Destrehan prevailed despite giant target

Going into the 2007 season, the Destrehan Wildcats were the team to beat in 5A.

And while some would say that made their state championship run less of a surprise, it is even more of one because the team went through the season with a gigantic bullseye on their back.

Instead of buckling under the pressure, the Wildcats gained the upper hand in several close district contests, and walloped their out of district opponents to finish with a perfect regular season record of 10-0.

While those close wins against St. Amant, Hahnville, East St. John and Dutchtown made some feel that Destrehan could be beat, not one team managed to come close in the playoffs.
Instead, the Wildcats used those nail-biting wins to build character and that made them even more focused on the task ahead. The team started slow in their first round win over West Jefferson, but got on a roll in the second half and never looked back. They went on to destroy Carencro and St. Paul by scores of 42-14 and 41-7, respectively, before setting the stage for their final showdown with a 59-7 spanking of Westgate.

In the state championship, the Wildcats used another total team effort to down Acadiana 41-21 and capture the state title in the process.

The offense proved unstoppable in the contest and the defense eventually figured out a way to stop the Rams tricky vear offense.

As the seconds ticked off the clock in the fourth quarter of that ultimate win, Destrehan head man Stephen Robicheaux, who held his team together throughout the season, raised his hands in the air and prepared to receive hugs and shake hands with his fellow coaches and school officials.

His players sought out each other, pointed their helmets to the very Dome they had worked so hard to reach and let out screams of joy.

And for the first time all season, that bullseye became less of a burden.