It’ll be a night like no other in high school football.
The Battle on the River takes us to Tiger Stadium in Boutte Friday night – and, specifically, Halloween night – as Hahnville hosts Destrehan for the annual rivalry showdown between the teams.
Much like last season, it’s not simply local bragging rights on the line, as this game is going to be a driving force behind the District 8-5A championship this season.
Destrehan is 6-2 overall and 4-0 in district play. Hahnville is 7-1 and 4-1 in district – this is the Tigers’ final district game of the season. Terrebonne, likewise, has one district loss, with district games remaining against Thibodaux this Friday and Central Lafourche next week.
The Wildcats can win the crown outright with wins Friday night and next week at home against Thibodaux. A Hahnville win forces a three-way tie atop the district, of which the Tigers would wait to see how Destrehan and possibly Terrebonne fare in Week 10 (if the latter defeats Thibodaux this week).
Destrehan has won five consecutive games; Hahnville, four in a row. Over the course of this five-game win streak, Destrehan is averaging 51.6 points per game. Hahnville has been firing in its own right, averaging 43.3 points over its four-game streak.
The atmosphere promises to be something to behold – the student section at Hahnville (both schools, for that matter) are known for their colorful costumes as it is on many Friday nights, so one would be wise to expect them to bring their A-game for this one. And certainly, both sides of the stadium will be packed.
For the teams on the field, in some ways it’ll be business as usual; in many others, not so much. This one always means a little bit more.
The Wildcats have had the Tigers by the tail for most of the past several meetings. DHS has won seven in a row over Hahnville, which last won in 2017 – that was the Pooka Williams and Jha’Quan Jackson-led Tiger team that reached the state championship game.
Destrehan’s been largely dominant during that rivalry win streak – last season, however, saw a classic game that went down to the wire. Destrehan’s Malachi Dabney rushed for more than 250 yards to go with a touchdown and Jabari Mack scored two touchdowns as Destrehan held off a late rally by Hahnville to capture a 31-24 victory at Wildcat Stadium.
That was the first meeting between Destrehan’s Marcus Scott and Hahnville’s Greg Boyne as head coaches. Last season was Boyne’s first at Hahnville in that position, after working alongside Scott as Destrehan’s offensive coordinator and serving as a longtime assistant for the Wildcats.
It’s one more year removed, but Boyne still knows many of those Wildcat players well from his time there.
“Obviously, most of the seniors, and most of the coaches as well,” Boyne said. “I have good relationships with those guys and they do a fantastic job. They play very hard. Going against their defense, (defensive coordinator Tim Taffi) does a great job – they’ve had to replace a lot of guys (from 2024) and haven’t missed a beat. They tackle well. They pursue, fly to the ball.”
Boyne said Destrehan presents a challenge as well from the number of different looks they give.
“They play multiple fronts. And coverage-wise, they do a couple of things where it looks like zone, but they’re playing man, and then it might look like man, but they’re playing zone,” said Boyne. “That will be a challenge for Landen. It’s something we’ve watched the past two days with film.”
When it comes to the Destrehan offense, Boyne said it has plenty of ways to hurt you.
DHS senior quarterback Jackson Fields was a sophomore and first-year starter in Boyne’s final season with the Wildcats.
“I’m still a huge fan of his,” Boyne said. “I was lucky enough to coach him for two years. Just a quality kid. He’s a lot like Landen. You know, it’s a kind of rare thing these days when kids just get it, everything about the position and everything about the importance of playing quarterback and the little nuances that go with it. They’re very similar.”
Dabney was a force unleashed in last season’s meeting between the teams. Then, of course, there’s LSU-commitment Jabari Mack at wide receiver – and Wildcat quarterback, and taking handoffs out the backfield, and potentially on defense and returns.
“And (receiver) Jaylan Ash is extremely talented in his first year over there,” said Boyne. “(Coryan) Armstrong, the young receiver, he’s doing a good job. He catches a touchdown every week it seems like.
“It’s a lot to prepare for, which is a credit to their coaching staff and their kids. I know how hard they work. And that’s something we’ve tried to instill in our program over here since day one. I think we’ve closed the gap, and we’ll find out Friday how much it’s closed.”
Scott said the rivalry is something special, and one renowned throughout the state.
“It’s always a spirited event,” said Scott. “And it certainly brings the community together. It’s a rivalry, but it’s positive between everyone.”
When he looks at Hahnville on film this year, he sees a team and a program that’s found a next level in its second full year under Boyne.
“They’re more comfortable with their schemes in all three phases of the game,” Scott said. “They have good receiver play, a strong run game, and a real solid quarterback at the helm with another year under his belt. I think he’s done a good job elevating his game as well.”
Running back Fabian Celestine’s success, Scott said, comes as no surprise.
“He was really good at the middle school level,” Scott said. “I’ve been watching him play for several years. He’s a complete back. He can score from anywhere on the field, but he also catches it well out the backfield, and that’s an added dimension. He’s not as big as (Calvin Smith, Hahnville’s leading rusher last season), but he’s faster. He runs hard and he presents problems.”
Scott said the Tiger receivers are dangerous across the board as well.
“(Bennett) Naquin, he is a real good athlete. He’s a big guy who can go up and make contested catches. It starts with him,” said Scott. “But then (Kevias) Singleton has really come on strong. And (Aaron Williams, Kaiden Bran and Lance Marshall) make plays whenever they’re called upon as well.”
Defensively, Scott likewise sees a confident group.
“They’re very active,” Scott said. “They have some experience back from last year and they’ve seen a lot of live action. So you know they’re going to be prepared. The defensive line is very active and those guys can cause all kinds of problems. If you’re not technically sound, they can live in your backfield.
