Unquestioned Leader: Episcopal’s Defense Leans on Chase Cresson For Production, Leadership
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Episcopal was comfortably ahead of Northeast in last week’s District 8-2A game at home when special teams coach Van Hiles began substituting his starters off the kickoff coverage team.
With the Knights leading 44-0 late in the third quarter, and their showdown with arch-rival Dunham looming for the league’s championship, Hiles believed it would be astute to rest his starters and provide an opportunity for the reserves to gain experience.
Senior linebacker Chase Cresson didn’t budge.
One of the team’s four captains and part of a 19-member senior class enjoying their final regular season game at Episcopal’s Alumni Field, Cresson wanted to soak in the remainder of the game – regardless of the score. The large disparity on the scoreboard did little to temper Cresson’s enthusiasm for another sprint to cover another kickoff in a game the Knights won 44-16.
“I said, ‘This was my last game here, I’m not coming off the field if you tried,’” Cresson said to Hiles. “I love to run down on kickoff. It’s just playing the game. You get to go down and make big hits and big plays. It can really set the momentum for a drive.”
There’s been only one speed in Cresson’s play, and his passion and aggressive play have been tangible during an impactful career that’s slowly winding down.
Since stepping onto the field as a freshman inside linebacker where he started alongside his older brother David, the story of the younger Cresson, a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, is similar to that of his brother – a four-year starter, team leader, and great example to his coaches and teammates.
His teammates voted Chase Cresson as one of Episcopal’s team captains along with Reid Chauvin, JB Sessums, and Nathan Sanchez.
“You ask next year, who will be that guy because that’s the way Chase did it?” Episcopal football coach Travis Bourgeois said. “Chase knows that’s the way David did it. That legacy is what keeps a program going. Guys like that passing on positive traits and behavior. That’s what makes a good program and there’s somebody on this team that’s watched Chase and they’re going to take those characteristics over. That’s the only way you can survive and be successful. You have to have players like that.”
Games like Friday’s 7 p.m. annual showdown for Episcopal (7-1, 4-0) at Dunham (8-0, 4-0) for a share of the District 8-2A title won’t need any buildup or hyperbole.
Dunham’s ranked first and Episcopal eighth, respectively, in the GeauxPreps Class 2A rankings. The Tigers are the state’s No. 1 team in the Division III power ratings among select schools, the Tigers are No. 4.
“We want to go all the way like every team does,” said Cresson, who has played on teams with a 36-7 record and two appearances in the state quarterfinals during his career. “It’s a matter of whether we can start to put it together. I think we have the athletes like we have every year.”
Great Example to Follow
Even now Chase Cresson is not certain he is good enough to play next to David, in his first season of high school football in 2021. It was a year filled with highlights of two brothers joining forces and leading a defense, and a team to a 9-0 regular reason record.
“It was awesome,” Cresson said of one season together with David, who is now playing at Nicholls. “That’s another reason I’m thankful to (former) coach Jimmy (Williams). He gave me a shot and I don’t really know if I really earned it. Maybe, because I was a little bigger than the other freshmen, but it ended up being my favorite season playing alongside my brother.
“We fought a lot,” Cresson said. “He was telling me that I messed up and he was always right, but I didn’t like to hear that. Looking back now he meant nothing but the best for me. My brother was a great player. He probably had the best nose for the ball I’ve ever seen.”
Bourgeois said David Cresson would have been the first player to speak up if he felt his younger brother wasn’t playing to the capability of a starter and contributing to the success of the defense.
“Being at 2A level it’s difficult for a freshman to come in a play,” he said. “When he stepped on the field as a freshman, he just had things that you don’t see in kids and that you can’t coach. He was very fortunate to have his brother there to guide him along the way. Chase deserved to be a starting linebacker as a freshman. It’s not like we just gave it to him. His brother wouldn’t have stood for it if Chase wasn’t good enough. Chase has risen to the challenge. He’s been a steady, consistent football player for us year in and year out.”
