For the third straight week, Destrehan needed their defense to come through in the closing minutes of a game, and for the third straight week, the defense delivered.
This time, it was an interception by Antonio Parker that gave the Wildcats a 31-28 victory over East St. John, which kept the team undefeated at 8-0.
“We blocked a kick at St. Amant, we stopped Hahnville in overtime, and we got the big interception,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “Obviously, you have to be happy with them making plays, but we are still making mistakes and we’re still doing things that we need to get better at.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
East St. John, who fell to 4-4 with the loss, is a much better team than their record indicates. They proved that last week by out gaining Destrehan both on the ground and in the air and knocking the Wildcats into the ropes in the fourth quarter. However, just like in their previous two wins, Destrehan found a way to win.
“I thought we played well at times and I thought our kids did a good job of being resilient,” Robicheaux said. “Both teams played well and it ended up 31-28 and you are just happy to get out of there with a win. East St. John is a much better team than their record indicates.”
East St. John struck first in the contest, with bruising back Alex Singleton rushing for a 49-yard touchdown to start the opening quarter.
Destrehan quickly answered back with an 80-yard drive, then took the lead on a 67-yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Tim Molton.
Though East St. John was able to tie up the contest with another score before the half, Destrehan went up 28-14 in the third. East St. John quarterback Andre Millet then fired a pass to cut in the margin and Destrehan was able to secure the win with Parker’s interception later in the quarter.
“Offensively, we ran the ball more and we are excited about that,” Robicheaux said. “I thought Jordan did a good job of running the offense and Jerico (Nelson) rushed for over 100 yards. I thought we handled Singleton pretty good, it’s just that their quarterback did a good job throwing the football.”
East St. John’s quarterback, Millet, was making his first start of the year. Still, he managed to complete eight of his nine pass attempts for 220 yards and one touchdown. Robicheaux and his staff were caught off guard by the players’ performance.
“We didn’t know he was going to play at all,” Robicheaux said. “We kind of heard that somebody else might start, but anytime you get a quarterback starting in his first game, you kind of like your chances, but the kid threw the ball well.”
There shouldn’t be any major surprises this Friday when Destrehan takes on East Ascension. The Spartans are only 3-5 on the season and have lost three district games, including a 41-6 defeat to Hahnville and a 35-7 loss to Dutchtown.
But Robicheaux doesn’t expect his team to walk all over the competition.
“Every week in this district is a tough week.” he said. “We have to go up there and play well and that’s the bottom line. They have a pretty good quarterback, a physical running back, and they do a good job of running their offense so we have to be prepared to face those guys
“If we can get off the field defensively and control the ball, I think we will be ok.”
However, Robicheaux is sure of one thing, the previous tough stretch his team has just completed will do nothing but get his team ready for the post-season.
“These games can do nothing but help you,” he said. “Experience in close games gives your kids the mindset that they can win any game, whether they go behind or get up early. The kids have to know that at anytime we can make a play and end up winning the football game.”
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