After cruising to blowout wins over West Jefferson and Helen Cox to open the season, Destrehan faces their first tough test of the year when they host the Dutchtown Griffins on Friday.
But even though Dutchtown has weapons of their own on both sides of the ball, it’s been almost impossible for teams to slow the Wildcat attack. Destrehan has scored 95 points in their first two games while allowing just two touchdowns – one of which was given up by Wildcat backups.
The high point of Destrehan’s 48-7 victory over Helen Cox last week was the play of sophomore quarterback Marquise Darensbourg. Darensbourg wasn’t asked to do much in his team’s opening win over West Jefferson, but he completed 10 of his 14 passes for 171 yards against Helen Cox. Two of his passes went for touchdowns and he also scrambled for a third score.
With his team holding a 35-0 lead at the break, Darensbourg sat out the second half.
“I thought Marquise played well,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “As long as he can play at that level, we always have an opportunity to win.”
Darensbourg connected with John Williams for a 28-yard score and found Kirk Merritt open in the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown strike.
Merritt also had a big game against Cox, returning a third quarter kickoff 85 yards to give his team a 42-0 lead.Star running back Will Matthews had two touchdowns on runs of 4 and 10 yards.
“We ran the ball well and we had a lot of short fields to work with,” Robicheaux said of his offense’s play. “We did what we needed to do. I thought we moved the ball well.”
While the offense receives most of the attention, the Wildcat defense has also impressed this season. Destrehan held Cox quarterback Dion Ray, who has committed to University of Louisiana at Lafayette, to only eight completions in 20 attempts. Wildcat linebacker Allen Pittman had a phenomenal game, sacking Ray five times.
“On defense we have had a good effort and they get better every week,” Robicheaux said. “We have played some teams with good athletes. I thought last week against Dion Ray we contained him pretty good. Our defense forced a lot of negative yards.”
Robicheaux will know a lot more about his team after Friday’s game against Dutchtown. The Griffins are a perennial power, but struggled to open the season in a 19-14 loss to Lutcher. They rebounded in a big way last week by crushing Donaldsonville 43-0.
Dutchtown rushed for 274 yards on 44 carries against Donaldsonville. The Griffins’ success on offense starts with their offensive line which consist of seniors Hunter Austin, Brett Broussard and Josh Toepfer, and juniors Mylik McWilliams and Lloyd Cushenberry.
“They have a great offensive line and that’s what makes them go,” Robicheaux said. “They put a lot of pressure on a defense and they have an offensive line that can push people off the ball. It will be a physical game up front that’s decided in the trenches.
“I love playing Dutchtown.”
Robicheaux said Dutchtown also has plenty of talent at the skill positions. Running back Kajuan Coleman returns after rushing for more than 1,000 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns last season. Brant Fritsche guides the team at quarterback after throwing for 1,360 yards last season.
Dutchtown also has a strong defensive line, but Robicheaux is worried about the Griffin’s secondary, which is led by safety Justin Reid. Reid is the brother of former LSU star and current San Francisco 49er Eric Reid.
The younger Reid had 51 tackles and four interceptions last season.
The Griffins also have two standout cornerbacks in Coney Durr and Rickey Thomas.
“Their defensive line is one of the best coached we will face and they do a great job of doing the things they need to do to be successful. But the thing that stands out is their defensive backfield,” Robicheaux said. “They are physical, fast and they come up and hit you. They are going to be a challenge for our offense. You really have to earn your yardage.”
Destrehan will host Dutchtown at 7 p.m. on Friday.
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