Hard to Catch, Impossible to Stop: Dedric Lastie’s Record-Breaking Season for Riverside Academy

by: Lori Lyons // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

It’s hard to keep up with Riverside Academy running back Dedric Lastie on the football field.

When Riverside Academy returned to action last week with a 56-13 win over newcomer Prairieville, it was reported that the diminutive (he’s 5-foot-4-ish) senior had scored six touchdowns for the Rebels (1-1).

Actually, he only scored five – a high school career-high. But Lastie said even he had lost count at some point in the night.

“I didn’t even notice how many I had until they told me,” he said. “Really, I was just worried about getting through the game and getting better. There was still stuff that I had to work on.”

Opposing defenses certainly have tried to keep up with the speedster, but last year he used his blazing speed and elusiveness to outrun them for more than 2,500 yards and 42 touchdowns. In the Division IV Select Championship game against Southern Lab, he earned MVP of the Game honor after amassing 167 yards – 107 of it rushing – and scoring three touchdowns.

In two games this season, Lastie is setting another blistering pace. He had more than 200 all-purpose yards in a 48-42 battle against Class 5A Terrebonne that ultimately went to the Tigers in the final minute. Lastie’s only scoring contribution was an 83-yard kickoff return. 

But while watching the film of that game, Rebels coach Lee Roussel said he realized something.

“As the game was going on, you’re not really counting who scored how many times. You’re just trying to get in the endzone,” Roussel said. “We had taken (Dedric) out a couple of times inside the 10 and put in Martrell Henry and he had punched it in a couple of times. And I could tell Dedric wanted that challenge the next week. He was like, ‘Coach, I can get it in for short yardage stuff.’ I wanted to give him that challenge. He earned that. I trust him and he was like, ‘Let me show you.’’

After an unexpected week off due to Hurricane Francine, Lastie came out last week and showed his coaches he meant business, rushing 24 times for 254 yards and five touchdowns, including one from the 6. yards on 24 carries.

“A lot of them were on explosive runs where he just found a way to get in the endzone,” Roussel said. “A couple of those runs were him being creative and making some things happen.”

It’s significant to note that, this year, Lastie is running behind nearly a whole new offensive line.
“I wasn’t worried about them,” Lastie said. “We’re working every day at practice so I know what they could do. Everybody is working hard.”

Lastie said that was obvious during the Terrebonne game, a back-and-forth game that saw three lead changes in the final minutes. 

“That really showed me a lot,” Lastie said. “It showed me that everyone on this team is fighting. There were so many times we messed up, including me, but nobody gave up. We came out at halftime ready to come back. That showed me the team had the fight in them.”

This week the Rebels host St. Thomas Aquinas for their homecoming game. The Falcons are 0-3 having given up 56 points in their last two games.

Roussel said it’s not unrealistic to look for another few trips to the endzone for Lastie.

“He’s got explosive plays in him so yes, he’s capable,” Roussel said. “If the run game is working, hopefully, he’ll be in the endzone again a bunch this week.”