Destrehan made quite an impression when they opened district play with an emphatic 42-17 win over Terrebonne, but the road gets tougher on Friday when the Wildcats host rival Hahnville.
Destrehan (4-0) has ridden running back Will Matthews to an undefeated record. Matthews was spectacular against Terrebonne, finishing with 230 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in the first half.
The Wildcats trailed early against Terrebonne but scored four touchdowns in the second quarter to put the game away. Quarterback Marquise Darensbourg rushed for two touchdowns in the game while cornerback Austin Dickerson returned an interception for a score.
“After the crazy start we settled in a did what we needed to do. Will Matthews had 230 yards in the first half, so you feel pretty good about that,” Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “The defense has also been playing real well and forced a couple of turnovers.”
Though Robicheaux is pleased with his entire team’s performance on their way to a 4-0 start, he singled out Matthews’ play as one of the main reasons his squad has had so much success.
“He’s that safety net for us. When we need tough yards we feel confident enough to give him the ball,” Robicheaux said. “When you have a sophomore quarterback, you have to be able to run the football and Will Matthews has kept the chains moving.”
Controlling the tempo will be very important when the Wildcats host the Tigers Friday. Hahnville’s unique triple option offense has racked up 127 points in four games and the Tigers are currently 2-2 on the season against tough competition. Hahnville lost a three-overtime heartbreaker to top-ranked Rummel but held on to beat 4A powerhouse Landry-Walker 45-39 in three overtimes.
Last week, the Tigers struggled in a 19-16 loss to Thibodaux in their first district game of the season.
Hahnville uses a flexbone formation on offense in which two receivers called A-backs are offset on the side of each tackle and pull and take handoffs and pitches from the quarterback.
Hahnville head coach Nick Saltaformaggio said the A-backs are his most talented group on the team this year.
Leading the group is three-year starter senior Rickey Preston, who has committed to the University of Nebraska. Junior Devonte’ Cravin lines up in the other A-back position.
“They do a good job of putting defenses on their heels. They try to get the ball in the hands of their good players on the perimeter,” Robicheaux said about Hahnville’s offense. “You have to have more of a technique-style game plan to stop them and everybody on defense has to be in the right spot.”
Two weeks ago, Hahnville lost starting quarterback Mike Neal to injury. Austin Perrin has taken over the position and tossed a touchdown pass last week against Thibodaux.
“They lost their starting quarterback but Austin Perrin has done a good job for them and I don’t think there is a drop off [in talent],” Robicheaux said. “It will be a tough task to stop their offense because they have moved the ball on everybody. We have to be ready to play.”
On defense, the Tigers run a newly installed 3-3 stack. The Tiger front is led by Fred Brown and Jacob Plache.
Hahnville also has several talented linebackers, including Louisiana Tech commit Dwaine Thomas, junior Peyton Robert and senior Damien Campbell.
Hahnville’s secondary is made up of five players, called inverts, who play a hybrid linebacker/safety position.
“With their defense guys come from everywhere and apply pressure,” Robicheaux said. “They have a good secondary and with that 3-3 stack you don’t know where they are coming from. They have different options to blitz and they keep you off balance.”
To negate that pressure, Robicheaux said his offense must have success in the running game.
“We have to run the football, that will be very important,” Robicheaux said. “As [quarterback] Marquise Darensbourg continues to mature, we have to rely on the running game while getting the ball into our playmakers hands.”
That means a heavy dose of Matthews mixed with short passes to Alfred Smith, Kirk Merritt and John Williams, who have all made plays when called upon this season.
But while Robicheaux is focused on Friday’s game, he also knows the annual rivalry week offers plenty of distractions to his players.
“We are creatures of habit, but there is so much going on this week and I am always worried about distractions,” he said. “It’s a great game for the fans, players and community, but because of the distractions it is tough on the coaches.
“We preach to the players that the most important thing this week is the game on Friday and we zero in on that. The team that doesn’t let the distractions get to them is the team that’s going to win on Friday.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Destrehan.
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