Hahnville has earned a home playoff game after putting the finishing touches on a 27-7 victory at home against Terrebonne on Friday night.
HHS (6-4, 4-2) took a 14-7 lead on a Calvin Smith touchdown run midway through the third quarter, and that seemed to spark Hahnville as it rolled from there. HHS added a 5-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Gregson to Titus White and a 27-yard touchdown run by Chase Brooks to close things out.
Terrebonne finishes the season 3-7 overall with a District 7-5A mark of 2-4.
Hahnville head coach Daniel Luquet said he was a bit disappointed with how the team started off, but was proud of how the team responded in the second half.
“We missed four big plays in the first half,” Luquet said. “They came out with more energy, a little more fire than we did and kudos to them. I thought we had a really good week of practice and with everything we’re fighting for right now, I thought we’d come out a little better than we did.
“We got in the locker room, we regrouped and talked about the task at hand – I thought we came out with more energy and focus in the second half. There was a change in physicality … our guys did a good job finishing it. We’ve got to make sure, though, that we play four good quarters.”
Hahnville sat right on the inside border of hosting a first-round game, which requires a top 16 seed. HHS was ranked 16th in Division I power points prior to Friday’s game.
At the time, Luquet was not eager to offer any predictions on where the team will fall – and for good reason.
“After what happened last year with De La Salle (DLS forfeitures that dropped Hahnville’s seeding into the bottom 16), I’m not saying anything until I see Hahnville up there as one of the top 16,” Luquet said. “We’ve had some teams that we needed to win who won, and some teams we thought would win that didn’t. Fingers crossed … this team deserves a home game, this senior group deserves it after having been through so much, and this great community deserves it.”
But when the bracket was released Saturday, Hahnville indeed was in the No. 16 spot, set to host No. 17 Ouachita Parish on Friday night.
One of the night’s stars was White, who hauled in two scores from Gregson, the first on a long pass that opened the scoring for Hahnville.
White said the team heard their coach loud and clear at halftime.
“He reminded us what we were playing for,” said the junior. “We want our seniors to have that home game.”
White grinned when reminded that Luquet likes to call him the team’s Swiss army knife for his versatility and ability to fill numerous key roles. White has played quarterback – both traditional and Wildcat – his usual role at wide receiver, lines up in the backfield as a running back and has gone over to the defensive side when needed.
“I really just want to win,” White said. “Wherever my team needs me.”
Hahnville led 21-7 with just over four minutes left. Facing a third-and-5, Chase Morales shot into the backfield and recorded a sack to force a punt. HHS bled most of the remaining clock, with Brooks scoring on a fourth down draw call with a minute left to put the exclamation point on the win.
Terrebonne head coach Tyler Lewis is in his first year as THS head coach, and though the former West St. John star player and once-assistant coach at St. James and Hahnville had coached against East St. John and Destrehan thus far this season, Friday night’s game was his first chance to coach his team back home in the River Parishes for a game.
“Having my kids experience what a football atmosphere looks like here, from the fans to the bands to everything along with it … we didn’t come out with the victory, but it still feels good coming back home,” Lewis said. “Our guys are young. We’re gonna keep pushing and we’re gonna keep fighting, and I’m proud of the way our team fought tonight.”
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