On the way to four straight victories, Hahnville has outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 167- 38, putting it together in all three phases of the game.
If they can do it one more time, this time on the road Friday night against Thibodaux, the HHS faithful will not only have reason to believe the Tigers have saved their season, but could be en route to a special one.
Last season, Thibodaux proved to be a thorn in Hahnville’s side. Thibodaux edged HHS in Week 4 last season, 19-16, after a game-tying field goal attempt by Hahnville bounced off the upright and fell no good with 29 seconds remaining.
It was a loss that temporarily stalled the building of great momentum in Saltaformaggio’s first season with the team. HHS had just come off of back to back triple overtime games against two of the state’s top teams in Rummel and Landry-Walker, coming up just short against the Raiders while besting the Charging Buccaneers. But the Tigers lost quarterback Mike Neal in the second of those games, and the Tigers couldn’t find their footing offensively, scoring just 16 points after generating 35 points or more in each of their first four games.
Saltaformaggio said that loss is just one of numerous motivating factors this week. Another, he says, is a desire to maintain the program’s ascent and show tangible progress in the final standings from a season ago.
“Last season we were 7-3, and a win here puts us there again,” he said. “But this time, if we win, we finish second in district behind Destrehan. Last season, we were third, behind both Destrehan and Thibodaux.
“You want to keep developing your program, and so it’s important to take another step every year. You want to go into next season saying, ‘We’ve got to catch this team,’ versus ‘we’ve got to catch those teams.’ So we want to take a step and let this group make their mark in a positive way.”
There’s also playoff seeding to consider. Saltaformaggio noted Hahnville was ranked No. 10 in Class 5A power points at the week’s outset, while Thibodaux is ranked at 19. A win for Hahnville could mean a top 8 seed, while for Thibodaux, a win represents the team’s last and best chance to earn a first round home game, as each of the bracket’s the top 16 seeds will enjoy.
“Along with that, you want to go into the playoffs on a win and not a loss,” Saltaformaggio said. “We’re going to their place and they’ve got as much riding on this as we do. For our seniors, this is the last regular season game they’ll ever play here at Hahnville, and we want it to be a win for those guys.”
The game will pit a Hahnville defense that has been airtight for most of the season against an offense that has rarely been slowed. Thibodaux has scored 35 points or more in each of the past seven weeks. Hahnville has held its opponents to 15 points or less in all but two games, losses to Destrehan and St. Thomas More in which HHS allowed 100 combined points. HHS has allowed 69 total points in its other seven games.
Were Hahnville to hold Thibodaux to nine points or less, it would finish the season with the fewest points allowed in District 7-5A.
“It means a lot to us and to me, being a defensive guy,” Saltaformaggio said. “Especially considering those two midseason losses where we allowed those points. I believe when you get to the state playoffs, the teams who advance deep play defense, are sound in the kicking game and they don’t turn it over. During the past few weeks, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
“We hit some bumps in the road. For sure, at midseason there were a lot of people with sad faces around here, be it coaches, players or fans. But you want to be peaking in October and November, and we feel good about where we are right now.”
Thibodaux is keyed by its running game, led by running backs Donnell Adair and Amik Robertson. THS seeks to establish a quick offense tempo orchestrated by quarterback Trey LeBlanc.
Defensively, Thibodaux has replaced most of its starting lineup from a season ago, but the cupboard isn’t bare. A big front line led by Devin Hebert and Darius Richard, 285 and 310 pounds respectively, anchor that unit.
Last week, Hahnville defeated visiting H.L. Bourgeois, 49-7, in a game the Tigers can boast as perhaps their most complete and efficient effort this season.
Anthony Williams returned the opening kickoff for 90 yards and a touchdown and the Tigers (6-3, 4-1) were off to the races for their fourth consecutive victory.
“We’re playing good football,” Hahnville coach Nick Saltaformaggio said. “We’ve rebounded from our midseason swoon, and a whole lot of that has to do with the resiliency of our kids. This was a complete team effort that I couldn’t be prouder of.”
Drew Dunn, Mike Neal, Norquell Flowers and Devonte Clark each rushed for scores, the latter two scoring from 62 and 80 yards, respectively, while Neal connected with Williams and Devonte Cravin on touchdown passes.
HHS led 35-0 at halftime, and lifted its starters midway through the third quarter.
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