- 1968. 1972. 1975. 1978. 1983. 1992. 1994. 2003 – times two. 2006. 2008. 2015. 2016.
Those 13 years equated to 14 state championships between Lutcher and Hahnville, including a 2003 that saw both schools win in their respective classifications. These are two of Louisiana’s most storied programs, and they square off at the Dog Yard on Friday night as Lutcher hosts Hahnville in a battle of River Parish – and state – powers.
The competitors don’t share a district – this week each has a bye in their respective leagues. That made this game a natural fit for both teams, said Hahnville head coach Daniel Luquet.
“Coach (Dwain) Jenkins and I have been friends for a long time,” said Luquet. “We’ve played one another when I was (head coach) at Woodlawn. We both had mid-district byes and we each wanted a playoff type of game, a playoff atmosphere before the final part of the season, so this worked out.”
Lutcher reached the Class 3A quarterfinal round last season and entered 2022 with high expectations under head coach Dwain Jenkins. The Bulldogs have indeed proven tough to beat, with just one loss thus far this season – a 21-20 loss to defending Division III state champion St. Charles Catholic.
Otherwise, Lutcher has been dominant, with wins of 26, 31, 35, 56 and 35 points en route to a 5-1 overall record.
Leading the Bulldogs’ offense is quarterback D’Wanye Winfield, both a threat to pass and run – he’s already pushed past the 1,000-yard mark both as a passer and on the ground, with 1,035 yards as a rusher and 1,095 as a passer. He’s also accounted for 34 total touchdowns thus far, with 18 on the ground and 14 through the air.
“We have to stop him from running the football,” said Luquet. “He’s really become a better passer this year, but so much of what they do throwing the football is based on how much damage they do in the running game. Teams have to load the box. He’s a big, physical kid and you’ve got to gang-tackle him. And when you do that, he can make the throws, he’ll have one-on-one matchups on the outside and the guys who can convert on those. We’ll have to be really sound up front and on the back end.”
The offensive line is anchored by 6’2, 310-pound Donovan Arbuthnot. He and his teammates pave the way for Winfield and running back Trenton Chaney to produce.
Tylin Johnson is a dangerous threat at wide receiver, a 6’2, 180-pound pass-catcher who will put pressure on the Hahnville secondary.
(Chaney) is really, really good. Their receivers are all guys who can make plays,” Luquet said. “They’ll get into some heavy packages. Double tight, try to create gaps and running lanes for those guys.”
Defensively, Brock Louque is a playmaker at safety. Louque leaves his calling card on the field game in and game out as a hard-hitting defender. Lutcher’s linebackers are experienced, including junior Kai Brown and Colin Roques. Dale Smith is long and rangy at end.
“(Louque) isn’t afraid to come up and make the tackle,” said Luquet. “He’s a physical kid, a prototypical Lutcher player. He doesn’t jump out at you in size or stature, but he is a flat out football player … I really like their front three. (Smith) is big and physical. He really stands out on tape.”
Blast from the past: It’s been over a decade since Hahnville and Lutcher have faced off with one another, the last matchup coming in 2010.
That year, Coach Tim Detillier’s Bulldogs earned a 42-28 victory over Coach Lou Valdin’s Tigers.
It was a back and forth shootout, with Lutcher running back Daniel Taylor emerging the night’s star, with a pair of touchdown passes to his name. Jarvis Landry forced a fumble on a Hahnville interception return for one of the night’s pivotal plays, ultimately scoring on the play.
Hahnville lost quarterback Brian Ensminger for most of the second half, after the passer pitched a touchdown pass to Desvon Joseph early in the game. Hahnville running back Ahmad White picked up the slack and kept his team in the game, scoring a pair of touchdowns to push forward a Hahnville rally that ultimately fell just short.
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