Destrehan comes alive late in fourth for game-winning TD over Hahnville

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 2, 2006

By CALEB FREY

Sportswriter

DESTREHAN — The Hahnville Tigers were as close to an upset as they could be Friday night as they faced the undefeated  Wildcats in Destrehan, but it was Wildcats wide receiver Edwin Reed who got the last laugh on  his final catch of the game.

The Tigers held tough for 47 long minutes, but in the end, it was a second chance for Reed to catch the game winning touchdown that finally put the Tigers to bed.

Hahnville was clinging to a 4-point lead with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter when Reed dropped the potential game winner in the end zone only to the dismay of the fired up crowd. But on third and goal from the 6-yard line with only ten seconds left, Reed got a second chance to catch the go ahead score, and this time he hung on for dear life.

Quarterback Ramaal Ellis hit Reed in the left corner of the end zone, quieting the Hahnville faithful and putting the finishing touches on another Destrehan / Hahnville classic.

The victory is the ninth straight for Destrehan (9-0,4-0), while the loss for Hahnville (5-4,0-4) puts them at the bottom of the pack in District 5A.

The loss is a tough one for Hahnville to swallow, especially since they dominated the majority of the game, holding powerhouse Destrehan to only nine first downs compared with 20 from the Tigers. Hahnville had a monstrous night on the ground, on their way to rushing for nearly 350 yards to only 157 by the Wildcats. Unfortunately for Hahnville, the only numbers that meant anything at the end of the contest were that of the scoreboard depicting yet another Tigers loss.

Hahnville running back Jordan Stephany was superb throughout in the loss, rushing for 195 yards on 31 carries. Quarterback Early James also hit the century mark on the ground, rushing for 123 yards on 21 carries before having to leave the game due to injury.

Destrehan heads to undefeated East St. John on Friday to play for the district 5-5A championship. Hahnville closes  out there regular season against Assumption in Napoleonville this weekend.