Hahnville quarterback Mike Neal scrambled, desperately buying time as the halftime horn sounded, voices from the sideline imploring him to throw the ball. But Neal waited, waited and waited, buying time with his legs until the last possible second for an opportunity—and his patience paid off.
Hahnville quarterback Mike Neal scrambled, desperately buying time as the halftime horn sounded, voices from the sideline imploring him to throw the ball. But Neal waited, waited and waited, buying time with his legs until the last possible second for an opportunity—and his patience paid off.
Gator defenders closed in, but Neal got off a pass to a wide open Devante Cravin, who ran it in for a 25-yard touchdown and cut a 13-point St. Amant lead to six at the half. It jumpstarted the host Tigers en route to a 55-33 victory and a second consecutive trip to the Class 5A quarterfinals.
“That was the play of our season, no doubt about it,” Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio said. “That was a whale of a throw. I don’t think people can fully appreciate how difficult a throw that was to make. Mike showed right there why he’s special. It’s why our season turned around, because he’s been making plays like that.
“He’s a true competitor. He’s a winner.”
No. 7 seed Hahnville (9-3) will travel to face No. 2 Zachary (11-1) next week. Zachary defeated No. 18 Dutchtown, 35-14.
Neal accounted for five total touchdowns and the night’s most impressive play, but Anthony Williams garnered the most impressive stat line. The Tigers’ sophomore scored two touchdowns while totaling 361 offensive yards and 438 all-purpose yards: he rushed for 201 yards on 10 carries to go along with 160 receiving yards and a 77-yard kickoff return.
Williams has generated over 700 all-purpose yards over the first two weeks of the postseason.
“I’ve never seen anything like him, in all my years,” Saltaformaggio said. “As a sophomore, I mean … he’s the best football player in the area. There’s no doubt in my mind. In the second half, we put the ball in his hands. It’s about players, not plays, I like to say.”
St. Amant (9-3) led 27-21 at halftime, but the Tigers tied things up on the very first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, when Williams lined up in the Wildcat and rushed for a 75-yard touchdown to tie the game — St. Amant blocked the extra point to keep it knotted up.
“We weren’t run blocking very effectively in the first half. Putting Anthony in the Wildcat gave us another blocker,” Saltaformaggio said.
The Gators took a 30-27 lead following a field goal, but Neal capped Hahnville’s next drive with a touchdown pass to Dylan Crockett to give Hahnville a 34-30 lead.
Neal rushed for his second touchdown of the night to push the Tigers’ lead to 41-30.
St. Amant made it a one-score game with another field goal, but it was the Gators’ last score of the night. Williams all but put the game away with his second scoring run of the half, this one also out of the Wildcat from 55 yards away. Devonte Clark added a late touchdown run to wrap up the Tigers’ scoring.
Hahnville began the game with a Neal to Cravin touchdown pass on Hahnville’s second play, but St. Amant controlled most of the first half thereafter. Hayden Mallory and Bourgeois Briggs highlighted a passing attack that saw the Gators attack the middle of the field via the short passing game. Mallory connected with Briggs and Larson Fontenot for first half touchdown passes, while Mark Darby ran for another.
St. Amant held leads of 17-7 and 27-14 in the first half.
With the Tigers’ offense struggling in the second quarter, Neal picked up a key third and 10 conversion via a 15-yard run, helping lead to his own 2-yard touchdown run to make it 17-14.
The Tigers outscored St. Amant 34-6 in the second half.
Click here for a link to our photo gallery of tonight’s game.
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