A look at the recent history of the Destrehan/Hahnville rivalry

Bradley Quinn was a hero for Destrehan in 2016, his game-winning field goal in the final seconds lifting the Wildcats to victory over Hahnville.

It’s the kind of series that’s others outside the area envy. Destrehan v. Hahnville has given us twists and turns over the years that have led to the annual matchup being recognized nationally as one of the country’s greatest rivalries.

Destrehan leads the epic series 42-25 all time (credit to Lori Lyons for that fact) and have won six of the past seven meetings between the teams. Hahnville is attempting to generate some traction in the other direction, meanwhile: a win Friday would represent the second in three years against its archrival.

A look back at the past five meetings between the teams and how they played out:

2018: Destrehan 28, Hahnville 15. The Tigers rode into this game amid turmoil, having lost two of its first three and embroiled in a battle with the LHSAA concerning starting quarterback Andrew Robison and head coach Nick Saltaformaggio, who were ineligible and suspended, respectively.

As this rivalry has gone historically, though, you can never truly count out one side, and Hahnville came ready. The Tigers hung tough, rallying from a 14-0 deficit to take a 15-14 lead at one point. But the Wildcats were ultimately too much to overcome. John Emery gained nearly 200 yards from scrimmage and his 14-yard touchdown with just under 10 minutes left effectively sealed the win for DHS.

2017: Hahnville 20, Destrehan 13. It was a victory HHS coach Nick Saltaformaggio called “ a long time coming.” Destrehan had dominated the win-loss column in the rivalry prior to the Tigers win here, the latter’s first in five seasons over their archrival.

It came during the peak season of “Pookamania,” with Pooka Williams starring en route to nearly 300 yards from scrimmage, including 235 yards on 28 carries, 44 yards through the air and two touchdowns. The Tigers led 20-3 at one point and held off a spirited comeback by the Wildcats.

2016: Destrehan 31, Hahnville 28. One of the classic games between these two teams came here, where Bradley Quinn booted a clutch 27-yard game-winning field goal to cap the Wildcats’ victory, the team’s fifth straight over the Tigers.

While Quinn was a hero for DHS, he was far from the only one. Wildcats’ quarterback Kohen Granier was sidelined with a knee injury during the game and did not play in the second half. In stepped sophomore J.R. Blood, who played beyond his years to engineer points in the second half, including a game-winning drive. It was Blood’s first action as a varsity player.

2015: Destrehan 49, Hahnville 23. This one belonged to a powerful Destrehan squad from the start as DHS remained unbeaten. Kohen Granier tossed four touchdown passes, two of those to John Williams while one each to Justin Jefferson and Mike Young—those three play for Memphis, LSU and Notre Dame, respectively, to give an idea of the Wildcats’ firepower that season. Williams and Young each topped the 100 yard mark for Destrehan, while Devonte Craven led Hahnville with a pair of scores.

 

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