While East St. John has suffered back-to-back tough seasons, its a program that rarely stays down long – and also one that’s played some classic games against Destrehan over the years.
In Destrehan’s 2022 state championship season, East St. John gave DHS its biggest scare on the way to the championship – the Fighting Wildcats survived for a 21-20 victory, one that came down to Travon Thomas’ pass breakup on ESJ’s attempt at a game-winning 2-point conversion.
The two teams will play one another again this Friday night. Though there was discussion of moving the game up to Thursday due to weather concerns, the game is slated to be played on Friday.
Regardless of when the game’s played, Destrehan head football coach Marcus Scott is preparing his team for a true battle against a River Parishes rival that looks to be back on the upswing. ESJ is 2-2 this season, already surpassing its win total of a year ago, and defeated H.L. Bourgeois 41-0 last week in its district opener.
“I know what kind of job Coach (Brandon) Brown has consistently done there – anyone that knows football knows he and his staff do a really good job not only preparing their kids for competition, but for life,” Scott said.
Damon Scott leads East St. John at quarterback after earning a lot of experience a season ago. He’s a dual threat that can create big plays with his legs. But East St. John can stretch defenses vertically in a way few other teams can with leading receiver Deontae Fleming, who has blazing speed.
“(Fleming) I think gets most of the attention, and people don’t talk about (Damon Scott) a lot,” Marcus Scott said. “But he’s a quarterback who’s very mobile, with a strong arm and who can really push the ball downfield. He can get out of trouble with his legs. And you can see he’s taken a big step forward this year, it’s evident when you watch him.”
Fleming can take the top off a defense, but he’s also adept at making difficult, contested catches.
“He’s one of the best receivers in the state. People who have the chance to watch him play are getting a treat,” said Scott. “It’s not nearly as fun to coach against him, that’s not a lot of fun at all. Obviously, he’s got that speed, but his ability to make the tough catches in traffic, he really excels at that. Just because you have him covered doesn’t mean he’s not gonna catch the ball.”
Defensively, East St. John is on the rise. This talented unit is led by defensive end Jaylon Johnson.
“It starts up front with him. He’s got a high motor and a quick first step that’s really impressive,” Scott said. “He can cause all kinds of problems in the backfield. Their linebackers are sure tacklers and they really fly to the ball. They play several kids in the secondary, but they’re all capable of making plays back there.”
Destrehan moved to 3-1 last week (1-0 in District 7-5A play) with a 43-7 win over Central Lafourche at DHS.
Aushai Smith completed 6 of 8 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Jaylan Ash caught three passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Malachi Dabney rushed 7 times for 71 yards and a score. Jordan Zeringue scored on a 54-yard run. Tony Crump scored on a reception, and Cameron Florent scored on an interception return.
