Destrehan picked up a signature win last week by knocking off a ranked West Jefferson squad, but they will need to put together a similar blueprint if they hope to get by Dutchtown on Friday.
The Griffins are 2-1 on the season and were ranked fourth in the state before a stunning loss against Zachary. However, Dutchtown is still ranked No. 7 and their explosive offense is enough to keep opposing coaches up at night.
“Their offensive line is a good as any in the state and they are real big and physical,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “Dutchtown can give us fits because they do a really good job of running the football.”
Even though they lost to Zachary 21-14, Dutchtown still managed to roll up 390 yards of offense. Quarterback Mason Nickens threw for 126 yards and ran for 119, while sophomore running back Torrance Mosely, who has already drawn interest from LSU, rushed for 87 yards.
The Griffins also have plenty of talent at receiver. Sophomore Corey McBride, who is getting attention from Alabama and LSU, had 122 yards on just three carries in Dutchtown’s 49-17 win over Sulphur in Week 2. Senior receiver Shelby Christy has committed to Mississippi State.
But despite the many weapons Dutchtown has, Robicheaux believes the key to beating the Griffins will be controlling the line of scrimmage.
“Our defensive front needs to be ready for a war,” he said.
Destrehan’s defense flew around the field in the team’s 22-12 win over West Jefferson. Though the Wildcats fell behind 12-7, the team fired back with two fourth quarter touchdowns to seal the victory.
Destrehan senior receiver Rickey Jefferson, who had managed only a few yards on offense, ran a perfect route and made a diving catch at the 6-yard line on a pass from junior quarterback Donovan Isom. The 39-yard pass was the Wildcats biggest play of the night, and they made West Jeff pay a few plays later.
Sophomore running back Will Mathews ran hard up the middle to pick up five yards, and Isom carried the ball in himself a play later to give the Wildcats a 13-12 lead. While Isom cramped up on the play, backup quarterback Rashaud Joseph ran around the left to score a two-point conversion and put Destrehan up 15-12.
Destrehan would score again later in the quarter to assure Robicheaux of the biggest win in his new tenure with the team.
“I’m really excited about the way our kids faced adversity in the first half. We were tied at 7-7 and then gave up five straight points because of miscues,” Robicheaux said. “After that we held them. Our kids stuck in there and continued to fight.”
That was in marked contrast to the team’s performance in their only loss of the season to Karr. Destrehan lost that game 45-7 and Robicheaux said he felt like his players were overcoached.
“During the week of practice leading up to the West Jefferson game I think our kids relaxed a lot more,” Robicheaux said. “We let them play football.”
And Robicheaux believes the West Jefferson win will pay big dividends for his squad during the season.
“I think it’s huge,” he said. “When you beat a top 10 team, it’s always good and hopefully we can take this victory and build on it and get better. It gives the kids confidence and gives what we are trying to do here creditability.”
Kickoff at Dutchtown is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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