The Hahnville Tigers didn’t dwell too long on their double-overtime, 31-24 loss to rival Destrehan. Instead, they bullied East Ascension last week, scoring at will offensively while shutting down the Spartans on defense for a 41-6 victory.
The win stretched the Tigers season record to 6-1 and gave them their first district win of the season.
“I thought we played well,” Hahnville head coach Lou Valdin said. “We are getting better every week.”
Now, the Tigers will need to see a little extra improvement this week if they hope to move to 2-1 in district play with a win over Dutchtown. That might be easier said than done.
“Dutchtown is very big, very physical, and they have a gigantic offensive line,” Valdin said. “They have the two best tailbacks in the state. Both of them will be playing on Sundays- that’s how good they are.”
Valdin is talking about junior running backs Eddie Lacy and Kelvin York. Last year, as sophomores, Lacy rushed for 1,207 yards while York gained 1,194 yards.
Lacy scored 19 touchdowns and York had 17.
Both players are receiving interest from the top college programs in the state and have helped lead the Griffins to a 5-2 season record that includes wins over Assumption, Bourgeois, Broadmoor, West Jefferson, and East Ascension. Their two losses have come to Catholic and East St. John.
In order for Hahnville to find success Friday night, they must make sure both Lacy and York are constantly reminded just what is waiting for them in front of that offensive line.
“We need to get on the ground, hit them in the backfield, gang tackle, and make them throw the ball,” Valdin said.
There is no doubt that the duo will test the Hahnville defensive front, but the Tigers have been exceeding expectations all season long.
Last week, the Tigers cruised to a 20-0 halftime lead and continued to dominate in the second half as they picked up three more scores while holding East Ascension to a single touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Tiger receiver Ivory Washington led the charge, finishing with four receptions for 137 yards and two scores.
Quarterback B.J. Young completed six of his 14 passes for 132 yards, while Greg Julien tore through the Spartan defense for 79 yards on 17 carries.
“The team is where I hoped they would be at this point,” Valdin said. “We knew that we had a bunch of guys who were going to get better over time. Right now, we are on schedule.”
Valdin says though his team might have locked up a playoff spot with their sixth win of the season, they still have plenty of work ahead.
“Now, our goal is to try to improve every game,” he said. “We need to do that and have a good second half of the season.”
And it might be a little easier for the team to work towards that improvement since they are beginning to realize how good they can actually be.
“I think they are gaining confidence,” Valdin said. “They know that if we don’t make mistakes, we are very hard to beat.”
Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Email Herald-Guide Editor Jonathan Menard at editor@heraldguide.com.
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