This Friday night, it counts for real.
And that, more than anything, is what has Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio charged up these days.
Hahnville will travel to Woodlawn to open the regular season Friday at 7 p.m., facing off with a team led by former Destrehan offensive coordinator Daniel Luquet, the first-year head coach of the Panthers.
The Tigers’ offense has struggled in its preseason fare this season, after scrimmaging Northshore to a scoreless tie and falling 17-0 to Jesuit in last week’s jamboree. But Hahnville has not fallen behind anyone in the standings as a result of those performances, and Saltaformaggio says around his locker room, self-pity won’t be tolerated.
“I can’t wait (for Friday),” Saltaformaggio said. “It almost feels like we’ve been in camp for two years at this point. Now we get to play something that matters, something that counts. I talked with our kids in the fieldhouse and told them to look around at one another. The sky is not falling. Stop moping around and forget about Jesuit. I know we’re good. We’ve got the talent in place.”
While Saltaformaggio’s belief in his team has not wavered, he acknowledged that his squad has work to do if it is to make its shift from the triple-option to a traditional, pro-style offense. Hahnville must find a way to begin an offensive turnaround, and it begins, Saltaformaggio said, with the offensive line. Tiger running backs rushed 10 times for 20 yards Thursday night against Jesuit.
“It’s not a talent issue with our line,” Saltaformaggio said. “If it were a player issue, my concerns would be a whole lot greater. They’re plenty good enough. It’s about teaching and learning and, if they’re willing to learn, we’ll be just fine.”
He also preached patience, given the drastic shift in offensive philosophy.
“We’ve been in this offense for 31 days,” he said. Unfortunately, we never really had all hands on deck during the summer due to injuries and people being out of town … it’s no secret that we’ve struggled. We’re trying to get points on the board. I look at our body of work and feel like we’re not that far away, seeing drives end through a dropped ball here or a missed block there. We can correct those things.”
At the jamboree, Hahnville quarterback Mike Neal completed 9 of 18 pass attempts for 97 yards. Devonte Cravin caught four passes for 64 yards. Defensively, HHS safety Hunter LeBlanc intercepted a pass.
While the Tigers haven’t faced Woodlawn under Luquet’s lead to date, they won’t be all that unfamiliar with the Panthers’ attack, the shotgun spread offense Hahnville faces yearly against their fierce Destrehan rivals.
“They’re going to run it on us if they can and as long as they can,” Saltaformaggio said. “They’ll spread it out. It can be tough to prepare for a team with a new head coach if he hasn’t been there, but he’s been their offensive coordinator and he has the obvious ties locally. We kind of know what he likes to do, and likewise he knows all about Hahnville.”
The Panthers’ backfield leads the list of Saltaformaggio’s chief concerns. Woodlawn running back Javin Myers is quick and productive. The huddle is led by senior quarterback Jamari Nelson, an experienced two-year starter. Running back Darion Johnson is another top threat.
Hahnville’s defense is expected to be a strength this season, but Jesuit’s bigger offensive line gave the Tigers fits en route to a 134-yard rushing night — Saltaformaggio admitted that against similar attacks in the future, the Tigers may have to adapt through playing a bigger defensive front than their usual 3-3-5 base alignment offers.
But that scenario won’t manifest itself this week, as Woodlawn’s offense and Hahnville’s defense both thrive on speed.
“Skill-wise, they’re not the biggest group offensively, but they’re very, very fast,” Saltaformaggio said. ”They’re tough and physical along both the offensive and defensive lines, as well.”
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