“Paint the wall!” was the chant of Hahnville students in unison following their Tigers’ 49-0 home win over H.L. Bourgeois, imploring their players to update Tiger Stadium’s wall of district championships to reflect the 2017 crown they secured just moments before.
Hahnville (8-2, 6-0) put together a dominant effort in their regular season finale Friday night, earning the District 7-5A championship outright. It’s Hahnville’s first district championship since 2012.
Anthony Williams and Termon Nash each scored three touchdowns to lead Hahnville offensively. Jha’quan Jackson also added a rushing score to the total. Defensively, Hahnville recorded its second shutout in three games and allowed Bourgeois (1-9, 0-6) just one first down on the night.
“I mean, we came out here and had to get over a hump,” said Williams, a senior enjoying his first district title with Hahnville. “We got over the first one (winning district). But now it’s the playoffs. We’ve gotta take it as another season, one at a time. Keep fighting.”
Jackson, the team’s junior quarterback and a first-year starter, struggled at times early in the season, but said the faith of his coaches and teammates in his ability helped spur him on to a big second half of the season. He said he was proud to help lead his team back to the top of its district — and now hopes to do the same for a deep playoff run.
“No doubt we’re confident,” Jackson said. “But we’ve still gotta work for it. The way we’re playing, we feel like we’re in the driver’s seat. But we can’t let up.”
For Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio, the district championship represents a milestone for his tenure at the school, which began in 2014.
“It feels great,” Saltaformaggio said. “We got here four years ago and since then it’s been a lot of hard work. These kids stayed the course and they deserve it. They showed themselves to be the best in our district, and in not a lot of close games. These kids kept their focus through all of it, and it’s a compliment to those guys.”
The night saw yet another dominant rushing effort for Hahnville behind a dominant offensive line — one the team’s senior star rusher believes can pave the way for a playoff run.
“This offensive line, to me, is the best in the entire state,” Williams said. “When they play the way they have been, we’re gonna have success.”
Saltaformaggio said he didn’t know where the Tigers would be seeded when playoff pairings are officially announced Sunday – and that he didn’t really care all that much, either.
“Whereever we are, somebody’s gotta beat this team,” he said. “And that somebody better be really good, because we have a really good football team right here.”
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