The last time Destrehan and Hahnville clashed, it produced a 31-28 classic. So what does this Friday night hold for the longtime rivalry and unofficial “Super Bowl” of St. Charles Parish?
Time will tell, but one thing is for sure: the players taking the Wildcat Stadium field at 7 p.m. Friday night will not lack for motivation.
“That’s the one thing you don’t have to worry about this week as a coach,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “You do have the distractions that come with the rivalry, and you’ve just got to push through it. But you don’t have to do anything to motivate them, because they’re always looking forward to this game.”
Robicheaux said the historic success of the two programs has fueled what has become a lasting rivalry, inspiring a week’s worth of events leading up to a game that annually almost seems to draw everyone in St. Charles Parish out to watch.
“A lot of great players have come through here,” Robicheaux said. “It’s a showcase of St. Charles Parish public schools, and our two teams are fortunate to have the whole community behind us. It’s nothing but a positive.”
Hahnville head coach Nick Saltaformaggio said the intensity of the rivalry is something rarely matched elsewhere.
“You have kids who have been playing against each other for such a long time, not just in high school but often going back to middle school and even park ball,” Saltaformaggio said. “The school system being as good as it is, you don’t have kids leaving to go to private schools for the most part.
“It just constantly overflows with emotion. And there’s always so much talent in it. Look at the names who have played in this game … you’re talking about a lot of guys who have gone all the way on to the NFL.”
The rivalry has been cyclical over the years in terms of who has had the upper hand — the past few seasons, it’s belonged to Destrehan. The Wildcats have won the past five meetings, including one playoff matchup in the 2014 Class 5A quarterfinals.
Recent history also yields that the winner of the Hahnville/Destrehan clash has done so en route to their district’s championship.
After falling in Week 2, Destrehan (2-1) got back on track last week with a 44-25 victory over visiting Ehret.
To keep that success going in the District 7-5A opener for each of the two rivals, Destrehan must stop the run, Robicheaux says, particularly rusher Anthony “Pooka” Williams.
“Number 7, Pooka Williams,” Robicheaux said when asked about his chief concern. “But they’ve also got a lot of other guys that can hurt you, guys who play well up front, Jamel Byrd and Mike Gray at receiver. Pooka gets the attention, but they have a lot of weapons and they do a great job moving the football. We’ve got to take care of the ball, move the chains and keep that offense off the field.”
Defensively, the Tigers have playmakers at every level, Robicheaux said, noting several players who stand out on film.
“You have an Adonis Friloux, a young kid that plays real well with great technique,” he said. “Lyncoy Reynaud is real active and makes a ton of plays. You see No. 8 at linebacker (Logan Robert) with the last name Robert, and you know he’s good. Then Hunter LeBlanc seems like he’s been back there for 20 years. All of those guys can hurt you.”
While Destrehan had to find a bounce back performance within themselves last week, Saltaformaggio is searching for the same from his group this week. Losses to John Ehret and Brother Martin over the past two weeks has Hahnville hungry to defeat its archrival for more than one reason.
Saltaformaggio said Destrehan’s enduring trait is its players will to win.
“I can go through how good (J.R.) Blood, (John) Emery and Quinton (Torbor) are, how big and physical they are defensively … but the thing they have is a tremendous will to win,” Saltaformaggio said. “They came off of a devastating loss to St. Charles Catholic and they found a way to win the Ehret game.
“We showed the opposite last week … we came off two really good performances and found a way to lay an egg. That’s what concerns me more than anything. They have an intense desire to win and it’s something we have to find a way to match.”
Saltaformaggio believes his team can stand with Destrehan talent-wise, but that the experience Blood gained as Destrehan’s starting quarterback for much of last season and the longevity of the system Destrehan has put in place are differences the Tigers must overcome.
“Up until the final gun went off Friday night against Brother Martin, a lot of people thought we might have had a chance in this game coming up. Now, no one thinks we have a chance,” Saltaformaggio said. “That’s how narrow the margin is, though. We just have to get better, I have to get better and our coaches have to get better to play with teams like Destrehan.”
Destrehan showed its ability to respond to adversity Friday night as it rallied from a 13-0 deficit to defeat visiting John Ehret, 44-25.
John Emery scored three times on the night, including on a 19-yard reception from J.R. Blood that jumpstarted the Wildcats (2-1) and set the tone for the rest of the game. The Wildcats scored 31 unanswered points after Ehret (1-2) went ahead 13-0 on Travis Mumphrey passes to Lorinzo Penn and Jamaal Houston.
Emery rushed for 170 yards and gained 206 total yards while scoring three touchdowns.
Destrehan not only answered the bell in-game, but also in terms of the bigger picture: the team’s loss last week to St. Charles Catholic was the first time Destrehan had left the field in regular season defeat since 2012.
The Wildcats took a 14-13 lead just before halftime on a John Emery touchdown run, then J.R. Blood connected with Carson Reider to push the Wildcats’ lead to eight. Blood also connected on a touchdown to Quinton Torbor, while Ed’Juan Green scored on the ground.
Meanwhile, across the Hale Boggs Bridge, a stingy defensive effort by Brother Martin led to a second straight loss for Hahnville, 21-6.
Brother Martin intercepted three Hahnville passes and held the Tigers to a season-low six points, after Hahnville topped the 40 point mark in each of its previous two games.
Matthew Alfonso scored each of Brother Martin’s touchdowns on the ground, each from 11 yards and in. Chris Smith led Brother Martin (1-2) with 110 rushing yards, allowing the Crusaders to control the ball.
Thomas Rasco kicked field goals of 35 and 41 yards in length to account for Hahnville’s points.
Anthony Williams rushed for 64 yards to lead Hahnville (1-2). The Tigers passed for just 30 yards in the game and were held to less than 150 yards of total offense.
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