As Hahnville hosted Destrehan last week, one can’t help but wonder what might have been.
The news that Andrew Robison might indeed be able to suit up for last week’s rivalry clash between the Wildcats and Tigers began to capture imaginations in our region, with a debuting star passer possibly making a dramatic entrance in the midst of one of the best rivalries going in Louisiana.
With so much talk centered around the senior, we’re sure plenty of people in St. Charles Parish would have loved the chance to see him in action.
Though he was granted a chance to play through a court-issued temporary restraining order, Hahnville understandably did not feel comfortable chancing future penalties and fallout that could come down the line from the Louisiana High School Sports Association were the school to defy their ruling that Robison is ineligible to play.
The game was a good one regardless. Many counted Hahnville out, but there were the Tigers leading in the third quarter before Destrehan came up clutch on in a number of spots to earn the victory. Could Robison have made a difference in the outcome? Perhaps, but it would be unfair to a tremendous Wildcats team to assume that to be true. Robison wouldn’t be out there stopping J.R. Blood from pitching a perfect deep pass to Quinton Torbor for a go-ahead touchdown, nor could he have done much to prevent John Emery or Kyle Edwards from barreling forward for fourth quarter yardage.
What his absence did do is serve as a reminder that the LHSAA’s ruling has deprived the state’s prep scene of one of its truly talented players, for reasons that seem vague and haven’t been made completely clear.
But the game’s competitiveness despite the absence of a star also highlights how Destrehan coach Stephen Robicheaux’s words after the game ring true: we in St. Charles Parish are blessed to be able to see so many elite prep athletes come through and wear the uniforms of the Tigers and Wildcats, year after year.
Robison or no, this school district is full of players that have perhaps unfairly been overshadowed by the controversy, through no fault of their own or Robison’s. And while sanctions may have deprived us of the chance to see a strong quarterback in action, Destrehan and Hahnville’s athletes made their spotlight count on Friday night.
Coach Robicheaux is right yall keep overlooking a lot of families that have been supporting this paper their whole lives kids who played their butts off to concentrate on a kid who showed up four months ago and not only hasn’t played yet but won’t be here after graduation either. How about you start spotlighting some of the local kids before we all stop buying this paper anymore.