Despite title loss, Destrehan’s future bright
Destrehan’s football season came to an end Saturday night with a 23-7 loss to Acadiana in the Class 5A state championship game. While the season didn’t end the way the Wildcats wanted it to, Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux was extremely proud of his squad.
“Obviously you want to win, but it didn’t work out. I am just so proud of the kids and the ride we took,” Robicheaux said. “It hurts now and the kids are upset, but we need them to sit back and realize what they’ve done for the community and Destrehan High School.
“I am just proud to say I was a part of that.”
Destrehan fell behind Acadiana 14-0 in the first half after turning the ball over three times. Robicheaux said it was his team’s worst half of the season. However, the Wildcats cut into the lead right before halftime when quarterback Kohen Granier scored on a short touchdown run.
While Robicheaux said that put his team in a position to strike back in the second half, the Wildcats couldn’t put a successful scoring drive together in the final two quarters. Meanwhile, Acadiana made three field goals that put the game out of reach.
“Acadiana finished drives and we didn’t do that,” Robicheaux said. “We got behind the eight ball in field position and it never really got going for us.”
Despite not winning the state title, the Wildcats have had monumental success in the last two seasons, going 27-2 in that span. Both of their losses were to Acadiana, who has now won back-to-back state championships.
Robicheaux credits his seniors with helping turn the Destrehan program around. Before Robicheaux returned to coach the Wildcats in 2012, the team had won just five games in the previous two seasons.
Seniors like running back Will Matthews and receivers Alfred Smith and Kirk Merritt had plenty of success due to a senior-laden offensive line that included Louis Kieffer, Kyle Weems, Ryant Price, Elijah Duhe and Austin Abbate.On defense, senior defensive end Ed Leonard helped the Wildcats dominate the line of scrimmage, while senior linebackers Peyton Steib and Allen Pittman made plays all over the field.
The Wildcat secondary was also loaded with senior stars Brandon Scott, Raekwon Morgan and Korian Reynaud.
“Those guys helped us get the program back to where it needed to be. We’ve been to the semifinals and the finals in two years…Destrehan is back,” Robicheaux said. “It’s because of those players. I’ll be grateful to those guys forever.”
While Destrehan will graduate a lot of talented players, the future does look bright. Young quarterbacks Marquise Darensbourg and Kohen Granier now have a year of experience under their belts. Both also saw action in the state championship game. Will Sirmon, who was in the running for the starting role before suffering a season-ending injury, will return next year.
“I think that’s going to be big for us,” Robicheaux said. “We played two quarterbacks with very little experience and still won 14 games. For those guys to return with experience is exciting.”
Receiver John Williams, who made electrifying plays in almost every game, will be the key target for whoever lines up under center for the Wildcats.
On defense, star defensive end Glen Logan will return for his senior season alongside monstrous nose tackle Gerald Wilbon. Junior linebackers Tyjon Sanchez and Alex Zayed will return plenty of experience to the middle of Destrehan’s defense.
“We are excited about next year,” Robicheaux said. “We have a lot of good players coming back on offense and defense and some good, young guys waiting in the wings.”
While he is looking forward to next season, Robicheaux will miss the team dynamic that led the Wildcats back to the state championship game.
“There is no doubt that these kids were going to be successful. They are great kids, they worked hard and they gave everything you asked,” Robicheaux said. “I wanted to win just because of those guys. I think they will learn from this and know that there are better days ahead.”
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