Hahnville won’t officially know who its opening round playoff opponent will be until Sunday, but the Tigers do know this: it’ll be at Tiger Stadium.
HHS (7-2) defeated visiting Lakeshore Thursday night, 28-14, behind a second half performance that saw the Tigers outscore the Titans 14-0 after halftime.
This game was played Thursday night, moved up from a scheduled Friday matchup due to potential inclement weather.
Landen Teague passed for two touchdowns while Calvin Smith punched in two scores on the ground in a Tigers’ win that came over a 7-3 Lakeshore team that entered the week as the No. 8 power ranked team in Division II non-select.
Hahnville head coach Greg Boyne said during the week that it was likely his Tigers would have to make the most of their offensive possessions – the Wing-T offense of Lakeshore was well-executed and the run-heavy attack effectively shortens games. The Tigers had five possessions Thursday night – excluding the final kneel down – scored on four and did not punt, with a lost fumble the lone blemish.
Just as importantly, Hahnville’s defense did not allow Lakeshore to get loose for any big plays, and the Tigers stopped the Titans on fourth down four different times.
Earning a home playoff game was a goal set by the Hahnville seniors before the season, following a 2023 season that saw HHS miss the postseason entirely for the first time in more than two decades.
“It’s a major accomplishment for us,” said Xavier Champagne, who made a tackle for loss to secure one of those fourth down stops. “All of the seniors have been working hard, long hours and this is something we wanted … we had to go over our gameplan again (in the second half), communicate, know our assignments and just execute.”
Boyne said he felt there was some sluggishness in the first half – and that it was addressed at halftime.
“I might have got on the defense a little at halftime,” Boyne said with a wry smile. “I gave them a little bit of a motivational speech. We were just lethargic. You could see it in pregame … not sure if it’s the 90-degree heat in the middle of November or playing on a Thursday, but we felt flat in pregame … defensively, it was an unbelievable second half. The adjustments Coach (Malter) Scobel made (were impactful), and I think a lot of it was just reminding guys to play your assignment.”
With the score tied 14-14 entering the second half, Smith took the first play of the third quarter for a big gain into Lakeshore territory.
That set up his own 9-yard touchdown run that put the Tigers ahead less than 90 seconds into the half, 21-14.
Lakeshore began moving the ball down the field but Hahnville got the offense into a fourth down situation with four minutes left in the third quarter and held firm, forcing the turnover on downs close to midfield.
Hahnville immediately made the Titans pay for that when Teague fired over the top to an open Lance Marshall for a 31-yard touchdown making it 28-14.
Again, Lakeshore drove into Hahnville territory, but again the Tigers got the Titans to fourth down. This time, Raanan Russ shot into the backfield and made a tackle for loss to force another turnover on downs.
Hahnville seemed well on its way to putting the game away completely, but a big hit by the Lakeshore defense jarred the ball loose for a fumble, giving the Titans another chance to cut into the lead.
But the nature of the Titans’ run-first attack was not conducive to a rally. Lakeshore did drive the ball into the Hahnville red zone, but it took most of the remaining seven minutes to do so. Once Lakeshore was forced into passing the ball with under a minute left, Hahnville made the stop and sealed the win.
Lakeshore’s Oudrey Gros scored twice in the first half. Smith scored Hahnville’s first touchdown while Teague connected with Aaron Williams for the Tigers’ second.
Hahnville’s efficient offensive night came without the services of one of its top playmakers. Tigers’ leading wide receiver Kobe Louis missed the game due to injury, though Boyne said Louis should be good to go for next week.
“We knew we needed to run the football. I thought we had a good mix of run and pass,” Boyne said.
Bennett Naquin mixed in at quarterback, as well as several other positions – on kick return team, as a running back and as a receiver – and Boyne said he gave the Tigers a spark.
“I thought (Teague and Naquin) handled it well,” said Boyne. “A lot of times, going back and forth like they did, it’s not easy for quarterbacks. They both did their job and I’m proud of both of them.”
He told his team to enjoy the win – and the accomplishment of sealing a home game with it – but stressed a key point: that the Tigers aren’t through.
“Everybody’s 0-0 now, it’s win or go home. So, you can forget all that we’ve done – all that matters is whoever we play next week,” Boyne said.
