His Time Has Come: Dutchtown’s Hyland Rentz Evolves into Leader for Highly Respected Defense

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

It was arguably the biggest highlight in Dutchtown’s 2022 season that Hyland Rentz enjoyed while sitting along with his father and grandfather in the stands.

The Griffins, trailing parish rival East Ascension by four points, drove down the field and standout AK Burrell, typically a running back, took a direct snap and lofted a pass into the endzone for a touchdown that resulted in a 30-27 victory in the regular season finale.

“I never forgot that,” Rentz said.

Rentz would have preferably liked to have been on the field, playing and celebrating with his teammates, but the process from the junior varsity to the varsity field took longer to play out. He remained in the background a year later, making a start at outside linebacker/strong safety in a win over Covington, forcing a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, but other than that, he served as the backup to first-team Class 5A All-State safety Carter Hanberry.

He never complained. He remained a good teammate, a practice player who put forth exceptional effort and simply waited for his opportunity – a rarity in today’s society of immediate gratification.

“If he wasn’t in, he would be the No. 1 fan of the guy that was ahead of him,” Dutchtown sixth-year defensive coordinator Chris Harrell said of Rentz. “As coaches, that’s what you want, and you try to engrain into kids, but it’s getting harder in the world we live in. Most of the kids on the team are fans of his because he does things the right way, he’s a verbal leader. His production’s been quite good as well.”

The 6-foot, 190-pound Rentz has evolved into one of this season’s leaders – both statistically and vocally – for Dutchtown (5-0, 2-0) heading into its home District 5-5A matchup with Denham Springs (4-2, 1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Griffins have displayed that their defense will be a key component in the success of this year’s team, a unit that’s allowing eight points per game and has posted a pair of shutouts.

Rentz, who has moved into Hanberry’s vacated spot, is the team’s leader in tackles with 30 and is tied in tackles for loss with seven. He’s registered a pair of sacks, picked off a pass, caused a fumble, and recovered a fumble.

“He was good enough to play but Carter Hanberry was in front of him,” Harrell said. “The guy in front of him was really good. He never complained. It was always, ‘Wait my turn, learn from the guy in front of me’. As a coaching staff, it’s not surprising to see what he’s doing. He’s physical and has speed (4.5 in 40). The thing that’s awesome about him is that he was always a team player.”

Rentz explains that his position is a mix of outside linebacker and strong safety, incorporating his ability to play closer to the line against the run and occasionally blitz and drop back into coverage.

“I’ve always seen Carter as a great role model,” Rentz said. “I took it as I’m not just going to copy what I’ve seen other people do. I know the gifts God has given me and I’m going to use those to the best of my ability. I’m just doing that will allow me to be myself and not try to compare myself to what he’s doing.

“Part of it is upholding the position,” Rentz said. “Coach Harrell’s good about putting us in the right position. As long as we know what we’ve got to do, and what our defensive scheme is, we’re going to be in a position to make the plays we’re asked. It’s my duty to know everything I’ve got to know, and even things I don’t know, to help my other teammates out. Things will just fall into right place if I’m doing what I need to do.”

Biding his Time

With Dutchtown having established a winning culture under head coach Guy Mistretta, the path to the playing field for younger players can be challenging.

Rentz took the traditional path, playing on the freshman team his first year, and wound up starting on the junior varsity as a sophomore and junior because his playing opportunities on the varsity level were limited. 

The Griffins were also pretty stacked the exact position Rentz aspired to play. Kaden Mackey was a standout there before signing with Northwestern State, followed by Hanberry who parlayed a strong final two seasons into a scholarship to Southeastern Louisiana.

“I was an immature sophomore, kind of joking around on the sideline,” Rentz admitted. “Then I started to hone in on mental reps (repetitions) because I knew I wasn’t going to play very much.”

Rentz has explained to younger players in the program to make the most of their opportunity to play junior varsity, a proving ground for aspiring players to capture the eye of their coaches. 

“I looked at the JV games as my Friday,” Rentz said. “I try and stress that to the younger guys that this is your chance because that’s what helped me. The JV games didn’t have the crazy crowds, just the parents. I had put myself through it to where it was just another day at the office. I never thought I had the deer-in-headlights kind of thing in my first (varsity) game.”

Rentz worked while he waited, moving up to second team on the team’s depth chart at four different positions last season. He was able to ‘spot’ play in the team’s dime package, something he made the most of before returning to the sideline to cheer on his teammates. 

“I would say, Hyland, ‘we need you for one snap’,” Harrell asked of Rentz. “He would say, ‘Yes sir’. When he was out, he was the best teammate Carter could ever have. It’s one of the things you want to talk to your players about and convince them to do things the right way, that there is a process. 

“Some people are just more talented than others and people lose that,” Harrell said. “It’s important to see the steps, being able to put the time in the playbook to get a chance to get on the field as well. I could see him playing linebacker and strong safety. It worked out to where we saw him fitting in.”

