For Destrehan head football coach Marcus Scott, West Jefferson will always be a special place.
Scott guided the Buccaneers program from 2008 to 2013 – and to six consecutive postseason appearances and two district titles. It was the first head coaching job for Scott, who spent much of the early part of his coaching career on the west bank of the New Orleans area, going to on be head football coach at John Ehret before ultimately arriving at Destrehan.
Friday night will be the first time Scott has guided Destrehan against the Buccaneers since he began his DHS tenure in 2020. Prior to that, he faced West Jefferson annually in district play during his time at John Ehret. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Destrehan.
“I have a lot of fond memories there,” Scott said. “Coach (Greg) Boyne was my offensive coordinator … I had four guys from that original staff here with me when we won the state championship.”
The fondest of those memories came the year of his first district championship at West Jefferson.
“Back then, you had to go through John Ehret and Higgins,” said Scott. “And Ehret had a team, especially, that was really loaded. They had all of the kids back from the semifinal team the year before. And we end up stopping them on 4th and 3 to win the game as they were driving. The next week we were down 16-0 to Higgins, and came back and won the game. We weren’t supposed to win the district championship, but we had a great group of kids and coaches. That was unbelievable.”
West Jefferson enters its third game under first year WJHS coach Frank Daggs. The Buccaneers went 2-7 last season.
Daggs was head coach at McDonogh No. 35 and defensive coordinator at East St. John before accepting the job as WJHS. It’s a retooling program under Daggs, one that has looked to test itself against some of the state’s best teams in its early season schedule. West Jefferson fell to Shaw last week, 35-0, entering this clash with a strong Fighting Wildcats squad. In Week 1, the Buccaneers fell to Central Lafourche, 37-14.
Offensively, West Jefferson has seen quarterback Curnel Cole and wide receiver Bosley Dodge produce this season – they connected for a pair of touchdowns in the season opener.
“(Cole) is mobile and can move around, and make some plays downfield. It’s a matter of trying to contain him,” said Scott.
West Jefferson usually operates from the spread. Scott said the Buccaneers traditionally have good talent at the skill positions, and this year’s team is no different.
Defensively, it’s a group that plays well together, Scott said.
ON THE NOSE – Nose guard Brandon Ross played extensively last season, but this is his first year as a full-time starter for Destrehan. And Ross has made a difference, bringing size and strength at 6’0 and 270 pounds.
“He’s been a steady performer for us,” said Scott. “The man in the middle is who we count on to battle double teams and make other people’s jobs a little easier. He’s done a good job there at nose guard.”
