Semifinalist in 2013. State runner-up in 2014.
The natural progression then, for Destrehan, would be to take one more step forward in 2015: and that step just so happens to be the ultimate goal. They’re five wins away from achieving it.
Destrehan earned the No. 3 seed in the Class 5A postseason after finishing its regular season a perfect 9-0. They kickstart their postseason Friday night at home, the Wildcats hosting No. 30 Denham Springs (5-5).
The Wildcats have been in this situation a few times before under head coach Stephen Robicheaux, the team entering playoff competition as a high, undefeated seed with championship aspirations. In 2007 and 2008 the Wildcats finished things off with a state championship, and in each of the last two seasons, DHS made long postseason runs before ultimately falling short.
One difference, though, is for the first time, Destrehan had a Week 10 bye; due to an uneven number of district teams, each competitor in 7-5A had to scramble to find an opponent for an open week during district play. Destrehan was unable to find an opponent for Week 10, resulting in the rare off week.
Robicheaux admitted he was concerned about a week off, particularly considering how well his team played in its last two victories, but said he believes his players handled the time off well.
“It was a chance to go back and work on some things that gave us trouble during the season,” Robicheaux said. “We shortened practice up a little bit. I think our kids really responded quite well. From what I’m seeing, you know, the verdict is still out as to how it’ll ultimately impact us, but I think they understand what needs to be done. We had a great day (Monday) and hopefully we’ll carry that through into the game.”
Denham Springs began the season 4-1; the Yellowjackets outscored their first two foes this season by a combined 73-0 margin. But DSHS has lost four of his past five games, something Robicheaux noted has correlated with a rash of injuries, including that of quarterback Torez Kinchen, who has been sidelined with a separated shoulder suffered in Week 9.
Robicheaux said he didn’t know if Kinchen would be ready to face Destrehan. Last week, Parker Simoneaux and Cameron Feucht split time, with Simoneaux relieving Feucht, the starter against Scotlandville, in the second half. Neither was able to lead a scoring drive.
“They’re 5-5, but you look at the schedule they’ve played and the scores they’ve lost by, and it tells a different story,” Robicheaux said. “They’ve lost three games by a total of five points. That’s a team that with a couple of bounces, you’re talking about 7-3, 8-2. They’ve had a lot of injuries, losing their quarterback, running back and two big tackles. You think about them getting healthy and it shapes up as a tough first round opponent.”
Defensively, Denham Springs is anchored by defensive end Caleb Roddy, a 6-foot-5, 241-pound pass rushing terror that Robicheaux said his offensive line must be on point to block.
“They do a good job defensively out of a 3-3 stack,” Robicheaux said. “They’ve got a lot of bulked up guys who do a good job filling up front. We’ve got to move them out.”
Offensively, big Justin Henderson’s status looms large for Denham Springs. Henderson, a 6-foot-7, 320-pound tackle, has been sidelined, but Robicheaux said he’s on the Wildcats’ radar as well.
“We saw him on the sideline with a cast on,” Robicheaux said. “Can he play through it, we don’t know. Obviously, if he plays, it’ll be another challenge for us.”
Robicheaux said that his team’s approach won’t change much for the postseason, beyond an overall heightened awareness of the stakes at play.
“It’s not a message of panic, but focus,” Robicheaux said. “After this week, 16 teams are out. You don’t get any do-overs at this time of year.”
Be the first to comment