Hot start, big night from rusher keys Terrebonne win over Destrehan

A'ushai Smith of Destrehan (Photo by Ellis Alexander)

Alvin Celestin’s three-touchdown night helped lift Terrebonne to a 30-21 victory over visiting Destrehan Friday night, sending the Wildcats to their third loss of the season.

Terrebonne (4-1, 1-1) is now 3-1 over River Parishes opponents this season, with victories over Riverside and St. James to go with the win over Destrehan.

The Wildcats (2-3, 1-1) fell behind early on Friday night as Terrebonne took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and a 24-7 lead into halftime. The last touchdown in the first half was perhaps the most damaging, the Tigers dialed up a deep pass from Owen Oliver to Carl Anderson for a 39-yard touchdown that gave Terrebonne all of the momentum into the break.

Celestin opened up the scoring for Terrebonne with a touchdown run in the first quarter to make it 7-0. A field goal by the Tigers’ Brennan McCormick near the end of the quarter pushed the lead to 10-0.

Destrehan answered with a touchdown run by Malachi Dabney in the second quarter from 3 yards out. But Celestin’s 40-yard touchdown run a short time later pushed the lead back to 10, 17-7. Oliver and Anderson’s scoring connection as time expiered in the half made it 24-7.

Destrehan cut the lead again with a Tony Crump touchdown run. A’ushai Smith’s 8-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter pulled Destrehan within striking distance, the Wildcats down by just three, 24-21.

But Celestin proved to be a finisher. He broke loose from 46 yards out to give Terrebonne a 9-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, and the Wildcats did not have an answer the rest of the way.

For Destrehan, this was the team’s first District 8-5A loss since 2019, and the first of the Marcus Scott era.

The team has been pushing through a string of early season injuries at key positions – Friday’s game saw quarterback Jackson Fields, running back Shane Ward and safety Jhase Thomas all sidelined again. The Wildcats have been competitive in each of their losses, but that loss of firepower has shown up down the stretch at times.

“Terrebonne deserves a lot of credit – they executed when they needed to, and they deserved to win tonight,” Scott said.

The Tigers have excelled in the running game in their biggest wins, and Friday was no exception with Celestin leading a talented backfield, running behind a sizeable offensive line.

“They ran the ball well … Celestin really did a good job, both backs did really. They did a good job moving the chains and breaking tackles … the last play of the half, giving up a score, that’s a backbreaker. Once you put yourself in that hole, it’s hard to overcome. We have a lot to learn from and a lot to improve upon.”

That end of half play, Scott said, came down to a breakdown in coverage.

“(Terrebonne) did a good job. We didn’t execute our coverage properly, and that’s what happens. I take full responsibility for that – for not having us ready to go tonight,” Scott said. “We’re going through a little adversity right now as a team. We can’t make excuses – we need to plug in the next guy and move forward. We need to be able to get better and cut down on some miscues. And I’m confident that we will get better.”

 

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