Rentz began at free safety as a freshman before moving to strong safety as a sophomore and then his abbreviated play a year ago.

“Going into it, I felt I was guilty of just going through the motions,” Rentz said of the earlier stages of his career. “I never thought about who was looking at me. I was just kind of doing my thing. Going into this year with the new role, I’ve kind of noticed more of what I need to stress of what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. In the weight room, I didn’t want to lose count of reps on the bench. There was no slacking off when I was tired. I was just trying to make everything competitive to make us all better.”

‘I was Never Raised a Quitter’

One thing in his career, though, when playing time was scarce, Rentz never considered walking away.

“I guess it’s how my parents raised me,” he said. “I was never raised to be a quitter. I’ve trusted in the Lord to give me the timing what’s best for me and trusting in his plans that great things were going to happen.”

Practicing and watching behind eventual next-level players such as Mackey and Hanberry further strengthened Rentz’s resolve, shining examples from the field of how hard work could pay off. 

“They helped me become the player that I am now,” Rentz said.

Dutchtown completed its most successful season in school history in 2023 with a 12-2 record, highlighted by the Griffins’ first trip to the Division I non-select state semifinals which ended in a 31-28 setback to Zachary.

Harrell began looking ahead to the ’24 season and in the case of Rentz, marked the beginning of what would evolve into the defense’s next best ‘hybrid’ safety with Hanberry graduating.

“He would say my time was coming,” Rentz said.

Rentz was motivated by the prospect of battling for a starting position for the first time in his career. He began to feel a sense of confidence as a rising senior, speaking up in offseason conditioning and spring practice.

For a guy who hadn’t gained the kind of experience on the playing field, Rentz was well-liked and respected for the way he handled himself and became a source of leadership for a team with a solid reputation on defense.

“He knew that if he was going to be a leader of the defense, you couldn’t be walking around if he was going to be telling someone to go harder,” Harrell said. “He knew he would lose respect. He’s always giving 100%. He walks the walk. If he’s asking people to give more effort, then he’s giving effort. He’s a human like all of them and makes mistakes. He’ll be the first not to point the finger and be accountable.”

A Team Leader On and Off the Field

Rentz’s resume’ has grown to include special teams duties on kickoff and punt coverage, and following an injury in last week’s 24-21 win over St. Amant, he’s now the Griffins’ long snapper on extra points and field goals.

“Actions speak louder than words,” he said of this year’s role. “Everything I’ve said, I’ve stressed myself to back it up. I’m going to tell the guys to go harder in practice, so I can’t walk around the field. I’m going to tell you what we need to do and I’m also telling that to myself as well in my leadership. I guess that’s something the other guys have seen.”

Dutchtown’s competition within its program isn’t limited to just the weight room or winning conditioning drills.

For the defense, Harrell has a weekly production chart, taking everything into account from tackles to blown coverages. It accentuates game-changing plays such as tackles for loss, fumbles, and interceptions and laments missed tackles or a lack of effort. 

There’s a point value attached to 16 different categories which Rentz finds himself atop with 80 points. He’s followed by linebackers Mason Miles (70) and Chad Christy (55) and Houston-bound defensive end Josh Lewis (54).

“You can’t loaf around the field, you can’t miss tackles,” Harrell said. “It’s important to give them praise and make sure they know there’s room for growth.”

Dutchtown’s defenders, such as Rentz, have a lot on their plate to digest, Harrell said. 

Depending on the defensive call, Rentz can be responsible for setting the edge to the passing strength of the offense. Then there’s being well-versed with the different coverages and checks before the ball’s snapped.

If he’s in coverage, usually against the second-best receiver of the opposition, Rentz’s expected to try and re-route the receiver and play step for step with him in man coverage.

“With all of the reads, it’s a perfect balance of playing safety and not having to get too much contact as a linebacker in the trenches,” Rentz said.

Rentz’s 30 tackles include 19 solo stops and a team-high 11 assists. He’s forced three turnovers and among the starters has the fewest mental errors with two. 

During a sequence of the team’s comeback in the St. Amant game, Rentz walked up to the line of scrimmage and crashed on a third-and-three play with the Gators driving at Dutchtown’s 33-yard line. Quarterback Cooper Babin juked a hard-charging Renz to the ground, but with the play still alive, he jumped back up for a sack and 11-yard loss to force a punt.

Rentz went on to shed a block by a running back for a 1-yard loss and later was matched against an inside receiver at the Griffins’ 18  when he dropped into coverage and alertly came up to intercept a tipped ball at the Gators’ 18. 

“It’s really rewarding,” Rentz said. “I didn’t dress out as a sophomore because I was strictly JV. This year has hit me so fast. It hasn’t caught up to me as to what’s actually happening.

“This is really cool because I put in all of the work. I also put in all of the work in previous years and got used to that reward. Now I’m getting so much more and it’s so much more appreciated.”