After grinding out a win over rival Hahnville, the Destrehan Wildcats will face off against West Monroe with a trip to the Class 5A state championship game on the line.
The Wildcats trailed early against Hahnville last Friday, but systematically wore the Tigers down in the second half due to what Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux called “a total team effort.”
Wildcat John Williams gave Destrehan a 7-6 lead with a 73-yard punt return in the second quarter and Destrehan never trailed again, though the Tigers kept things interesting. The Wildcats extended the lead just before the half after recovering a fumble that led to a 44-yard field goal by Randy Harvey.
Destrehan running back Will Matthews put his team up 17-6 with a short touchdown run in the third quarter, but Hahnville closed the gap with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Mike Neal to Brandon Singleton.
However, the Destrehan ground game took over in the fourth quarter, with Matthews, who rushed for 145 yards, clinching the win with his second touchdown of the game.
“I think the key to our win was you have to be able to run the football and stop the run,” Robicheaux said after limiting Hahnville to two touchdowns, both of which came through the air. “Will and Kirk [Merritt] took over in the second half and we had big plays from our special teams. John had a great return, Harvey kicked a long field goal and [punter] Bailey [Lanier] pinned Hahnville inside the 10 a few times.
“Everybody played great.”
Destrehan has played well all season on their way to a 13-0 record, but the Wildcats are performing on another level in the playoffs. The Wildcats thumped Pineville 54-0 in the first round then dismantled East St. John 68-14 before taking down Hahnville.
“You have to be excited with the way we are playing now,” Robicheaux said. “The teams that move on are the teams that are playing well at this point in the season. On defense we have been tremendous and we are executing well on offense.”But the road to a state championship gets a little rougher when the Wildcats host West Monroe on Friday.
The Rebels are in contention for a state championship nearly every year, but this season got off to a rocky start for West Monroe. They lost their opening game of the year to Mississippi’s Madison Central and lost again in early October in a thriller against Calvary Baptist.
Since that point though, West Monroe has dominated every team they have faced. In the playoffs, the Rebels beat Sam Houston 49-21 in the first round, knocked off Covington 24-7 in the regionals and beat No. 1 Byrd 19-7 last week in the quarterfinals.
West Monroe’s defense has impressed all season, giving up just under 14 points per game. In last week’s win over Byrd, the Rebel defense forced four turnovers that directly led to the victory.
“They have the best front seven that we will face this season,” Robicheaux said. “They are big up front, their linebackers are stocky and their secondary is athletic. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
Robicheaux added that his team could have difficulty running on the inside against the Rebels.
“The thing we have to do is get the ball out to the perimeter and get it to our athletes in space,” he said. “Not many teams have been able to run inside on them.”Offensively, West Monroe is led by senior running back Devonte Williams, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 17 touchdowns this season. The Rebels also rotate two quarterbacks – freshman Slade Bolden and Robert Foust. Bolden has nearly 1,000 yards this season while Foust has thrown for more than 800 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Offensively, they do a good job. They have a big running back that runs downwhill and their offensive line is big,” Robicheaux said. “They throw the ball effectively, but we are going to have to stop the run.”
Destrehan’s defense, which is limiting teams to under 10 points per game, should be up to the challenge.
One big advantage for the Wildcats is that they will face West Monroe at home. The longest trip Destrehan has had to make in the playoffs was a short journey to East St. John in the second round.
West Monroe, meanwhile, will have to travel more than four hours to get to Destrehan.
“That is so big. When you travel on a bus, it takes you out of your routine, and the furthest we had to go was to East St. John,” Robicheaux said. “We get to stay here, go to the pre-game meal and have the same routine.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The winner will face either No. 3 Zachary or No. 15 Acadiana in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the state title.
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