Hahnville may have seen its season slipping away during its recent three game losing streak; but in any event, the Tigers rallied together and decided to do something about it.
That something was a 41-10 victory on the road at Terrebonne last week, representing Hahnville’s greatest victory margin of the season and an all-around performance badly needed after losses to Riverside, Destrehan and St. Thomas More had dropped the Tigers to 2-3.
This week, Hahnville (3-3, 1-1) returns home to host East St. John (0-6, 0-3), a longtime Tigers’ rival searching for its first win in the midst of the team’s most trying season in years.
While the Wildcats have struggled this season under new coach Alden Foster, East St. John certainly has become a more dangerous foe since quarterback Marquise Darensbourg became eligible to play in Week 5. The Wildcats are 0-2 in the transfer from Destrehan’s two starts — which were, in fact, the first two losses as starter of Darensbourg’s career — but the team has scored 59 total points over those two games. In contrast, ESJ scored 50 total points over its first four games.
To Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio, East St. John could be 0-6 or 6-0: he says the Wildcats are dangerous, all the same.
“I don’t care what their record is, they’re East St. John,” Saltaformaggio said. “And in the world I live in, East St. John means great athletes, a winning tradition and a team that plays extremely hard. They’re 0-0 this week, just like we are.”
While Destrehan shut the Wildcats out until the second half of last week’s game, Darensbourg did find his footing in that second half. Through two games, he’s accounted for seven touchdowns, six as a passer and one as a runner.
Darensbourg started 14 games for Destrehan last season, winning all 14. He transferred to East St. John earlier this year, after he had to sit out the first four weeks to fulfill LHSAA eligibility requirements.
His top receiver — and one of the best in the state — is LSU commitment Damonte Coxie. Dontrell Allen, meanwhile plays both tailback and defensive back, and is a dangerous weapon as well. Allen is committed to Mississippi State.
“I mean, (Darens-bourg) won 14 in a row at Destrehan,” Saltaformaggio said. “Their skill position guys are as good as those of anyone we’ve played.”
The first priority, Saltaformaggio said, will be controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Running the ball effectively and keeping those ESJ players off the field will be important. Defensively, keeping Darensbourg under pressure will be key.
When the ball does leave Darensbourg’s hands, Saltaformaggio said stopping the 6-foot-4 Coxie completely will be a tall order, but Hahnville must at least be able to hold him relatively in check.
“I don’t think you can slow him down to any great degree,” Saltaformaggio said. “You’ve just got to try to control him. You can’t let him explode and have one of those 12 catches for 200 yards and 3 touchdown type nights. If he does that, then we’ve got problems.”
Defensively, East St. John has struggled all season. The Wildcats have allowed 27 points or more in each game this season, and 107 total over the past two weeks.
Hahnville had its own defensive struggles this season against a pair of offensive juggernauts in Destrehan and St. Thomas More. In those two games, HHS allowed 100 total points, but 41 total in the other four; and in those latter four games, HHS allowed a pair of defensive scores.
“Obviously, the two teams we struggled (defensively) against were outstanding football teams, and we’re not at their level at this point,” Saltaformaggio said. “We bounced back against Terrebonne, but (Terrebonne) isn’t that kind of team, either. Hopefully, we can find a middle ground. We need to make (East St. John) drive the ball and make play after play to have success.”
A FASTER START
Saltaformaggio noted that in all but one game this season, the Tigers’ opponent has scored either a touchdown or field goal on its first possession. In the game it didn’t happen, Woodlawn missed a field goal.
“We have to find a way to start better,” Saltaformaggio said. “You don’t want to give yourself a hole to dig out of every week.”
OFFENSIVE SHIFT HELPS
Saltaformaggio said that one reason for Hahnville’s offensive success last week came down to a change, with the Tigers running more out of the shotgun formation.
“It helped our offensive line immeasurably,” Saltaformaggio said. “It allows our kids to seek and find holes from a different angle, and it helps us block from a leverage standpoint. I think it’s made a big difference.”
In Hahnville’s 41-10 win last week, Mike Neal, Norquell Flowers and Drew Dunn each had a rushing score. The Tigers also got a punt return for a score from Williams and an interception for a touchdown from Chris Marshall. Anthony Williams scored on an 80-yard punt return.
“We’re 3-3, which is exactly where we were last year, heading into a game with the exact same opponent in East St. John,” Saltaformaggio said.
Be the first to comment