A full schedule, played on time, would almost certainly be music to the ears of Destrehan head coach Marcus Scott and his staff – his two years with the Wildcats have seen COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida uproot the preseason scheduling plans entirely.
But once each season began, Destrehan did not look disrupted in the least. The team’s lone regular season loss over the 14 total games played between 2020 and 2021 came in Scott’s very first with the team against St. Paul’s. DHS has reeled off 13 regular season wins in a row since, with back-to-back appearances in the Class 5A semifinals.
2022 sees Destrehan face several of last season’s playoff qualifiers in the season’s early weeks, which DHS hopes will prepare its team for yet another deep postseason run.
Following jamboree action against host Lutcher in a final gear up for the season, Destrehan opens the 2022 campaign at home against a Bonnabel team that went 3-4 last season, and then the Wildcats enter into a critical three-game stretch against a trio of 2021 5A playoff squads.
The first will see DHS host John Ehret, a battle that sees Scott guide his team against a Patriots program he headed prior to taking the helm of the Wildcats in 2020. Ehret reached round two of the playoffs last year and went 7-3 overall.
Next up is a road date at East Ascension, which went 6-4 last season as the 17th seed in 5A. Notably, the Spartans gave eventual state champion Zachary a battle in round two, one Zachary escaped with a 24-21 victory.
The third game of that set will be circled on calendars not just in the respective locker rooms, but around St. Charles Parish – and even the state at large for many prep football followers. Hahnville visits Destrehan for the latest chapter in the heated rivalry in Week 4. The Tigers will be hungry for payback after Destrehan felled them decisively in last year’s opener, a Saturday daytime matchup that ended with a 42-7 score favoring the Wildcats.
That kicks off District 7-5A play for the Wildcats, who continue on in league play with a Week 5 homecoming game matchup against Central Lafourche. CLHS will be attempting to bounce back after a challenging 2021 that saw the program go winless.
H.L. Bourgeois will host Destrehan next. The Braves earned a postseason berth last year, a 23 seed before bowing out to St. Amant. Bourgeois went 4-4, and were no match for the Wildcats last season as DHS took a 45-0 victory.
Some key preseason transfers out of the program hurt Terrebonne last season, which fell to a 1-6 mark in 2021. It will host Destrehan in Week 7 this time around. Last season DHS won by a score of 41-14.
Week 8 brings a pause in district action. Last season, DHS had a bye at this point in the year, but in 2022 it will take a road trip to face off with host Sulphur – perhaps some late season preparation for the potential travel a road playoff game can yield. Sulphur reached the 4A playoffs last season as the No. 22 seed and bowed out in round one, going 6-5 overall.
Back on the district trail, DHS will have a road date at East St. John, a matchup that historically has provided some dramatic games and finishes. Last year, Destrehan rolled to a 38-7 final, but ESJ has been dangerous overall throughout the tenure of head coach Brandon Brown. ESJ went 3-4 in 2021.
The final game of the regular season comes at DHS, where Thibodaux visits on Destrehan’s Senior Night. THS went 3-4 last season, including a 35-0 loss to DHS.
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