By LEE BRECHEEN, Louisiana Football Magazine/TV
First in a weekly series
There are very few kids in high school football anywhere who can play both wide receiver and tight end and do it equally well. In that elite group is Airline’s Bob Patterson, who at 6-1 ½ and 200 pounds is a big-time mismatch with 4.6 speed who looks faster in uniform.
What I like most about Bob is his toughness. He blocks very well and his hands are really good when called upon in the offense, which is loaded in talent at Airline. He’s also the team’s punter and does a good job there, too.
Vikings’ head coach Justin Scogin, who did a great job in his first season by leading Airline to a surprising District 1-5A championship, is proud of Patterson.
“Bob does so many things for this team. We can line him up as a receiver or at tight end in certain formations and he’s just as good either way. His blocking is really big time for us which doesn’t get seen in stats usually but we as coaches see it every day. He’s also a pretty good punter for us.”
As Patterson looks ahead past the 2023 season to his future, he starts with programs near and dear.
“I grew up liking LSU and Louisiana Tech. I have always watched both of these schools play because I have lived in Louisiana my whole life and have always supported the home team no matter what,” he said.
“This year I have visited a couple schools such as Lamar and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. I plan on visiting some more schools in the future like Harding, Southern Arkansas, and Henderson State.”
As for what he’s looking forward to in his senior season, Patterson makes it very clear. He enjoys lining up against one 1-5A foe in particular.
“My favorite team to play every year has got to be Benton High School,” he said. “I love to play Benton every year not only because they are our rival but they are always talking trash about how they can beat us. We scored 75 points on them last year on their homecoming night, then went home and celebrated by burning a Tiger.”
While he might be fanning the flames of that rivalry, he is definitely staunchly appreciative of his head coach – and his position coach as well.
“Coach Scogin is the best at what he does. Not only is he a great coach but he is also a great husband and father to his two children. When coach Scogin got here, he brought some guys with him, including coach K (Logan Kreyenbuhl) who is now our receivers coach. Coach K is a very driven guy and cares about all of his guys like his own family and wants nothing but the best for them,” said Patterson.
More about Airline’s Bob Patterson:
He participates in track and field, golf, and powerlifting for the Vikings. Patterson earned a trip to the state track and field meet running a leg on Airline’s 4×200 relay. He totaled 1,000 pounds in lifts in powerlifting and has a best nine-hole score of 45 in golf.
His 2022 football stats and honors for the Vikings: 34 catches for 560 yards, four touchdowns. He had a long punt of 60 yards. Patterson was first-team All-District 1-5A at tight end, and made the Bossier Tribune’s All-Parish Team.
Bob’s dad, Robert Patterson, played football at Nicholls and was a starting cornerback as a freshman. “Dad ran a 4.3 forty back in the day, and was crazy athletic,” said Bob.
Patterson’s hobbies are going to the gym, playing golf with friends, and fishing.
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Lee Brecheen has operated Louisiana Football Magazine for over 30 years and is one of the state’s foremost experts on high school football and especially recruiting. Based in Baton Rouge, Lee travels statewide to watch practices and games and has broken down film and tape since the late 1980s. He has converted the printed product to an online website (Lafootballmagazine.com) that will preview every high school and college football program in the state before kickoff this fall. Lee also hosts a football-centric TV show on YouTube, The Sports Scouting Report, on weekdays.
