Destrehan looked to be hitting their stride again after a huge road win versus a very talented Thibodaux team. The Tigers were 6-1 & ranked number 4 in 5A coming into the game. The story of the game for the Wildcats was the rushing attack from Razan Keller & Kyle Edwards *Alabama commit* rushing for over 200 yards & 7 touchdowns. But the Wildcats defense was just as impressive keeping a really good Thibodaux offense in check most of the night. They were able to get some key interceptions by Jaden Harding & Eric Jones at pivotal moments in the game. The Tigers offense has scored 30 points or more five times this season. Destrehan head coach Stephen Robicheaux eluded to that they would have to win up front if they wanted to slow their talented offense down. “We knew the quarterback Alleman was a big time player & we wanted to get him off his spots tonight,” Robicheaux said. “He’s been on fire this season & that receiving core is tough to stop. I was proud of how we stepped up to the challenge & got it done tonight.” Thibodaux falls to 6-2 overall & 2-2 in district. They’ll face H.L Bourgeois on Friday. Destrehan improves to 5-3 & 2-2 in district. They’ll take on Central Lafourche on Friday.
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Written by Kyle Valdez On Friday night in New Iberia, the Lakeshore Titans and Westgate Tigers were set for a usual 7:00 p.m. kickoff. All the factors for a great game were in place: perfect conditions with the temperature hovering in the mid-to-low 60’s, a clash between two top 4A teams, Westgate fresh off an upset win over St. Thomas More, and Lakeshore putting their undefeated record on the line. The only problem was unexpected traffic for the visiting Lakeshore Titans. Interstate traffic stretched the 2.5 hour drive to nearly five hours. After a 45-minute delay was given to Lakeshore for warmups, the Titans showed up and rolled past Westgate 35-13 behind the impressive play of QB and LB Christian Westcott. Westcott played nearly every snap of the game, making big plays on both sides of the ball: he rushed for 178 yards on 26 carries, ran for all five of Lakeshore’s touchdowns, and recorded a crucial sack in the second half. Lakeshore struck first with 8:01 in the first quarter by a Westcott 26-yard keeper. Over the next seven minutes, the Westgate offense got hot. Quarterback Brennon Landry found Kayshon Boutte (LSU Commit, #2 recruit in Louisiana, #7 WR nationally) and Makholven Sonn (Kansas St. Commit) for two big touchdowns receptions. The two early scores gave Westgate a 13-7 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter. However, the Makholven 46-yard reception would be the Tigers’ final score of the night. Lakeshore responded with a Christian Westcott seven-yard rushing touchdown. The Titans took a 14-13 lead into the half after missing a FG attempt that hit the upright. Lakeshore dominated the whole second half, outscoring Westgate 21-0. A combination of suffocating defense by Lakeshore, and undisciplined plays by Westgate, resulted in the Tigers inability to score. Lakeshore’s offense was carried by Christian Westcott. Three rushing touchdowns from 2, 11, and 13 yards from Westcott opened up Lakeshore’s lead down the stretch. When asked about his performance, Westcott responded by giving kudos to his linemen, “If I could give this interview to anyone else, it would be the whole O-Line. Without them, the score is not like it is... They made blocks that were key, and we drove it up and down the field running the ball. It’s because of them.” Lakeshore’s past two victories over De La Salle and Westgate have proven that they’re the real deal. After weeks of questioning their legitimacy, it is finally evident that they are serious contenders to play in the Superdome for Week 15. Their defense is elite, and they have Taysom Hill Jr. playing on both sides of the ball. Westcott only completed 3 of his 10 passes on the night, but still made the biggest impact. The Titans’ final three games of the season should be three wins, setting themselves up for a district championship and a good seeding for the Class 4A playoffs. No matter who they get matched up with, the opposing offense should be concerned. Cornerback Brendan Perry discussed the Titan defense and the big win, “We started out rough, it was 13-7, but we forgot about the bad plays, came back and made better ones... We played good [defense], we knew they had good receivers. We had the pass rush there, and when the quarterback made bad throws, we had to capitalize.” For Westgate, nothing went right. Their communication was lack-luster, they looked undisciplined, and they were simply outplayed and outcoached for the final three quarters. Especially with such a huge win coming last week against STM, it just seemed like Westgate ill-prepared. The offense was shut down for final three quarters. Two bright spots for the night were the receivers: Kayshon Boutte reeled in five catches for 91 yards, and Makholven Sonn had three catches for 78 yards. Quarterback Brennon Landry finished with 175 yards, but was inconsistent for most of the night. Along with throwing multiple interceptions, too many tipped passes and fumbles haunted the Tiger offense all night. Next week, the Tigers look to rebound against a tough team in Teurlings Catholic on the road. Currently ranked 10th in 4A, a win against Teurlings would be very beneficial to Westgate’s seeding and confidence. The three-star prospect out of St. James High School announced on October 13th that he was committing to the University of Texas-San Antonio via Twitter. Smith was on his official visit