John Curtis (River Ridge, La.).
"A lot of guys won't be here," Glover said, "but we can say that we set the tone in building for a culture of winning both on and off the field."
Oates continues to produce sterling examples, such as in the season opener when he threw for three touchdowns and rushed for a pair in a 43-38 loss to Country Day (Metairie Park, La.). He followed that with three touchdown passes and three rushing touchdowns in a 58-54 victory over Gueydan (La.).
With Oates at the controls, Wright doesn't lack for points or for the entertainment value he adds to the attack.
