Coach Nick Saltaformaggio said Hahnville wasn’t trying to send a message, but the Tigers racked up the most points they have all season in a single game, defeating Natchitoches 61-14 to start the Class 5A playoffs last week.
Now the Tigers hope that offensive output continues in the second round when they travel to face No. 5 Haughton.
“We’ve just been scoring a lot of points,” Saltaformaggio said of a team that has averaged more than 42 points per game throughout the season.
Seven of the Tigers’ nine touchdowns against Haughton came on the ground. The others came on defense and special teams.Saltaformaggio credits the resurgence of the running game to the presence of quarterback Mike Neal. Though inconsistent through the air, Neal has made a major impact on the ground, using his feet to score touchdowns and move the chains since returning from injury three weeks ago.
“We’re a triple option football team again,” Saltaformaggio said.
But it’s the defense that continues to shine for the Tigers. For the third game in a row, the Hahnville defensive line contributed to the scoreboard when Travon Honor scooped up a Chiefs fumble in the end zone.
Though the season is not yet over for the Tigers, Saltaformaggio gloats about the young talent on his roster, which only has three seniors starting on the offensive side of the ball.
“Hahnville football is going to be really, really tough to handle,” Saltaformaggio said. “It’s not about having talent in Hahnville, it’s about how we blend in the locker room, how we blend in the coaches’ office.”
Those young players will need to excel on Friday when the Tigers take a five-hour bus ride to face Haughton. Saltaformaggio plans to leave with the team at 9 a.m. and arrive on site around 3 p.m. in order to keep the routine as close to normal as possible.
“This is part of being a good high school team,” Saltaformaggio said. “You have to take all that in and say [the travel is] part of being a really good football team and, you know, it’s better than staying at home.”
Saltaformaggio said his team has to prepare to travel well if they want to make it to the Superdome.
“Winning a state championship in football is the hardest thing to do,” Saltaformaggio said. “In track, you’re only going up to LSU—in football, we gotta travel five hours to Haughton.”
In addition to the drive, Saltaformaggio said the journey also puts the team on a grass field for only their third time this season.
The Tigers face a Haughton team ranked fifth in the power rankings. Haughton ended their regular season with only two losses, and dispatched Ouachita in the first round 34-19.
In addition to what Saltaformaggio calls an offense with three “very, very talented receivers,” the Tigers’ coach also worries about the strength of the Buccaneers offensive line, bolstered by Jamarcea Banks. The Haughton line allowed quarterback Will Haines to rush for two touchdowns against Ouachita.
Haughton also scored three long touchdowns through the air on passes of 22, 20 and 51 yards split between receivers Antonio Woodfork and Javonte Woodward.
Though the cold weather should abate in time for the match up, Saltaformaggio said he’s more worried about the possibility of rain for the second round playoff game.
“The cold weather only affects the guys on the sidelines,” Saltaformaggio laughs. “You know, us big fat coaches and those kinds of guys.”
The Tigers will face Haughton this Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
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