Great in 48: Walker’s Troy Sylve Jr. emerges into top-flight QB after leading Wildcats to Quarterfinals

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

Walker football coach Chad Mahaffey admitted the degree of difficulty facing any quarterback.

The Wildcats dropped to 4-2 after being shut out in the sixth week of the 2022 season, prompting Mahaffey to inject some life into the team’s spread offense with a change at quarterback where two older players had proven ineffective.

“We thought we needed to make a change varsity-wise,” Mahaffey said. “The offense was struggling going into the East Ascension game and they were pretty loaded.” 

Mahaffey turned toward an athletic, talented sophomore, who was vastly unproven for such a moment. 

Sophomore Troy Sylve Jr. had figured more into the team’s rotation at wide receiver and had not practiced at quarterback – either at the varsity or junior varsity level – throughout the season until Mahaffey made him the team’s starter at quarterback in a junior varsity game against Dutchtown. 

Following the team’s lone shutout of the season, and a building sense of urgency ahead of the heart of the team’s schedule, Sylve got the keys to Walker’s offense and proved capable at the wheel of Walker’s offense in a 45-28 setback.

The Wildcats responded with consecutive victories over Live Oak (35-7) and St. Amant (35-7) before closing with a loss to arch-rival Denham Springs (20-6). 

“I think I did good and helped out the team,” said Sylve, who continued turning heads in the team’s 29-28 first-round playoff loss to East St. John. “I’ve always been hard on myself. I know I could have done better.”

It was clear Walker had found its quarterback of the future, and the Wildcats reaped the benefits of a school-record performance in 2023, setting the stage for even bigger things this season. 

Sylve accounted for 2,118 yards and 23 touchdowns in his first full season as a starter, earning first-team All-District 5-5A honors and first-team All-Livingston Parish laurels. He helped Walker to a 10-3 season – highlighted by the school’s first trip to the Division I non-select state quarterfinals. 

“To come from not even being the JV quarterback, he did great,” Mahaffey said of Sylve’s end-of-season performance in ’22. “Last year he was the wire-to-wire (starter). I’m getting on him and haven’t been afraid to get on them (quarterbacks) pretty hard, to put pressure on guys at practice.

“For some guys, it goes bad,” Mahaffey said. “He’s always super respectful and doesn’t let that get to him. He’s got enough confidence to fix it and doesn’t get defensive about getting coached. Now he’s got a lot a big comfort level and I expect another big jump.”

Committed Toward Improvement

The first full season for Sylve, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, included 18 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He added five rushing touchdowns but feels there’s no part of his game that’s above reproach.

“I have to improve on everything,” he said.

Sylve had a steady influence on a Walker offense that featured 1,000-yard rusher Clyde McClendon running behind a solid offensive line. 

The Wildcats overcame a five-point road loss to Ponchatoula and put together an eight-game winning streak that included a 49-20 victory over eventual Division I state semifinalist Mandeville in the third week of the season. They also reversed last year’s shutout loss to Dutchtown with a 21-20 victory, a game they trailed 13-0 at halftime, coupled with wins over East Ascension (33-14) and Live Oak (41-16) before stumbling against St. Amant (31-28).

Walker capped the regular season with a 35-21 win over Denham Springs to share in the District 5-5A championship. That served as a springboard into the postseason where the Wildcats relied on their strong special teams in a 55-26 first-round win over Benton, before traveling to Northshore for an impressive 28-2 victory to reach the school’s first state quarterfinal. 

“From practice, if he does make a mistake, I think he’s got a great demeanor and doesn’t let things faze him,” Mahaffey said. “Of all the talented kids we’ve had here, I think he’s done the best job of being talented and the kids respect him because he’s talented. 

“But he will also get out of his box and encourage guys, talk to them, and hold them accountable if guys are not doing it,” Mahaffey said. “The kids accept and respect the leadership and don’t feel like it’s some guy barking at them. It’s important to him and I think that kind of rubs off on everybody.”

After passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns against Benton, Sylve shined in his team’s regional win against Northshore with 228 yards and two touchdowns passing.

“I felt we were going to go,” Sylve said of the team’s quarterfinal date with Ruston. “A lot of people didn’t think we were going to make it that far. I thought we had a really good team.”

The Push For More

Walker got a look at the top of the mountain in Division I non-select with its trip to Ruston, the eventual champion in the division. 

Unfortunately, Sylve doesn’t recall a lot from his team’s 56-17 road setback to the top-ranked Bearcats. He was sidelined early in the third quarter with a concussion and didn’t return, making for an excruciating ride home after getting discharged from a local Ruston hospital.

