December 1 , 2005

How ‘Bout them Tigers… LSU & Hahnville

In Acadiana, Hahnville will face the top prep linebacker in the state

When Jimmy Johnson was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the early 1990’s, his battle cry to the troops after a big win was always, “How ‘bout them Cowboys”.

Well this past weekend the battle cry along the river was “How ‘bout them Tigers.”

Wins by both the LSU Tigers and the Hahnville Tigers propelled both teams into the biggest games of the present season.

For the past few weeks I have written in this same space that at playoff time the two things that get teams into the upper brackets are a red-hot quarterback and a stingy defense. For the past few weeks that is what you have seen from the Hahnville Tigers.

Playing a very explosive East St. John High School club the Tigers did give up some big plays, but what they did best was stop the Wildcats’ potent running game and they limited them to less than 90 yards. That was the key in Hahnville’s 33-25 victory over East St. John and has them set for a big-time showdown with Acadiana High School this coming Friday.

Acadiana advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals by defeating a very tough Westgate High School club led by star quarterback Jared Mitchell (27-26).

Give Hahnville head coach Lou Valdin and his staff plenty of credit for pulling out this past week’s game against East St. John. Hahnville won the contest against a high powered offense without having the services of their top halfback, Terrance Isaac, who went down early in the contest due to an ankle injury and he had to have his defense make big plays for him and they did just that. The Tigers defense accounted for three safeties and one touchdown and surprisingly it was the defense that won the contest for Hahnville.

Acadiana star linebacker Jacob Cutrera says that he is thrilled to be playing this deep into the playoffs and he is looking forward to playing the Hahnville Tigers.

“Hahnville’s a great team with plenty of tradition, just like us,” Cutrera said. “We felt like Westgate was the toughest team we had faced all season, but we know enough about Hahnville to know those guys are real tough also, they have a ton of team speed and they are well coached.”

Cutrera, who is considered the top prep linebacker in the state and has decided to play football at LSU after getting attention from Texas, Miami (Fla.) and USC, says this week’s game should really be something special.

“This is my senior season and also for a host of the guys on this team,” Cutrera added. “Hahnville is experienced in big game situations, but we know as a team it is a special feeling to be where we are at right now. Our goal is to play good, tough defense and make some good enough plays on offense.”

No question about it, the key for victory this coming Friday will be to play good strong defense and which quarterback will have the hot offensive hand, Hahnville’s Early- Larry James or Acadiana’s Jonathan Morvant. That will be the tell tale sign to victory and a shot at a state championship

LSU moves closer to title

The LSU Tigers are one win away from an SEC title and a berth in the 2006 Sugar Bowl against West Virginia. The Tigers sweated through a tough 19-17 victory over Arkansas and while this football picture was no Picasso to hang on the wall, the Tigers played great defense when they had to.

For the third time in five years the Tigers will play in the SEC Championship game and they face a very familiar foe in the Georgia Bulldogs. It is funny to think back after the 2001 season when most observers felt as though Phil Fulmer and the Tennessee Volunteers would dominate the SEC after coach Steve Spurrier decided to leave Florida for the NFL. But it has really been the Tigers and Bulldogs, who also are playing in their third SEC championship game in five seasons, that have been the dominant clubs.

This season the Volunteers finished 5-6 and for the first time since 1988 they will be watching games instead of playing in a bowl game.

Good quarterback play and solid special teams play always make the difference in big-time college games, but to me it will be the Tigers’ defensive line that will set the pace. The Tigers’ front-four of Kyle Williams, Claude Wroten, Melvin Oliver and Chase Pittman rank with the best in college football and they are the key to victory this coming Saturday.

Enjoy the weekend folks, it really should be something special.