After crushing H.L. Bourgeois to capture the District 7-5A title, the undefeated Destrehan Wildcats must now corral an explosive East St. John offense in the regular season finale.
Last week, Destrehan’s offense scored at will early against Bourgeois, as they cruised to a 44-0 halftime lead. After an early field goal, Destrehan quarterback Marquise Darensbourg scored on a 29-yard touchdown run to put his squad up 10-0.
Receiver John Williams added to the lead after taking a reverse for a 49-yard score, and fellow receiver Alfred Smith scored a 65-yard touchdown. Smith finished with 140 yards and two touchdowns on just five catches.
“Our guys got into space and that was the difference,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “Marquise got Alfred the ball in space and John Williams also got into space. When those guys get the ball in space, they are dangerous.”
Darensbourg continues to improve as the season goes along, throwing for 133 yards and a touchdown last Friday. The sophomore also rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think he had another good game,” Robicheaux said of his young quarterback. “He doesn’t have to do a whole lot, just manage the game for us, but he is getting better every week. As he gets another game [as starter], he gets another game of experience.
“As long as he continues to get better, that’s all we can ask for.”
The Wildcats had so much success in the first half that they were able to rest their starters for the entire second half. Though Bourgeois scored 20 points in the third and fourth quarters, Robicheaux was pleased that his younger guys could get some action in a district game.
“It really became a JV game in the second half,” he said. “We got to play a lot of younger guys and they gained experience.”
With the win, Destrehan captured the district title, but Robicheaux said his squad is hungry for more.
“[Winning the district championship] was one of our goals, but our ultimate goal is to win every game we play,” he said. “Hopefully we get a good seeding in the playoffs and play well from here on out.”
In their quest to finish the regular season undefeated, the Wildcats must find a way to slow down a dynamic East St. John Wildcat offense on Friday.
East St. John is 5-4 on the season and 4-2 in district play. Their two district losses have come to Hahnville and Thibodaux, though Robicheaux is quick to point out that the Wildcats held first half leads in both of those games.
“They had Hahnville down early and they were beating Thibodaux,” he said. “They are going to score, but we have to prevent big plays. Those big plays are what makes them successful.”
East St. John is averaging more than 35 points per game in district play.
“They have so many good athletes,” Robicheaux said. “They are very explosive.”
In Last week’s 48-21 win over Terrebonne, LSU commitment and East St. John athlete Xavier Lewis ran for a pair of touchdowns and threw for 48 yards on three completions.
Lewis is ranked as a four-star by 247 sports and committed to LSU over offers from Texas Tech, Arkansas, Arizona State and Baylor.
While Lewis plays offense, he projects as a cornerback in college and stars for East St. John at the position. Lewis and teammate Antonio Parks, who committed to Arizona State, make up the best secondary Robicheaux said his team has faced this season.
“They have two studs back there,” Robicheaux said of Lewis and Parks. “They do a great job of putting athletes in the secondary and we have to take what they give us”
While the Wildcats have burned teams through the air in their last two games, the squad’s strength remains the ground game. Destrehan senior Will Matthews has been unstoppable this season running behind an extremely talented offensive line.
“We are going to have to establish the run ,” Robicheaux said. “That’s going to be the key.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday at Destrehan.
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