when he made the announcement, which made head coach Frank Wilson & his staff elated about the news. “I had my mind made up since the beginning of the season that I wanted to commit there,” Smith said. “My relationship with the coaching staff has been great, & that played a big role into why I was so comfortable committing to them. They call me almost everyday & we talked about more than just football.” With 24 total offers, the dynamic playmaker knew he would have to really do his homework to make sure he found the right fit for the next four to five years. “This process has been fun, but at the same time I had to keep a level head through it all,” Smith said. “I really like a lot of the schools that were recruiting me, but when I was on my official at UTSA I felt like that’s where I needed to be. Coach Frank(Wilson) is different & he is somebody I feel like I can relate to.” All throughout high school Smith has been asked to play quarterback, but he will be a full time receiver & return specialist once he arrives on campus. One plus for Smith is that his former high school teammate Lowell Narcisse is currently the starting quarterback at UTSA. “I’m excited about the coach’s plan for me at receiver & in the return game,” he said. “Getting to catch balls from my big bro Lowell will be fun as well because we’re real familiar with each other.” Smith still plans to take three more official visits before signing day to Colorado, Colorado St, & Southern Miss. The UTSA coaching staff will have their work cut out for them until Smith signs on the dotted line on signing day with the type of year he is having. He has his team off to a 7-0 start & ranked number one in 3A. Smith is one of the most electrifying athletes in the state with the ball in his hands & he could easily start gaining traction from bigger schools before it’s all said & done. Written by Kyle Valdez The Thibodaux Tigers defeated the Terrebonne Tigers 35-28 in a back-and-forth Week 5 thriller on Friday night. Entering the much-anticipated District 7-5A matchup, there was much pressure for both teams. Thibodaux had a chance to open their season with a 5-0 record for the first time in over a decade, along with a chance to prove that they are the real deal this year. Terrebonne, currently with a 2-2 record, had the opportunity to show that their slow start to the season is nothing more than a slow start. After all, Terrebonne has one of the most talented rosters in the state. A statement win could remind everyone why they finished the season with an 11-2 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the Class 5A playoffs just a year ago. The game’s scoring quickly opened when Thibodaux QB Luke Alleman (232 yards on 17-36 passing, four TDs) hit Marquel Price for a 22-yard TD reception with 10:35 left in the first quarter. Thibodaux quickly stretched the lead to 14-0 in their next possession after Alleman connected with *ULL commit* receiver Kyren Lacy for 13 yards. Terrebonne responded to the early punch in the mouth by scoring 21 unanswered points. Terrebonne QB Ryan Williams (244 yards on 18-29 passing, 3 TDs) hit A.J. Walter for a 38-yard TD, followed by a Jaylin Lucas 71-yard TD reception on a quick slant to tie the game at 14-14. Terrebonne took their first (and final) lead of the game when QB Williams found Ja’Khi Douglas (Florida St. Commit: Top offers included Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Florida) for a 13-yard reception. Thibodaux evened the score at 21-21 going into halftime courtesy of an 18-yard Darwin Davis catch. The second half was all back-and-forth. The third quarter consisted of the teams scoring a touchdown each. Thibodaux scored from an eight-yard run by Ramond Thompson. Terrebonne’s final score was when safety D’Jon Scott who has offers from (ULM, McNeese St, Southeastern, Lamar) picked off an Alleman pass and returned it 47 yards for the pick-six. The last score, and eventual game-winner, came with 8:13 left in the game when Alleman hit Marquel Price for a 14-yard touchdown to give Thibodaux the 35-28 lead. For Terrebonne, they fell to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in district. The first half of the season has been a huge disappointment to say the least. With unfair preseason expectations, they have simply underperformed. Although they have stayed competitive with everyone so far, they haven’t won a close game yet. Their two wins were by 60 and 39 points, but they dropped two winnable games by seven points each to Hahnville and Thibodaux. The Tigers still have enough time to turn their season around, but nothing gets easier as they still have Brother Martin, Destrehan, East St. John, and Central Lafourche on the schedule. Regardless of how they finish the regular season, they are still a team that many should fear going into the playoffs. It’s rare to find a team with the amount of raw talent as Terrebonne. For Thibodaux, they have finally solidified themselves as real contenders for a district title and a dark horse team to go deep into the Class 5A playoffs. For five straight weeks now, they have found a way to win. Excluding their week 1 victory of Riverside Academy, the Tigers have been beating their opponents by an average of just five points per game. Next week, they plan on continuing their winning ways when district foe Hahnville comes into town. In a battle of unbeatens, St. James capitalized on big plays by their defense and special teams en route to a 31-24 victory over the Destrehan Wildcats. St. James jumped out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter - and a 31-10 lead after the