Hahnville was able to bounce back from a tough loss to Destrehan by way of a huge 31-8 win over East Ascension, which moved the Tigers to 4-2 on the season and evened out their district record at 1-1.
Hahnville running back Jai Steib served as the catalyst for his team’s victory, scoring three touchdowns to give his squad an early 21-0 lead. Brandon Larousse connected on a 49-yard field goal to stretch the advantage to 24-0 and quarterback Guiseppe Crovetto snuck the ball into the endzone to finish up the Tiger scoring.
East Ascension’s only points came on a safety and a 34-yard pass from quarterback Avery Williams to Mike Oubre in the fourth quarter.
“I thought we played well,” Tiger head coach Lou Valdin said. “We executed well and we didn’t turn the ball over.”
In fact, Valdin says his team improved in just about every facet of the game since their loss to Destrehan the previous week.
“Everything we did bad against Destrehan we didn’t do against East Ascension,” he said. “Our running game improved and our offensive execution improved. We also played very well defensively.”
That improved execution allowed the Tigers to rack up 256 yards of offense, with 189 of those coming on the ground. And while the offense was a big reason behind the win, it was the defense that really came though in the team’s first road game of the season.
East Ascension put the ball in the air 21 times but was only able to connect on six passes for 77 yards.
“Our defense really did a good job of defending the passing game,” Valdin said. “We were able to get pressure on the quarterback and knock down several passes.”
Going into the season, Valdin knew that his experienced secondary would make it hard for the opposition to pick up yards through the air. What he didn’t know is that his team would be so effective at stopping the run.
“We are small, so I have been impressed with the way we’ve been able to stop the run so far,” he said. “The defense is putting forth a great effort and they are running to the football and doing a good job of gang tackling,”
The team’s ability to keep running backs in check will really be tested this Friday when they host undefeated Dutchtown.
The Griffins are 6-0 so far, with wins against Redemptorist, Broadmoor, West Jefferson, Catholic, East Ascension and East St. John. Led by backs Eddie Lacy and Kelvin York, Dutchtown has been able to run all over the opposition, controlling the clock and racking up wins in equal number.
“They have two backs that are two of the best in the state,” Valdin said. “The key to the game will be if we can stop the run. If they can run on us, they control the clock, so we have to be able to slow them down.”
Last week against East St. John, Lacy rushed for 116 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. A third back, sophomore Effrem Reed, stepped in and picked up 133 yards on eight carries.
Like Hahnville, Dutchtown doesn’t throw the ball too much, but that is something the Griffins use to their advantage.
“Their passing game is better than last year and what they do is lull you to sleep with the running game and then hit you with a big play action pass.” Valdin said.
The Tiger defense will have to be ready.
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