The postseason draw for Louisiana high school football teams was officially announced Sunday by the LHSAA, and for Hahnville that meant the 11th overall seed in Division I non-select, while rival and third-seeded Destrehan will kick things off next week after an opening round bye.
For Hahnville, it means an opening round matchup with No. 22 Slidell, a talented team having a breakout season. Finally, it means Hahnville will be exactly where it wants to be when the playoffs kick off on Friday night – at home, where Tiger Stadium is sure to provide a next-level playoff atmosphere.
“We want it to be a place that’s intimidating to play,” said Hahnville head coach Greg Boyne. “And our crowd has been great. All year, there’s been that energy, and I think kids feed off that. So, that’s important and it’s why we thought it was important to get a home game.
“But when you get into the playoffs, you have to be able to do both. You have to defend your home field, then you have to be able to travel. And I thought that was a big thing for us last week.”
Boyne was referencing Hahnville’s 28-21 victory at Lakeshore last week, a win Boyne said was perhaps as big as any the Tigers have earned since he took the program’s helm in 2024.
It represented a road trip on a short week – the teams played on Thursday – and it was fresh off of a 49-28 loss at home to Destrehan the prior Friday. Most of all, Lakeshore is ranked No. 2 in Division II non-select, a physical, punishing team that entered the game with just one loss. Hahnville handed them their second, leading for most of the night.
“It’s an easy emotional letdown spot, a short week against a really quality team that had beat everybody pretty handily for the most part,” said Boyne. “It may have been our biggest win the last two years when you take all of that into account. And we needed it.”
Boyne said he felt the Tigers didn’t match Destrehan’s level of play the previous week and a repeat performance heading into the playoffs would have been far less than ideal.
“We kept it pretty simple with a short week, not a lot of new things or concepts on either side of the ball. I was extremely proud of the coaches and players on how we came out and played that game. It gives us a little momentum and a little confidence anytime you can win a game against a program like that.”
Hahnville knows its first round opponent well in one respect – Hahnville defensive coordinator Malter Scobel was Slidell’s head coach prior to his arrival at HHS in 2024 and coached current SHS players during his time there.
“Starting Saturday morning, a couple of our guys thought (Slidell) was who we were going to get,” Boyne said. “They’re similar to us, a good mix of run and pass, good on defense. They have a really good running back and a very athletic quarterback.”
Slidell went 2-8 last season in head coach Damon Page’s first year with the team. A season later, SHS has improved to 6-4 – and that mark might undersell the team’s skill level, as two of Slidell’s four losses came without quarterback Ricky Williams, who was sidelined for those matchups.
“They have a ton of athletes,” said Boyne. “Offensively and probably athletically, they’re similar to Terrebonne, and defensively they’re similar to Thibodaux,” said Boyne. “(Running back Jakwan Jones) is very physical. They have a couple good, big receivers who are fast – I think they were either first or second in the state in the relays. They have good size. They’re pretty senior-heavy throughout the roster.”
Jones rushed for 235 yards and four touchdowns in Slidell’s final regular season game, a 42-3 win over Northshore.
Williams returned for that game after missing Weeks 8 and 9. He showed no rust, completing all six of his passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Tight end Jeremiah Birdlow is a standout. The 6’4 tight end is a Louisiana-Lafayette commitment that Hahnville will have to have an answer for. Carlos Fleming Jr. gives the Tigers a major vertical threat.
Defensively, Boyne noted Slidell is big and strong along the line.
“A couple of those guys are power lifters. (Elijah Cross) is a big, tall end. (Birdlow) will play some defense as well,” said Boyne. “So will (Flemings). Their cornerbacks are 6’0 and 6’1, so both are capable of a ton of coverages. It’ll probably be the most variety of coverages we have seen so far this year. They do everything from man to different zones, matchup zones, you name it.”
WELL-DESERVED PROPPS – Hahnville H-back Michael Propps “isn’t lacking in confidence, for sure,” Boyne said.
“He’s told me since our first day to get him the ball,” Boyne said.
His confidence seems justified. Propps made an impact again Friday night, pulling in a 42-yard reception against Lakeshore. A week earlier, he caught a touchdown pass against Destrehan. A week before that, it was a scoring catch against East St. John.
“He’s done a great job this entire year and even last year when he got to play, of being the fullback and blocking. So a lot of times I’ll try to reward those guys with a catch here and there. But as we’ve done that with him, he’s kind of become an integral part of what we’re doing,” Boyne said. “Coach (Steve) Robicheaux used to always say that the two least covered people in high school are the fullback and the tight end. And (Propps) has good hands.”
The revelation, however, has been what Propps has been able to do after the catch.
“He’s really shown he knows what to do with it once he’s caught it. We’ve always kind of known he can catch the little three or four yard out. But as we’ve expanded his route tree, he’s shown that once he has the ball – I mean, last week it was an impressive run. It was about an 8-yard route and he turned it into a 40-yard touchdown. Credit to him – as we’re going to go along, I think he’s going to be a big part of what we’re doing.”