“I don’t remember much,” he said of the game. “My head was ringing. I went to the hospital and slept on the way home. I had to sit from sports for the next couple of weeks in concussion protocol.”

The challenge facing Walker to reach the heights of a program such as Ruston is in the preparation leading up to the season, Sylve said. 

“We all need to train harder whether that’s in the weight room or off the field,” he said. “We just need to go harder.”

Experienced for Additional Success

Mahaffey said for only the third time in 15 seasons as a head coach, including his sixth at Walker, he’ll welcome back a starting quarterback.

There’s no discounting the experience at that position and now that Sylve’s made 18 starts, including four in the playoffs, Walker should reflect a team with a poised leader at quarterback, along with a veteran offensive line that’s had five players start at some point in their career.

“We’re expecting big things from him, and he’s looked good so far,” Mahaffey said. “We want to be balanced, we want to be a running team, and we have a big O-line. This year’s team, more than any year I’ve been here, has the potential to be very balanced and can hurt you throwing the ball. We can spread you out and let him (Sylve) run it. We could go empty, run more traditional sets. There’s a lot of options in personnel with this team.”

Sylve’s postseason experience is of paramount importance to a team with sizeable goals, Mahaffey said. 

“That’s huge,” he said. “In high school in 5A, you have to be a pretty good player to play as a junior and to be a starter wire to wire and get some experience. I’ve seen kids and their comfort level where they’re not freaking about the game, just trying to execute what they’re supposed to do. They all play faster, they’re more dialed into what’s going on. His basketball experience also translates. He’s played in a lot of big games, playoff games, and has been in a lot of pressure situations.”

Sylve’s been a starter on Walker’s basketball team which went 19-17 overall and won the District 5-5A title last season. The Wildcats reached the regional round of the Division I non-select playoffs, losing 57-53 at Southside.

Sylve, who averaged 10-12 points last season, quickly changed his focus to the ’24 football season after his last final basketball game on Feb. 27.

“I noticed I had to get my stuff together and start training for football,” he said. “Just being in the weight room grinding. I wanted to get a lot of work with the wide receivers that were coming back. I wanted to make sure they knew everything and what was expected. You know what it’s like to be in that situation last year.”

A full season at quarterback that resulted in a state quarterfinal run has given Sylve perspective into the program’s potential.

He noticed the intangibles last year’s team possessed, and made it clear as one of this year’s leaders that emulating last year’s team chemistry would have a profound impact on this year’s team.

“I feel good, and our standards are very high coming off last season,” he said. “I think we have to keep working and get better every day. I don’t think we’re going to lose anything. We have enough experience on offense, especially our O-line. We had boot camp that helped out with the team bonding. Last year’s team trusted each other in everything they did on and off the field. 

“I was a quiet guy as a junior, sitting in the back and watching everyone talk,” he said. “I’ve become a leader and have a bigger role with the whole team. If I see someone mess up, I can tell them how to do that. Our spirits are high coming off last season. We’ve got to keep working and getting better every single day. We know we were there, we just can’t expect to get there.”

Sylve said he’s been inspired by the journey of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, one of the NFL’s dynamic playmakers. Jackson, now a seven-year veteran, entered the league regarded more for his dazzling running skills than for his passing, but eventually earned respect for the latter as a two-time winner of the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.

There were initial whispers about Sylve’s passing ability during his initial stages at quarterback in ’22 because of an unconventional stance and delivery.

“He’s got a good arm,” Mahaffey said. “His delivery, his stance are different, but it works for him. We try and coach the footwork and some fundamentals. I’ve heard college guys (coaches) say that if a guy’s been throwing a certain way his whole life, it’s hard to redirect that. He’s a bigger guy and some of his throwing angles don’t bother him. He’s got a super, strong arm that can go 50-plus (yards) in the air with good zip on deep outs and has a different level arm strength than most high school kids.”

Sylve’s stiff-armed any rhetoric about his passing ability where he’s thrown for 2,311 yards and 23 TDs in 18 career games. He’s also embraced playing quarterback in a non-traditional No. 48 jersey, one of the few numbers still available after missing several summer workouts because of AAU basketball three years ago.

“This was kind of the only number they had, and I’ve stayed with it my whole three years,” Sylve said. “I wasn’t going to change. I was sticking with it. Everybody notices me in it. The player makes the number, the number doesn’t make the player.”

Featured Image Courtesy of Glenn Eymard Photography