Vermilion Catholic’s Hulin at home on defensive side

By Neal Mccleland
Special To The Meridional

In Class A football, the majority of players go both ways on offense and defense just because of the lack of numbers on a team.
But Vermilion Catholic senior linebacker Jacque Hulin is different. Yes, he does play a backup role on the offensive line, but for the most part, he is the quarterback of the defense from his middle linebacker position.
“He makes sure the defensive linemen and the other linebackers are in the right positions on every play,” VC defensive coordinator Cory Brodie said of Hulin. “I know that kids go both ways, but head coach Broc Prejean allowed me to have one player who could play (exclusively) on defense and I chose Jacque.
“I think that Jacque’s greatest attribute is that he’s very focused. He wants to put the guys in the right position. Last week against St. Frederick’s they threw a lot of different formations at us and other teams did that the entire year.
“He understands my formations, and my alignments. He’s not only the guy who’s going to get the guys lined up but he’s going to make the plays as well. We have a lot of sophomores on the defense and he’s that calming presence that gets everyone ready to play.”
With everything he does, one would think Hulin is a three-year starter at linebacker. The reality is that he’s only been a starter his senior year.
“We lost nine starters off of last year’s team,” Brodie said. “He came in and solidified the defense and he puts us in the best position to win every week. I truly believe that without him we’d not be undefeated and where we are right now.”
Through seven games, Hulin has been the defensive stalwart for the Eagles and Friday night will be no different as No. 3 seed Vermilion Catholic plays host to No. 6 seed Riverside Academy in the quarterfinals of the Division IV playoffs.
According to Brodie, Riverside has a really good run game, but if Hulin keeps filling the B gap, the Eagles will have a good opportunity to advance to the semifinals.
As for Hulin, he knows that he’s going to have his hands full Friday night trying to stop Riverside’s bruising 250-pound running back.
“That’s a hard job trying to bring down a big running back like that,” the VC senior said. “All you can do is get low, square up and hit him. But., if I have to bulldog him down to the ground I will.
“Whatever it takes to get the tackle and help the team.”
Hulin’s senior year has been good up to this point.
“We’re 7-0 at this point and feel really good about playing Riverside this week,” Hulin said. “With COVID and everything with it, we’ve been playing and practicing like it’s our last time on the field.
“It hasn’t been a real big problem for us. We’ve been able to handle everything associated with it.”
As for what he does on the field to help the Eagle defense, Hulin is a bit more modest.
“Al I do is do my best to put people in position to make plays,” he said. “I make sure that our schemes are working well.”
Most importantly, playing for VC is like being part of a big family.
“We know everything about each other,” Hulin said. “We play for each other and we’ve never had a losing season since I’ve been here.”
Individual statistics don’t mean much to Hulin. In the end, all he wants is the win for the team.
“I just do the best I can and help my team do the best they can,” he said. “Friday night, we’re home and we will do whatever we need to do to keep playing for each other.”