Hahnville’s defense has played lights out football over the second half of the season, while Sam Houston has played in shootouts all season long.
Something has to give Friday night as the No. 26 seeded Broncos visit Tiger Stadium Friday night to take on No. 7 Hahnville in the opening round of the state playoffs. Whatever it is that does “give” will likely determine who continues their season into Round 2.
Since halftime of its Week 4 victory at Lutcher, Hahnville has shut out four opponents in the second half of games – and it made all the difference in two of those, a 13-12 win over East St. John and a 24-20 win over Thibodaux, both of which swing the other way with an opposing touchdown.
The Tigers (7-3) have allowed 18 points per game this season; over its past six games, that number drops to just 13 points per game.
“They won’t wow you with size or with speed, but this group plays very physical and they know their assignment,” said Hahnville head football coach Greg Boyne. “They know what they’re supposed to be doing and they play off of one another well.
“You’ve got (Brayden) Fontenot in the secondary who’s become a leader. The linebackers have collectively gotten better and better. Beaux Woods has really taken control up front. They’ve developed and grown and its what you have to have to win playoff games.”
Sam Houston enters with a 4-6 overall record. Like many dangerous lower seeded 5A teams over the years, the Broncos hail from a tough district – St. Thomas More, Acadiana, Barbe, Sulphur Lafayette and Southside among the ranks of District 3-5A.
And Boyne says to make no mistake about it – Sam Houston is one of those tough draws.
“That’s a good football team. They played East Ascension and Barbe, who are two of the top ranked teams in Division I non-select. They beat Acadiana and beat Southside, good football teams. It’s a tough draw for sure,” Boyne said. “They’ve been on that line, bouncing between 5A and 4A, and I know when they were in 4A, they made a few runs in the playoffs. They’re really good on special teams, really in all three phases.
This is a very talented team, including Notre Dame committed offensive guard Albert Simien and Penn State committed long snapper/tight end/athlete Clayton Powell.
Boyne said Sam Houston will put Simien on kickoff returns, a rarity for a player with the size he has at 6’3, 290 pounds.
“It gives you an idea right there of the kind of athlete he is,” said Boyne. “He moves well. He’s one of the best linemen in the country. He’s ranked as the No. 2 interior lineman nationally. He has offers from literally everywhere.”
Powell will play both tight end and fullback, and will also split out wide as Sam Houston hunts mismatches in both the pass and run game.
Brody Anderson leads the way at quarterback, and he’s an experienced passer. He transferred from Westlake, where he started for three seasons.
Parker Smith and Ian Meche are among the standouts on defense, both manning the middle of the field at linebacker.
“Defensively, they’re huge,” said Boyne. “Across the board, they’ve got good size. They don’t make it complicated on defense. They let the kids play, they do what they do and they’re well-coached.”
