After a glance at the final score, most people would assume Hahnville and Dutchtown just got finished playing an exciting high school basketball game, with both teams combining for 97 points and the Tigers pulling it out at the last second by a 49-48 score.
But it wasn’t a basketball game. Instead, it was a double-overtime, Friday night thriller that moved the Tigers into second place in the Class 5A District 5 standings.
With both teams knotted at 35-35 at the end of regulation, Hahnville was able to take a 41-35 lead when Guiseppe Crovetto connected with Blaise Dempster for a touchdown. However, the extra point was blocked, which gave new life to the Dutchtown offense.
The Griffins answered right back, with star running back Eddie Lacy sweeping into the endzone from five yards out to seemingly give his team the win. But it wasn’t to be. The Tigers also came through with a blocked field goal, which sent the game to its second overtime.
Hahnville would score in that second period, and go for two to pick up the win.
“I was pleased that we didn’t quit and we kept playing hard,” Hahnville head coach Lou Valdin said. “We were able to beat an undefeated team, and it was a big win for us.”
While Dutchtown running back Lacy finished with 228 yards and six touchdowns, Hahnville running back Alfred Blue more than held his own. Blue finished with four touchdowns and also racked up 147 yards on 26 carries.
His running pushed the Tigers out to a 35-14 halftime lead, but penalties and and a crucial turnover in the second half allowed Dutchtown to get back into the game.
“I was very pleased in the first half because we didn’t make any mistakes,” Valdin said. “I was not pleased in the second half because we turned the ball over. We need to work on our ball security and cut down penalties.”
Hahnville’s road doesn’t get any easier when they host East St. John on Friday night. The Wildcats have only won two games this season, but have played one of the toughest schedules in the state.
East St. John opened the season with back-to-back losses to Acadiana and Bastrop, before rebounding to beat Carencro and St. Amant. They then fell to Dutchtown 25-38 and lost to Destrehan 7-23 last week.
“They are very, very talented and their record does not indicate how good they are,” Valdin said. “I know it’s a big rivalry between our teams, and they will be ready to play.”
Valdin says the key to the game is stopping Wildcat running back Alex Singleton.
“He is their go-to guy,” he said. “We have to be able to stop him, and move the ball on offense so that we can keep their offense off the field.”
East St. John also runs a very aggressive defense, which relies on man-to-man coverage and well timed blitzes. But Hahnville has handled tough defenses before and Valdin is not surprised at his team’s success this season.
“We have talent and we are getting better every week,” he said. “Our players work very hard.”
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