Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio has quipped that he “wouldn’t want to face us,” given the dominant fashion his Tigers have stormed through the majority of its schedule. But to listen to the veteran coach, this Friday night will be about as close as he can get to that hypothetical scenario. No. 10 seeded Hahnville (9-2) is set to travel to No. 7 seed Ruston (8-2) in round two of the Class 5A playoffs, and when Saltaformaggio looks at the Bearcats, he sees a mirror image of his squad.
“Especially offensively, they’re similar to us in so many aspects,” Saltaformaggio said. “They’ve got a strong offensive line. They’re a very physical team. They have a really good running back committed to Louisiana Tech. Even where the two programs are, you can draw parallels.
“Both went through glory years then slipped a little bit, and are back to where they were before now. It’s a unique matchup in that respect. We’ve got to find a way to not flinch, make them flinch and take control. When you get to the last 16 teams standing in 5A, they’re all gonna present a big challenge.”
It’s a matchup of two of the state’s most storied programs, the teams combining for 84 playoff appearances and 14 state championships between them.
Ruston features two quarterbacks in C.J. Willis and Eric Outley, the former a more talented runner and the latter a more proficient passer, said Saltaformaggio. But he added the system doesn’t change when one subs in for the other.
Running back DeAndre Marcus is a dangerous weapon for the Bearcats who blends size, strength and speed. Tahj Samuel plays both offense and defense and is utilized as a powerful runner as well. Tight end Ray Parker’s skills and imposing 6-foot-6, 275 pound body at tight end has made him the target of several major schools, including LSU.
Offensive guard Taiwan Levi is the top player on a powerful line. Wide receivers Donald Johnson and Reggie Williford can provide explosive downfield plays.
Ruston attacks primarily on the ground with several threats to carry the ball on a given play.
“Again, very much like ourselves, they’re based on the power run game. Their big play is counter to the tailback, the quarterback counter,” Saltaformaggio said.
Defensively, Saltaformaggio said Samuel creates problems, as well as fellow lineman Syemere Roberts and strong safety Trenton Bell.
Ruston is battle tested, with games against perennial powers Neville (19-0 win), Acadiana (28-6 loss), West Monroe (28-14 loss) in its rearview mirror.
“It’s gonna be a battle,” Saltaformaggio said. “We’ve gotten used to blowing people out, but I don’t think we’ll be blowing anybody out over the next few weeks. We’re gonna have to win close games. We need to continue to play defense the way we’ve been doing, get into the fourth quarter and let Anthony (Williams) do his thing.”
The Tigers will have a long way to travel, but it’s not a foreign concept to Saltaformaggio’s program. In 2014, he led then No. 12 Hahnville to an upset of No. 5 Haughton, 28-14, in another game that required a long road trip.
“You have to look at it from the perspective that in the playoffs, one of these trips is will hit you,” he said. “We’ll follow a similar format (to the Haughton trip), pull off and eat, get back on the bus … we’ll try and have a walkthrough over at Louisiana Tech. Just things we can do to break up the monotony of the bus ride.
“They’ll watch games, sleep, play on their phones … but the main thing is, when we get to the stadium, we’re back to work. This isn’t a field trip, we’re there to work.”
Ruston averages 32.4 points per game, and Hahnville’s ability to limit the Bearcats’ offensive production is likely to be a major deciding factor. In Ruston’s two losses, it scored 20 total points; in its eight wins, just once was it held under 30 points.
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