David left quite a legacy to follow, from his production that earned him a spot on the Class 2A All-State first team and District Defensive MVP, to his leadership that garnered him captain’s status.
The blueprint was left for Chase to follow, and he’s continued on such a path. After recording 125 tackles in his first two seasons, four tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, and a sack, Cresson increased his production to 103 tackles with four TFLs, three forced fumbles, and an interception return for a touchdown in ’23.
He was a first-team All-District and Baton Rouge Advocate All-Metro choice and an honorable mention All-State selection as a junior.
Chase Cresson, who has 319 career tackles and 8 TFLs in 42 games, has also been a standout in baseball as a pitcher and utility player, earning Class 2A All-Stat honorable mention laurels and first-team All-District honors as a sophomore.
“David was a safety before and we moved him to linebacker as a junior,” Bourgeois said. “With both of them, it’s controlled aggression. David received those accolades his senior year, and I think Chase set a goal to achieve or go beyond. He wanted to make his own legacy. I’ve never compared them. I thought he (Chase) was his own unique guy that didn’t back down to anything.
“Chase plays sideline to sideline and to the whistle,” Bourgeois said. “He’s not getting personal fouls. That’s what separates him from a lot of people. He knows how to handle it. Once that game’s over he transitions into that well-spoken guy who take care of his teammates and appreciates the game.”
Playing the Game, Position with a Purpose
The one common dominator in the play of the two brothers has been their ability to diagnose plays and arrive at the ball carrier or quarterback in a bad mood.
Such instincts are innate and are also the result of repetitions in practice, film study, and the actual games on Fridays.
“At linebacker, you have to play with violent intent,” Cresson said, referencing a quote from former Baltimore Ravens standout linebacker Ray Lewis and advice from his brother. “You have to bring it on every play whether you’re going up against a lineman that’s 50 pounds heavier than you or a back that cuts you out of your shoes. You can’t approach any play with any type of timidness. You have to go full speed and hit them.”
Cresson doesn’t have to go back into NFL archives for examples of how to play the position. He can reach back into the family annals for past highlights of his brother who signed with Birmingham Southern out of high school until transferring to Nicholls where he’s appeared in five games this season on special teams.
“I watch his film to this day,” he said. “His senior year was just awesome. Getting to play next to him was awesome and made life so much easier. I really wasn’t that good my freshman year, but I looked alright because he made me look a lot better. The mentality is thinking no one can block you. You’re not having to care for your body. Just go play free, play full speed, and get after it.”
Earlier in his career Cresson was a bigger part of the team’s Wing-T offense, serving as a tight end who could be a devasting blocker and downfield threat in the passing game. Because of his value on defense, his time on offense has been peeled back, but Cresson remains a big part of special teams with a position on every unit except punt return.
Cresson’s example is worth noting in practice. Instead of occasionally sitting out for a break, he insists on taking as many repetitions as possible because of the benefits he’ll reap from practicing against his team’s well-skilled offensive line.
That’s part of the experience factor Cresson brings to the field. Whether it’s the placement of an offensive guard’s hand or foot, to the alignment of the running backs, he’s become well-schooled in the art of playing linebacker – before the football is ever snapped.
“The reason I love to get out there and practice is to get better, but I also love the game of football,” said Cresson, who has made an unofficial visit to Southeastern Louisiana and hopes to return for another trip. “I’m hoping to go play somewhere. I’m not sure if I’ll get the right opportunity or not. I want to spend every day I have out there actually playing and not sitting on the sideline. I’ve got my whole life to sit in the shade and talk with my buddies. I don’t have much longer with high school football.”
