Friday night saw a matchup of two of Louisiana’s consistently strong programs as St. Paul’s visited Fighting Wildcats Stadium to battle Destrehan to open the 2026 football season.
The Wildcats gave their fans plenty to cheer as they took complete control of this one early. DHS earned a 35-14 victory over the Wolves to begin the season 1-0.
Malachi Dabney rushed for more than 150 yards and scored two times on the ground to pace Destrehan. Wildcats quarterback A’ushai Smith connected with Jordan Zeringue for a 58-yard touchdown. Tony Crump scored from 8 yards out.
And Destrehan scored another touchdown on what was one of its most effective trick plays last season – the double pass. Former Destrehan wideout Jabari Mack – currently at LSU – was one of the team’s favorites to make that downfield throw from the wide receiver spot. This time, the Wildcats called upon Landyn Dugas, who found an open Jaylan Ash for a 45-yard touchdown that made it a 28-0 Destrehan lead in the second quarter.
Dabney got Destrehan on the board first with a 2-yard touchdown run. That represented a bounce-back score for the Wildcats after fumbling on their first possession.
Then Smith found Zeringue on a short pass, which he took long, pulling away from the defense for a 58-yard score to make it 14-0 in the first quarter.
“We’ve been working on it all week and got the opportunity to run it today,” said Zeringue. “It was a beautiful thing. I’d been waiting for that play to be called all night and that was my shot, so I took advantage of it … (getting the win) definitely builds a lot of confidence. We had a lot of motivation to really come out here and show what we’ve got.”
A 6-yard Dabney scoring run in the second quarter made it a 21-0 DHS lead.
St. Paul’s scored just before halftime to cut into the lead, with Jack Henry Seal finding Daniel Harty for the first of two touchdown connections between the two. The 20-yard score made it 28-7 going into the half.
With 5:33 left to go in the third quarter, an 8-yard touchdown run by Crump made it 35-7.
“Tony’s a really good change of pace back,” said Scott. “He’s a bigger kid and he’s tough to bring down.”
It wasn’t quite a perfect night of football for Destrehan – a slew of penalties, including several personal foul calls, plagued the team during the game.
But as it did a week ago in its jamboree against Lutcher, Destrehan continued to excel on both sides of the football. That will have to continue next Friday night as the Wildcats welcome a high-powered St. Augustine to Destrehan for an early season showdown of state powers.
St. Paul’s had eyes on Dabney all night – with Destrehan working in a first- year starter at quarterback and several new receivers, forcing anyone else to beat them seemed the play for the Wolves.
But the Wildcats spread the wealth and Smith along with the team’s other skill position playmakers showed what they could do.
“We probably had 7 or 8 kids touch the ball tonight,” Scott said. “And that’s the key to us being able to move the ball effectively … to spread the ball around and not allow defenses to key in specifically on Malachi.”
One of those playmakers is Zeringue, who plays both running back and wide receiver for Destrehan.
“It’s definitely fun. I love football,” Zeringue said of playing both spots. “Sometimes, it can be challenging. You have to learn way more plays and you have to keep concentration and focus. But I love it.”
Still, even with much defensive focus upon him, Dabney continued to produce in a big way, much as the senior has since becoming Destrehan’s starting running back in his sophomore season.
“Malachi’s consistent. He’s a special talent, and he never gets too high or too low,” Scott said. “He’s always someone we can count on.”
