It wasn’t Friday night and it lined up against the NFL, but Destrehan nonetheless drew a strong crowd Sunday afternoon as earned its first victory of the season against Bonnabel.
That game was pushed back due to Hurricane Francine, and so there wasn’t much time for the Wildcats to celebrate the win. On Monday, it was back to work in preparation for a long road trip and a tough matchup against one of the state’s most explosive teams: the Alexandria Trojans.
Alexandria (2-0) dominated its first two matchups of the season, beating West Feliciana 44-7 and Union Parish 41-12. The Trojans were a Division I Select quarterfinalist and finished 8-5 last season. Alexandria bowed out of the playoffs after a tough battle with Karr, which took a 40-34 shootout victory last November.
The Trojans racked up a ton of points last season; running back J.T. Lindsey was among the reasons why. Lindsey is a speedy runner who figures to again be one of the more productive players in the state.
The offense is loaded, and it boasts strength to go with its speed. That’s personified by standout guard Jakobi Morris, who stands at 6’3 and 310 pounds.
“They’re very good offensively,” said Destrehan head coach Marcus Scott. “They’re good on defense and they’re sound in the kicking game. They’ve got skill players who can hurt us and they play fast on offense. All of that presents a challenge for us.”
Lindsey rushed for more than 1,700 yards and scored 26 touchdowns last season. Destrehan must limit his chances to make explosive plays, but as his production would indicate, that’s easier said than done.
“He has the ability to carry the ball 20-plus times if necessary. He has great vision and balance, and he catches the ball very well out of the backfield. He’s really a complete player,” said Scott.
Vaughn Darbon is another dangerous rusher for Alexandria.
Darius Washington is a top threat at wide receiver for the Trojans along with Jimmie Duncan and Alex Fontenot.
Two quarterbacks see action regularly for Alexandria, Max Gassiott and Karson Sellers.
“One is more of a runner, one is more of a passer, but they’re both capable of hurting us,” Scott said.
Scott said Destrehan (1-1) will have to stay sound defensively and limit explosive plays as much as possible. That can be tricky, because Alexandria makes teams cover a lot of ground.
“They have great size up front and they maintain a balanced attack. They throw it downfield, and they have a great screen game as well,” Scott said.
That’s something Scott credits the Alexandria defense for being quite good at. The Trojans are active up front and pursue the ball well across the defense, and keep opposing offenses from generating many big plays.
This will be something of a showcase battle of future LSU Tigers: Lindsey is an LSU commitment, as are Destrehan safety Jhase Thomas and wide receiver Phillip Wright IV.
