After falling just short of upending archrival Destrehan last week, the challenge for Hahnville this week is put that game in the rearview mirror and get ready for its next opponent. In the case of St. Thomas More, the Cougars bring a very recent cautionary tale along with them. Last season, the Tigers traveled to Lafayette to face St. Thomas More following the Destrehan game, and the Cougars dominated en route to a 52-12 final, a game Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio said was the most lopsided defeat he had suffered in his head coaching career.
This time, the action takes place at Hahnville. Saltaformaggio said he believes his team will be ready —while also adding they will have to be.
“They need to have our full attention. I don’t think that was the case last year and they put a serious number on us,” Saltaformaggio said. “You only get so many opportunities to get that signature win each season. We’re playing against a team that embarrassed us last year. I don’t like to say we’re going out there for revenge or anything like that, because that’s not what football is about. But this is a chance for us to get some pride back after what happened a year ago.
“Most importantly,” he adds, “it’s a chance to stop a two-game losing streak.”
Shaking off any kind of Destrehan hangover, he believes, will be less of an issue given the way the Tigers played last week. While Destrehan controlled the 2015 game between the teams, this season’s down-to-the-wire classic has only served to lift his team’s confidence, Saltaformaggio said.
St. Thomas More is 2-2 so far this season, the team’s two wins coming against Byrd and Plaquemine and its losses each against unbeaten teams in Sulphur and Catholic-Baton Rouge.
The Cougars fell to Catholic last week by a 23-12 score despite 307 passing yards by St. Thomas More senior quarterback Nate Cox. The hosting Cougars trailed by four early in the fourth quarter of that game before a Catholic touchdown pass on a screen play all but sealed the victory.
Standing at 6’7, Cox powers the STM passing game and Saltaformaggio said containing that explosive attack will be the order of the day for Hahnville.
“He’s not as mobile as their quarterback from last season, but he’s very good,” Saltaformaggio said. “St. Thomas More has an outstanding passing game. They didn’t have their best receiver last week and they still passed it all over. They’re very similar to Jesuit in terms of what they do. Their routes are intricate and precise. Rarely, rarely do they drop a ball. Pick routes, rub routes … they’re going to have guys open. We have to do a much better job of tackling after they catch the ball, because we really didn’t on Friday night.”
Hahnville is battling injury. The Tigers were down a few key players to start the week after what was a physically taxing battle with Destrehan. Running backs Anthony Williams and Devonte Clark both missed practice earlier this week, Clark with a shoulder sprain and Williams with an injured shin. And starting guard Ben Hargrave was lost for the season with a fracture in his back. The status for each of the two runners is up in the air for this Friday night.
It could lead to more action for Cade Miguez, who has run well in spot action behind those rushers. Miguez scored a pivotal touchdown against Destrehan and Saltaformaggio praised his effort from the game.
No matter who carries the ball, the coach said his team will have to be ready to face a tough, disciplined front.
“Their defense is very physical, very strong,” Saltaformaggio said. “They’re each going to be in the exact spot they need to be to be successful.”
Saltaformaggio has long spoke of this three game stretch and the importance of winning even one game — last season, the Riverside-Destrehan-St. Thomas More trio added up to three losses for Hahnville, and a loss this Friday would mark a repeat of that. A victory, conversely, could give the team the inside track to a strong postseason seeding.
Win or lose, though, Saltaformaggio notes he schedules these games for a reason, and his results have backed that up. After tough non-district slates early in both of his first two seasons with the Tigers, Hahnville launched second half winning streaks and made runs to the state quarterfinals.
“I keep telling our guys, there’s a lot of football left to play. This is just Week 5,” Saltaformaggio said. “The season was never going to start or end with that Destrehan game. To be a good football team, you have to play against them. And if you look at the runs we’ve had to end the season, it’s a direct result of playing the kind of teams we’re playing now.”
Be the first to comment