Istrouma running back Kyree Paul (1) drives upfield with the ball late in the second quarter against Plaquemine on Friday, September 22, 2023 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. What happened on the first play of Istrouma’s intrasquad scrimmage was expected. Ky’ree Paul accelerated down the sideline yards beyond the defense.
He caught a pass and scored. It also offers a juxtaposition about Paul, the unexpected star the Indians never knew they had until last fall. That football revelation caught Paul by surprise too.
“Last year was my first year playing high school football,” Paul said. “When the coaches put me on offense, I’ll be honest, I did not know I could do all that. “The thing that surprised me the most was my ability to get away from other people.
I had no idea ...
really.” But now the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Paul knows. And so do plenty of other people.
Praise, comparisons and added scrutiny are part of the story now for Paul and an Istrouma team that was a surprise force in District 6-4A a year ago. Paul has a surprise goal off the field – to graduate a year early, thus reclassifying to 2025 from 2026. “Long story short .
.. he’s our best player,” second-year Istrouma coach Sid Edwards said.
“I’ve been around and coached a lot of great players and I have not compared them to Warrick Dunn until now. “Ky’ree is the closest player to Warrick skillwise that I’ve seen. He has that speed, elusiveness and a feel for the game.
” Dunn, a Catholic High legend, went on to star at Florida State and in the NFL with the Bucs and Falcons. There is no guarantees Paul can replicate that kind of success, but his brief football body of work exudes tantalizing potential. He accounted for 1,365 rushing yards, averaged 9.
3 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. Paul also excelled on defense and special teams with six punt/kickoff returns for TDs, two interception returns for TDs and three receiving TDs. Paul did not play running back full-time until Week 4 in 2023, which makes the numbers more impressive.
However, Edwards did see the possibilities from Week 1. Paul touched the ball five times on defense or special teams in Istrouma’s first two games and scored five times. “After seeing that, my first thought was we have to get the ball in his hands,” Edwards said.
“The best way to do that was by putting him at running back. “Because he was so good on defense, it was a hard sell to the other coaches. After the Plaquemine game there were no questions.
” In a tough 20-15 loss to Plaquemine, Paul rushed for 189 yards on 22 carries and two TDs – one rushing and one receiving. Getting the ball ripped away by a Plaquemine defensive lineman that night in the final minutes was part of a football learning curve. Just as important as Paul’s evolution on the field was a personal transformation off it.
“Early on in middle school I was super bad. I acted crazy,” Paul said. “After a year or so, people convinced me I could do better and be better.
I’ve worked on that ever since.” Paul also attended Istrouma as a seventh- and eighth-grader. He became a key player on the Indians’ basketball team first.
A pivotal part of Paul’s growth academically came last fall. “He meandered a bit in the halls and did not always stay in class,” Edwards said. “It got better as the year went on.
This summer he worked out twice a day and even came to the makeup workouts for guys who missed a workout. “Since I’ve been here, he’s been a good student. He feels so connected to this school and 70805 (north Baton Rouge area), which is impressive,” Edwards said.
“Whenever a new student enrolls here, Ky’ree finds them and tells them, ‘Welcome to the Reservation’ and talks to them about the school.” In turn, Edwards and the Istrouma coaches have made an impression on Paul, who holds scholarship offers from Louisiana Tech, Arkansas State, Grambling, Southern and Alcorn. “They teach me about more than football,” Paul explains of the Istrouma coaches.
“I don’t really have a father in my life and they fill that role. “I watch them. I look up to coach Sid, so I see what he does and I try to do those things.
I've worked hard to become a leader for this team. I believe in us” With a group of coaches, teachers and teammates in his corner, Paul is primed for success. Taking two summer classes boosted his academic plans.
New offensive coordinator Byron Wade, previously the head coach at Belaire, is reshaping the offense to include a wildcat quarterback option for Paul. “He is the best I have ever coached. He is our most talented guy at just about every position,” Wade said.
“With the ball in his hands, he can score at any time. You saw that last year. “ “The toughest part is finding ways to get him the ball.
Everybody on the defense knows he is going to get the ball. We will use him as a decoy at times. And we'll chart his plays, knowing he's got a future after high school.
”.
