When Hahnville and East St. John get together, all bets are off.
The Tigers and Wildcats have played some of the most memorable games one might ever find on the prep landscape. Who could forget the 2005 season, where the teams squared off three times in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — two of those coming down to final play Hail Mary passes? Or the six overtime game between the teams in 2007?
The stakes are usually high in this game, and this year is no exception as the teams prepare to face off Friday night at ESJ. With a victory, Hahnville (5-2, 3-0) can remain alone in first place in District 7-5A and move one win away from clinching at least a share of the district crown and two away from an outright title. For East St. John (4-3, 3-1), a win could create a three-way tie in first place (potentially including Destrehan) and put ESJ in line to secure its own share of the district championship.
It also represents a second chance for ESJ to earn a win over a longtime rival, after victory escaped their hands in a 35-34 overtime loss at Destrehan.
“We’re in for a challenge Friday night,” Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio said. “We’re going there, and it’s a hostile place to play. They know if they beat us, they’re in line to share the district championship. So this is a team that’s hungry for sure.”
While Saltaformaggio is certainly eying an outright district title for his team, the short term gain of a victory over ESJ is more imprinted on his mind at the moment. Hahnville could potentially make a significant jump in power points with a victory over a quality ESJ team. The Tigers entered the week ranked 11th — if the playoffs began today, Hahnville’s opponent would, ironically, be East St. John, Saltaformaggio noted.
“This is a chance for us to potentially move up three, four or even five slots,” Saltaformaggio said. “Between that win and what some of the teams we’ve played can do this week … but we have to take care of ourselves, first.”
To slow East St. John means to slow the team’s prolific passer, Dasmain “Duke” Crosby. Against Destrehan two weeks ago, Crosby led his team to a near upset, making plays with both his arm and legs. He completed 15 of 36 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for 95 yards and another score.
“They have a lot of athletes, but everything goes through Crosby,” Saltaformaggio said. “He’s a little different than the guys we’ve been playing against who make plays with their feet. Crosby wants to throw the ball. Even when he’s pressured, he wants to throw the ball. We have to maintain really good defensive leverage.
“It comes down to our coverage. We can’t let people run by us, keep plays alive and give up the big ball.”
Saltaformaggio said as importantly as anything his team does defensively to slow East St. John will be his offense’s ability to keep Crosby and the ESJ offense sidelined.
“For us, the biggest key is always whether our offensive line can control the game,” Saltaformaggio said of what’s been a dominating unit this season. “If so, we’re going to be ok.”
Saltaformaggio is 3-0 thus far against the Wildcats, but to get to 4-0, he says several of the Tiger standouts must make impacts, including quarterback Jha’Quan Jackson, running backs Anthony Williams and Daryle Evans and defensive lineman Lyncoy Reynaud and Adonis Friloux.
“In a big game, your big players have to play well,” Saltaformaggio said.
Be the first to comment