Behind 28-first quarter points, the Destrehan Wildcats had little trouble improving to 4-0 on the season by blanking Higgins 45-0 last Friday in a game where both the offense and defense showed consistency for all four quarters. Now, if the team can only carry over that success to this week, they should be able to knock off John Ehret.
“John Ehret has a lot of good athletes and they are big and physical,” Destrehan head man Stephen Robicheaux said. “They are very similar to Higgins, so we are just going to have to go back out there and play another game like we did last Friday night to be successful.”
John Ehret better hope the similarities they share with Higgins will lead to a different outcome Thursday night. Destrehan’s Damaris Johnson set the tone early against Higgins by returning the opening kick-off 98 yards, which put the Wildcats on top before Higgins even got a chance to get into the contest. Jerico Nelson also added two scores in the first quarter, with Jordan Jefferson hooking up with Lionel Washington for a 28-yard touchdown in the first quarter rout.
Overall, Nelson had 77 yards on seven carries, while Joel Banks chipped in with 54 yards. Jefferson added 105 yards through the air with two touchdowns, while Johnson and Tim Molton combined for seven receptions and 78 yards.
“Potentially, our offense is pretty good,” Robicheaux said. “They’ve scored some points and moved the football and have scored when we needed them too.”
While the offense was considered one of Destrehan’s strengths going into the season, it has been the defense that has really turned some heads. The unit combined to shut out Higgins, while forcing four turnovers, which led to short yardage situations for the offense.
“Overall, I was really excited about the way we played because it seems like, for the first time, we put a full game together both offensively and defensively,” Robicheaux said. “One thing that we thought was important was us getting up early because Higgins is a lot better team when they are playing with a lead. We emphasized all week getting up on them early, playing hard, and continuing to keep the heat on.”
Another positive from the win was the play of kicker Ryan Rome, who had seven touchbacks against Higgins.
“He has become a weapon for us, because those touchbacks force a team to drive 80 yards on us,” Robicheaux said.
Those touchbacks will come in handy against John Ehret, who has a 3-1 record heading into Thursday night’s contest. Ehret opened up the season with a 28-14 victory over St. Paul, then cruised past both Independence and McDonogh 35 28-0 and 49-8, respectively. Their only blemish came with a 26-0 defeat to Archbishop Shaw.
However, the keys to victory are simple.
“I just think it’s just like every week in that we have to get better as a football team,” Robicheaux said. “Right now, it’s all about us getting better and working on fundamentals and routes and doing a better job.”
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