J.R. Blood connected with three different Destrehan receivers for touchdowns as the Wildcats put away visiting Alexandria to advance to round two of the Class 5A postseason, winning 33-14 at Wildcat Stadium.
Kyle Edwards scored on the ground, while Blood threw scoring passes to Quinton Torbor, Carson Rieder and Joseph Washington to help guide Destrehan to its seventh win in a row.
The Wildcats led by 10 in the fourth quarter when Blood and Torbor combined to all but put Destrehan’s lead out of reach. Blood put the ball up to let Torbor make a play, and the talented receiver won a jump ball in the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown.
“That was exciting,” said Destrehan coach Stephen Robicheaux. “He was well-covered and made a big play, the kind of play a guy like him needs to make. That put us at 31 points and really gave us a lift at that point in the game.”
Destrehan (9-2) got on the board first on Kyle Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run, then made it a 14-0 game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Blood to sophomore receiver Joseph Washington, who stepped into a big role as he filled in for injured starters C.B. Anderson and Carl Lewis.
Phillip Stratton’s 38-yard field goal early in the second quarter made it a 17-0 game.
Alexandria (4-7) got on the board for the first time on Ben Hensi’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Vallien. But Destrehan pushed the lead back to 17 on Blood’s 7-yard pass to Rieder just before halftime.
DHS rounded out its scoring with 15 seconds left in the game when the defense recorded a safety.
The Wildcats’ defense was tasked with slowing down running back Michael Orphey, who rushed for 482 yards in a single game earlier this season.
“We knew they had a rusher who topped 400 yards, and we weren’t gonna let him have it,” said Destrehan defensive lineman Bryce Scioneaux. “We knew we had to stuff the run. It was a physical game all night, a dirty fight.”
Linebacker Aaron Buckwalter said the Wildcats have come together to win seven in a row because the team simply won’t accept losing.
“We bounced back from St. Charles and Hahnville (losses) … we know how it feels to lose and none of us want to experience that feeling again,” Buckwalter said.
Destrehan will host Barbe in the second round. Barbe advanced with a 52-6 victory over Parkway.
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