With just under seven minutes left in the game and his team already up by a touchdown, Destrehan junior cornerback Denzel Arceneaux fielded a squib kickoff, cut left and raced 68 yards down the field to put the Wildcats up 31-24 with 6:44 left in the game.
That play seemed to be the final nail in the East St. John coffin. However, ESJ refused to panic, and scored two touchdowns in the final minutes to stun Destrehan, 35-34.
Destrehan (4-3, 2-1) led for a majority of the game thanks to five East St. John (3-4, 2-1) turnovers, but it was ESJ who took an early 6-0 lead when senior quarterback Leonard Davis lunged up the middle for a one-yard score. The Wildcats fired back near the end of the first quarter, using runs from Will Mathews and Talvin Michael to set up a 27-yard touchdown pass from Donovan Isom to Michael Smith.
In the second quarter, the Wildcats capitalized on East St. John’s second turnover of the game, which came on an interception by Arceneaux.
Starting on his own 32 after the interception, Isom scrambled 29 yards and then connected with Smith again, this time for a 41-yard touchdown to give Destrehan a 14-6 lead with 8:40 left until the half.
As they would do later in the game, East St. John marched right down the field to get inside the Destrehan 10-yard line. Davis carried three straight times, finally scoring on third and goal.
Davis then connected with sophomore receiver Jared Jackson on a two-point conversion to tie the game at 14-14.
Destrehan wasted little time taking back the lead early in the third quarter. A short ESJ punt gave the Wildcats the ball on their opponent’s 29-yard line. Mathews picked up 14 yards on first down and Isom carried the ball for 12 yards a play later.
Mathews then cut through the defense for a 4-yard touchdown that gave the Wildcats a 21-14 lead with 8:29 to play in the third.
Mathews would score again less than a minute later.
On East St. John’s first play of the next series, Davis fumbled the snap and Destrehan junior linebacker RaeJuan Marbley recovered on the ESJ 15. Mathews raced through the defense once again for a 15-yard score that gave Destrehan a 28-14 lead.
Destrehan had a chance to add to their lead in the fourth when the ball sailed over the head of the ESJ punter and was recovered by Destrehan cornerback David Sampson at the ESJ 25. Isom carried the ball 15 yards on first down, but Destrehan couldn’t move any closer and was forced to try a 27-yard field goal.
The low kick was blocked and East St. John marched down the field and cut into the Destrehan lead on a 15-yard pass from Davis to Jackson.
Trailing 28-21, ESJ tried the keep the ball out of the hands of Destrehan returner Rickey Jefferson by dribbling it 20 yards up field. Instead, Arceneaux scooped and scored to put the Wildcats up 34-21.
That’s when ESJ began their comeback that included yet another touchdown pass from Davis to Jackson, this one for four yards. Davis scored the winning touchdown on a 7-yard run a few minutes later to give ESJ the come-from-behind win.
Click here to see photos from the Destrehan vs. East St. John game.
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