It will be a meeting of recent Superdome squads and a field filled with explosive playmakers on both sides of the ball as Alexandria visits Destrehan in Week 3.
Alexandria (2-0) was Division I select state runner-up in 2024, ultimately falling to Karr after stampeding through games against Evangel, Byrd and John Curtis to reach the final.
The Trojans also bring one of the state’s highest scoring teams to Wildcat Stadium. Alexandria scored 54 and 57 points in wins over West Feliciana and Union Parish to start the season. And last season – one that saw Alexandria go 13-1 – the team scored 40 points or more in all 10 of its regular season games and only failed to reach that mark in its playoff games with Curtis and Karr.
Head coach Thomas Bachman has now guided Alexandria to the only two state championship games in the program’s history, the first coming in 2020.
Destrehan will be looking to avenge a 45-27 loss at Alexandria last season, The Wildcats were missing starting quarterback Jackson Fields in that one.
What the Trojans won’t have Friday night is running back JT Lindsey, the dominant playmaker for Alexandria last year who has graduated and now wears the purple and gold of the LSU Tigers. The Trojans have also had to replace starters across the offensive line.
But this is a team that still packs plenty of firepower. Quarterback Karson Sellers is back after leading the huddle all of last season. Wide receiver Alex Fontenot is big, fast and experienced and is Sellers’ top downfield option. Fellow wide receiver Ja’Kyrin Griffin is among the faster players in the state. And a crop of versatile tight ends give Alexandria a unique edge in its ability to shift formations on the fly, giving Destrehan (1-1) plenty to plan for.
“They bring back a quarterback with experience,” said Destrehan head coach Marcus Scott. “They have some good kids on the offensive line returning and (Fontenot) is one of the better receivers in the state.
“(Fontenot) is a big, strong kid and a very good route-runner. They figure out ways to get it to him. He was a sophomore last year (with upperclassmen around him), but this year it seems like he’s emerged as the true alpha for them and one of the better players in the state at the position.”
Defensively, Griffin, Kerrick Gaines, Jaytun Terry and Jaquarian Frazier comprise a fast, talented secondary. Linebacker Xzavier Howard is among the leaders of the defense as a whole and extremely productive.
“Those linebackers are really active and really aggressive, and they’re aggressive on the perimeter as well in the secondary,” Scott said. “We think they have playmakers all over the defense.”
Between Sellers and Destrehan quarterback Jackson Fields, this game will see showcase two experienced passers.
“It’s like they say, when you have a quarterback, you always have a chance,” Scott said. “And I know Coach Bachman feels the same way. It’ll be up to the supporting cast members to make plays. They have a very good receiver. We feel like we’ve got the best overall playmaker in the state in Jabari (Mack). It’s a matter of who performs the best – who protects the football, blocks, tackles and executes. No matter how you slice it, it’s always going to come down to turnover margin, blocking and tackling.”
Scott pointed out that one thing that has made Alexandria so difficult to defend is the Trojans commit to playing two or even three tight ends throughout the game, and that those players are both strong blockers and players who can win individual matchups in the passing game – while Alexandria is a run-based offense, those tight ends often line up as wide receivers in a spread look.
“Two and three tight ends at a time is kind of throwback football,” Scott said. “But they do it out of a lot of spread looks. They can beat you in the passing game and they’re excellent blockers. The running game is so good and the play-action game they have complements it. They’ll throw it deep and then they have a really good screen game.
“They keep you off balance and they keep you busy.”
BREAKING OUT – Cameron Florent was a starter for Destrehan throughout last season in his sophomore year, and the Wildcats had high expectations for the now-junior outside linebacker.
He had a big night Friday against Bonnabel, tallying eight tackles with one for loss and notching five quarterback hurries.
“Cam’s got 16 starts under his belt now, so he’s one of the more experienced kids we have. We expect him to continue coming into his own this season … his athleticism and length stand out and helps him make plays. He’s like (Kolaj) Cobbins almost. He’s not as tall, but he’s who we’ve kind of envisioned to be that next guy similar Kolaj in terms of how he can rush the passer.”
