It’ll be a River Parishes throwdown at Tiger Stadium for a special Thursday night kickoff as Lutcher visits Hahnville.
Lutcher is the defending Division II non-select state champion, after earning the ninth state crown in school history in December.
And although 4A Offensive Player of the Year D’Wanye Winfield is now no longer taking snaps at quarterback – and gone with him are the 70 touchdowns he accounted for last season – Lutcher has put together a strong encore so far in 2023, starting 4-1 overall with each win coming by multiple touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ lone loss came at the hands of another defending state champion, St. Charles Catholic, 16-14 in the season’s second week.
Two players with different skillsets see time at quarterback for Lutcher. Junior quarterback Zach Jenkins is the son of LHS head coach Dwain Jenkins, combining with senior Quinn Smith to form a strong duo.
“They’re both baseball kids as well … (Jenkins) is a tough-nosed kid with moxie. (Smith) has a cannon and can really throw it,” said Hahnville head coach Daniel Luquet.
But the offensive key is wide receiver Trenton Chaney, a junior playmaker who Lutcher shifts around the formation to find adventageous matchups – and when Chaney has a mismatch, he makes his touches count.
“He’s a really good runner after the catch, a strong kid,” said Luquet. “They do a good job getting him matched up with linebackers, safeties, and that makes him even more explosive.”
Because of that, a primary focus for the Tigers defensively will be to stay hyper aware of what formations Lutcher operates from on down to down and of where Chaney is at all times.
“If we don’t, he’s going to have a game on us,” Luquet said. “Our recognition has to be there.”
Defensively, Luquet had very high praise for the Lutcher front, which he said will be the best Hahnville has seen besides Destrehan.
“They’re really good in the box – they’ll play both a 3 and a 4-man front,” said Luquet.
Junior defensive end Reshad Sterling is a University of Texas commitment. In the secondary, senior cornerback Jamari Taylor is another Bulldogs star.
“We’ve got to be physical,” Luquet said. “We need to spread them out and get our playmakers the ball in space, get Chase (Brooks) and Kobe (Louis) involved early, but we can’t lose our identity in the process. We’ll use the run to open up the pass.”
FALLOUT FROM FRIDAY – The Tigers dealt with a scary situation last week when their game at Thibodaux was called off in the third quarter after gunshots were heard near the stadium.
All parties were safe following the incident, the most important detail.
Football wise, however, the situation changed some things for the Tigers. Hahnville will now finish with just nine games, as the Thibodaux game will not be resumed nor completed, thus going down as a no contest. The Tigers led 20-12 before the stoppage.
The good news for Hahnville is that power points earned from a win are not cumulative; losing a game will not ultimately disqualify the Tigers, nor anyone else, from the postseason. The team’s points earned from each game will simple be divided by nine, and not 10 at season’s end.
But it does put additional importance on the team’s remaining games, including this week against Lutcher.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened,” Luquet said. “It’s a chance at a win taken away. But ultimately, the goal was to make sure everybody was brought back safe to their parents.
“You just wipe it off the board – (the Thibodaux game) doesn’t hurt us, doesn’t help us. We’ll just move on and do what we do, focus on winning the week.”
TAKING THE NEXT STEP – In the two-plus quarters the Tigers did get in on Friday, Tight end Azur Karahasanovic had what Luquet believes was a performance to build off of. Karahasanovic moved from the defensive side of the ball to offense for this season and has been learning the game at tight end. For a Tigers team that wants to establish physical dominance up front, he plays a critical role.
“This was the first time I felt he really played with that physicality that we moved him over to bring to the offense,” Luquet said. “He’s been a defensive guy his whole life and he’s learning some things on the offensive side, trying to get comfortable in a new role. You can see it starting to click. Friday was the type of game he needed to get more confidence and it’s something to build on.”
DEFENSIVE FORCE – Chase Morales was a returning starter when the 2023 campaign began for the Tigers, but he’s taken a major step forward. The senior linebacker has made an impact in every game this season and Luquet said he’s a leader the team knows it can count on.
“He’s been incredible,” said Luquet. “Sometimes it feels like he’s making every tackle or that he’s in on every tackle. He’s tough, he’s fast and he plays the game like you’re supposed to play the game.”
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