third - to seal the win. Despite a late game scare by Destrehan, the St. James defense proved to be too much. Despite being evenly matched heading into the game, many anticipated Destrehan to reign supreme in the battle of the Wildcats. St. James QB Shamar Smith mentioned his team’s thoughts going into the game: “A lot of people down talked us, thinking Destrehan was going to beat us. We just had to be disciplined. That’s a good ball program over there, I tip my hat to them... But we just came out with more effort, and we were making plays, being special.” Shamar Smith (top offers from Air Force, Navy, Colorado, Tulane, Memphis, and Houston) finished the game with 237 yards of total offense and 2 TDs. Escaping sacks and lengthening plays, Smith broke loose for two touchdown runs (51 yards and 10 yards) in the first quarter to give his team a 14-0 lead. After the two scores, the St. James offense went cold for most of the game. Before the conclusion of the first quarter, Destrehan’s Damarius Jackson found Quincy Brown (6th ranked player in 2020, top offers include Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, and Florida) for a 70+ yard reception to set up the Destrehan offense inside the five-yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, Damarius Jackson put Destrehan on the board with a one-yard keeper to cut the lead in half. The next score of the half was when Destrehan kicker William Bryant connected on a 32-yarder to put the halftime score at 14-10. The second half was dominated by the St. James defense and special teams. Huge plays by Tyler Steib, Savion Jones, Lamon Lewis, and J’Kory Ester greatly contributed to the Wildcats win. With 5 minutes left in the third, Tyler Steib (offer from UTSA) blocked a punt attempt and DL Savion Jones (top offers include Florida, Houston, and Virginia) returned the ball 20 yards for a touchdown to bring the lead to 21-10. Steib discussed the bigtime play saying, “On the blocked punt, my teammate Savion Jones looked at me and told me ‘go get it’, and that’s exactly what I did... I blocked the punt and luckily, he was there behind me to scoop it and score it. It gave us an extra touchdown going into the fourth quarter, and that was the extra boost that we needed.” In the fourth, Alec Mahler knocked in a 35-yard field goal to bring the lead to 24-10 with 10:49 left. Destrehan’s next drive ended with a St. James touchdown after DB J’Kory Ester picked off a pass and returned the ball 90 yards for the score. The play shut down the whole stadium as everyone went absolutely berserk. Very few times will you see a team show the amount of swagger and confidence as St. James did at that moment. The clutch play gave St. James a 31-10 lead with just 9:21 left in the game. Up until the last four minutes of the game, everything was smooth sailing for the home Wildcats. Everything felt at ease until Destrehan made one final push. Damarius Jackson found receiver Matthew Erwin for a 62-yard TD. Destrehan then recovered an onside kick after the ball hit an abnormal bounce and brushed off the shoulder of a St. James player. On the fifth play of the drive, Jackson found Quincy Brown for an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 left in the game. Trailing 31-24, Destrehan attempted another onside kick with no prevail. However, on St. James’ first snap of their possession, Smith fumbled the ball with 1:34 remaining. Destrehan was shut down on their last attempt of the game. They only gained five yards on their four downs, resulting in St. James fending off the late game resurgence by the visitors. Destrehan’s performance was dry all night until the last four minutes of the game. The offense struggled mightily, but the team’s defense should be highlighted for their performance. After giving up the two early TD’s to Shamar Smith, they held St. James to only one offensive score via a 32-yard FG in the fourth quarter. Newly decommited Miss. St. Bulldog Quincy Brown had a standout performance: 10 catches for 191 yards and a touchdown. Alabama commit Kyle Edwards had a mediocre game until the fourth quarter: finishing with 120 yards on 20 carries. Somehow, they totaled 435 yards of offense, opposed to just 254 for St. James. For Destrehan, they were outplayed for most of the night, but simply started to get going far too late. Next week, Destrehan travels to open their district slate against a much lesser opponent in H.L. Bourgeois. For St. James, they should be very happy with the way they played. Although they let up a little bit in the final minutes, they should learn from the late game mistakes and return a better team next week. Shamar Smith had a solid game, but the story of the game should be the special teams and defense. The Wildcats found a way to score in all three phases of the game. They showed they were the better team and better-coached. Head coach Robert Valdez discussed the importance of three phases of the game. “A lot of times, kids don’t believe in the three phases. And to be able do that in a big game like this, this is playoff atmosphere in week 4, to be able to do it only validates it.” Next week, St. James travels to play Assumption, followed by a tough district opener against Lutcher at home. When asked about how he made the schedule, Valdez said, “We just wanted to get some real tough games to get us ready for district, to pile up on power points and hopefully make a push to be up top in the power rankings when it gets to the playoffs. To be 4-0 at this time and the last three teams we beat being 5A, that’s phenomenal.” |
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