The Destrehan Wildcats weren’t challenged in their 47-8 win over St. James, but it will be a different story when they host Edna Karr on Friday.
Karr, who has appeared in back-to-back Class 4A state championship games, crushed Hahnville 43-13 behind 431 rushing yards. Karr quarterback Devante’ Noil had 236 yards on the ground, 36 yards through the air and four touchdowns. Running back Jarrell Bennett also had a big game, finishing with 102 yards on only eight carries.
Karr tight end Standish Dobard, a Miami commit, also caught a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said that Karr’s explosive offense is tough for any team to prepare for.
“They do everything well,” he said. “Their offensive line is huge, they have a running back that’s real good, a receiver that’s real good and their quarterback is nicknamed ‘Speedy,’” he said. “If you are on the West Bank and called ‘Speedy,’ you know you’re fast. Then they have a tight end that committed to Miami.
“They are a heck of a football team.”
While Destrehan’s offense wasn’t as consistent as Karr’s last week, the Wildcats were impressive in their 47-8 win over St. James.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior quarterback Donovan Isom looked sharp early, connecting on passes to Rickey Jefferson, Derrick McGee and Alfred Smith to lead his squad down to the three-yard line.
That’s when senior running back Lou’Donovan Wells broke through for the score.
Destrehan’s scoring drive took only 2:05 off the clock.
With the Wildcat defense smothering St. James’ offense, Destrehan got the ball back quickly and made St. James pay. This time, Isom connected with McGee for a 32-yard score to give Destrehan a 14-0 advantage.
From that point on though, Destrehan’s offense struggled while the defense continued to dominate. The Wildcats didn’t score again until just under two minutes left in the half. Sophomore running back Will Mathews turned the corner and hugged the left sideline for a 50-yard gain. Two plays later, Mathews scored from four-yards out to give the Wildcats a 21-0 lead.
“I thought we came out early and played well, but we went into a little bit of a lull after that and gave up a few returns on special teams and some yardage in the running game,” Robicheaux said. “We did score late at the end of the half, but I was disappointed because we weren’t consistent on offense or on defense.
“In the second half we played a lot better and we were able to get some of our young guys in towards the end of the game.”
Destrehan picked up two more quick scores in the third quarter to extend the advantage to 34-0 and Kenny King found the end zone to start the fourth quarter to give the Wildcats a 40-0 lead.
But the Wildcat offense will have to produce against much tougher opposition on Friday.
“Karr’s defensive line is big and athletic and it’s very difficult to run on them. Their linebackers are physical and they have two or three D1 players in the secondary,” Robicheaux said. “You really have to pick your poison. They are very good and there is a reason they have been in the dome the last two years.
“We are going to have to play a great game and not give up any big plays.”
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