Destrehan shook off its opening week loss at Catholic with a show of offensive firepower at home Friday night, besting Bonnabel 58-20.
Malachi Dabney broke off a chunk play on the second play from scrimmage – and the Wildcats were off and running. Jackson Fields connected with Cai Williams for another first down. Bonnabel broke through the line to stop Dabney for a loss, but a screen pass from Fields to Jabari Mack had Destrehan back in business. On fourth-and-5, Fields connected with Jaylan Ash for a first down – setting up Dabney to take a carry off right tackle 16 yards to paydirt and pushing DHS ahead 7-0.
But Bonnabel (1-1) wasn’t interested in rolling over. Bruins quarterback Karl Perkins led his team down the field – two completions to Coryon Hollins, one over the top and one on a screen, set up a short touchdown run by Deron Harvey to tie the game at 7.
Jabari Mack returned the ensuing kickoff to the Bonnabel 40. A Fields screen to Frank Harding helped set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Dabney to make it a 14-7 lead for Destrehan (1-1).
Then a special teams mistake by the Bruins proved costly. Tahj Morton recovered a fumbled snap to set DHS up in the Bonnabel red zone. It took just one play for Fields to fake a handoff to Dabney and find Mack on a play action slant to the endzone, Destrehan taking a 20-7 lead after a conversion attempt failed.
“We were able to answer the bell when we had to,” said Destrehan head coach Marcus Scott. “We gave up a couple of plays early, and then we settled down a little bit and made some plays on our end.”
A second errant snap on punt team led to a second Morton fumble recovery. This time, it set up Dabney to punch in his third touchdown of the night to make it 27-7.
Bonnabel answered with a touchdown, but there was bad news to come with that – every score meant kicking off to Mack, who blasted through the coverage to return the ball inside the Bruins’ 40 again. A penalty set up Destrehan on the edge of the red zone and a 21-yard touchdown run by Dabney – his fourth – made it 34-14.
Fields connected with Ash for a touchdown just before halftime to make it 41-14.
Early in the third quarter, it was Bruce Walker’s turn – he broke a 50-yard touchdown run to make it 48-14.
Michael White punched in a 2-yard scoring run to extend the lead to 55-14.
Scott said that after allowing the two first-half touchdowns, the Wildcats made a few adjustments and the players refocused on the task at hand.
“It was a little bit of both,” Scott said. “They showed a couple things we hadn’t seen and we had to adjust to.”
For Dabney, it was another eye-popping statistical night as he was automatic in the red zone.
And for Mack, it was the continuation of a season that’s seen him impact the game just about everywhere – he scored on a 100-yard interception return in Week One, then was a difference maker this week as a both kick returner and receiver.
“Jabari can be effective in many different ways,” Scott said. “Tonight was a night where some other guys were expected to step up and make some plays and they did for the most part. But we’re going to get it to Jabari in different ways and different places – and he’s going to come through for us.”
Harding, meanwhile, has primarily played on defense but got a chance to make an impact offensively Friday.
“We ask some of the kids to spot play on both sides and Frank is one of those kids who’s versatile enough to do that,” Scott said. “He came in and made a big play for us. That’s always good to see when you have guys that make plays on both sides. It speaks to the power of teamwork and guys filling in and making stuff happen when their number is called … it’s a puzzle that we have to put together, and we all do our part to add to it.”