A Push for Togetherness and Memorable Finish
For the second straight year Episcopal, in conjunction with Jimmy Williams’ family have selected a senior to carry on the tradition of Jimmy Williams, who tragically died of cancer in 2022. Williams, a former Episcopal standout who returned to his alma mater to coach, played collegiately at Vanderbilt and went on to a six-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
Criteria were established to wear No. 8 – Williams’ former jersey number – that encompassed a four-year letterman with impeccable characteristics on and off the field, was a solid representative of Episcopal High School, and someone with a passion for the game and respect of his peers.
The honor went to Cresson in August who received the jersey from Williams’ son, Ace.
“That’s something that meant so much to me,” he said. “That’s the biggest honor I’ve had in my life. He was just such a natural leader. He would always say he’s not about all the who-rah. He wasn’t going to be the guy just yelling. He lived by example and that’s one thing I tried taking from him. It was very clear when he spoke, he was heard.
“Everyone wanted to hear what he had to say, and everybody respected him so much,” he said. “You have to try and carry yourself like that all of the time. It’s a hard thing to do, but it shows why he was such a great person and a great coach. He had this aura about him when he walked in a room.”
Wearing the revered No. 8 jersey, and sharing in the team’s captain duties, are clear examples of the kind of impression Cresson’s made.
“He’s that guy that doesn’t want to come off the field,” Bourgeois said. “He wants reps, but there are times where he just messes everything up and we’ve got to get him off the field. He’s such a great example for young guys. He starts, plays a lot of ball as a senior (91 tackles this season), is a captain, and he’s getting people off of scout team because he wants extra reps.
“Chase is a football player and kids like him get lost in the (recruiting) shuffle in today’s age which is unfortunate,” Bourgeois said. “His brother is proving there’s still a place for that kind of player. If you keep working your tail off, and you really want to do something, pour your heart and soul, and guts into something, there’s a place for them. He’ll find it. I always tell them until somebody tells you, you can’t play anymore, then that’s all you can do.”
The lessons Cresson learned began earlier than his time sharing the field with his brother. David Cresson Sr. spent time coaching and working with his two sons and handed down the kind of wisdom that his youngest son continues to live by.
When the final horn in a game sounds, regardless of the score, it’s commonplace for Cresson to work his way through the handshake line, find the opposing head coach, shake his hand, and offer congratulations. He then returns to his own sideline to express appreciation to his own coaches.
“I’ve had numerous coaches tell me after games they loved the way 8 plays,” Bourgeois said of Cresson. “That’s the ultimate compliment for anybody. The film doesn’t lie, and coaches see it. He’s one of those guys that’s appreciative. He grew up right. His dad was a coach, and they were around sports. They appreciate coaches, they appreciate being part of a team, the whole aspect of what sports provide you.”
Cresson admits the gesture’s more painful following a defeat, but worthwhile.
“I realize he’s right,” Cresson said of his father. “I was devasted after the Ascension Catholic game (a 14-7 loss), but I ended up doing it. I’ve had coaches tell me that I was a hell of a player, and they were glad I was graduating. My dad said you never know who’s watching.
“In talking to my own coaches, I’ve always done that,” Cresson said. “It’s a time commitment for them and they’re doing it because they love being here and care for us so much. You have to tell them thank you just like you tell your parents thank you. It’s a respect thing and I’m thankful for what they do.”
The finality of his football career has begun to sink in and Cresson, who will make his 43rd start Friday, is trying to further galvanize a team that hasn’t advanced beyond the state quarterfinals during his career.
He’s provided guidance to the team’s younger players, imploring them to go all out in practice and expend whatever energy possible in games before it’s too late.
Cresson’s also trying to promote a closeness amongst his teammates, from the time they stretch before practice to their organization on the field. He’s hopeful a sense of unity will lead to an unbreakable bond that will push this year’s team beyond previous boundaries.
“You have to have discipline,” Cresson said. “Good teams, you don’t see that in big spots. Penalties add up and kill drives and momentum. We have to find the right tempo at practice, and we’ve got to get there this week. If we can clean those things up, I think we’ve got a shot to go a long way.”