It’s been a long time since H.L. Bourgeois has posed a major challenge to Hahnville. The Braves program has struggled in recent years, going 2-8 last season including a 28-0 loss to Hahnville in Boutte.
But H.L. Bourgeois is, at minimum, a much-improved team in 2024. It is 3-1 thus far this season, already with more victories than in 2023 and as many wins as the Braves have had the past two years combined.
The Braves have won three in a row, including last week’s 42-0 win over Patterson at H.L. Bourgeois. Other wins came over Assumption and Central Catholic. 39-27 and 36-19, respectively. The team’s lone loss came in its opener, a 19-15 score to Ascension Catholic.
This is the third season at the helm of the Braves program for head coach Sterling Washington, and it appears things are headed up.
“I think Coach Washington is doing a really good job,” Hahnville head coach Greg Boyne said. “We watch them on film and they’re very well-coached. As we’re going through some of their plays, our guys running those for our defense to see – it’s very sound football. It’s simple football – they don’t do things outside of what they know they can do. They stick to the things they do well and they’re having success because of it.”
One of the primary threats Hahnville will need an answer for is Malik Myles, the Braves playmaking running back. Myles was the offensive key to his team’s win over Assumption, piling up 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Another is fellow running back Kadar Mitchell, who tallied over 156 total yards and a touchdown in the team’s opening night loss to Ascension Catholic.
“They’re run-oriented. They show some option … (Myles) is a big kid. He’s back from last year. They give him the ball, put him at quarterback sometimes, and they make sure he touches it,” Boyne said.
This is also a team that can hurt you on special teams through the return game.
“They also score a lot on special teams. They score a lot on returns,” Boyne said. “We’re focusing at practice on making sure we stay in our lanes and cover on kickoffs.”
Likewise, quarterback Conner Wallace had a nice day against Assumption as well, going 9-for-12 with 156 yards and two scoring passes.
Defensively, Bourgeois primarily runs from the 3-3 Stack.
“Mostly, they’re a zone coverage team – a lot of Cover 4, quarters coverage. Similar to their offense, they stick to what they do well and they let their guys make plays,” Boyne said.
Coming off of a big district opening win over Terrebonne, Boyne wants to see his team carry over its level of play.
“I thought we played well against E.D. White, but just too many mistakes to win the game. I thought we played better against Terrebonne and made the plays we needed to win. Now, we have to keep it going,” Boyne said.
The story of the night in the 51-32 victory was a monster night for Calvin Smith and the Hahnville rushing attack. Smith tallied 207 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, the final two of those big play backbreakers.
“We had to make a statement,” Smith said.
Coming off Hahnville’s first loss of the season at E.D. White, Smith said he didn’t think he played near his best last week and he was determined to make a big impact against Terrebonne.
“I had to come back and be better than ever, and show people what I’m about. And shout out to my offensive line – they’re the reason I can do what I can do,” Smith said.
That offensive line has continued to grow together over the first games of the season.
“We have six seniors (Cameron Sumrall, Brodie Donnaud, Kentavious Daniel-Black, Christopher Wilkinson and Khailan McLean) in that rotation. We added a 10th grader to the mix this week, Ja’Ron Myles, and he’ll get more time as we go forward. Any time you run for that many yards against a quality opponent, you’re getting good play up front and you’re getting good perimeter blocking. And that was probably the best our receivers have blocked this year so far.”
Smith, Boyne said, is a special talent, and an underappreciated one statewide.
“I’ll say it again: CJ Smith is the most underrated player in the state of Louisiana,” Boyne said. “I sent that film to as many schools as I felt needed to see it. He’s a special player and he’s a hard worker. The people he makes miss, the tackles he breaks – it’s special. He turns a 7 or 8-yard run into a 40 or 50-yard touchdown.”