By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Down to 11 players on the roster, all of whom must play the entire game, East St. John is searching for its first district win.

But it wouldn’t come Friday.

Hahnville remains a game behind Dutchtown and East Ascension for first place in District 6-I, after defeating East St. John 5-0 on Tuesday at Hahnville.

It was Hahnville’s (14-6, 5-3) fifth win in the past six matches.

Wildcats Coach Paul Dupuy said that a series of defensive mistakes allowed East St. John (7-11-1, 0-8) to fall behind early.

“We set them up on two or three of their early goals,” Dupuy said. “Maybe it was the weather, and our guy slipping, but we made some critical mistakes.”

All five Tiger goals came in the first half.

In the second half, Dupuy adjusted his defense, placing starting goalkeeper Joe Perrilloux in the field as a defender and substituting freshman Marco Barrera in the goal.

Dupuy said the improvement was noticeable, and that Perrilloux’s experience as a defender helps the Wildcats eliminate a lot of shot opportunities.

“Joe has done a solid job in the net, but we need him on the field,” said Dupuy. “He stopped a number of shots, but a lot of them he shouldn’t have had to stop. He’s an experienced defender and can help stop those in the field.”

It also frees up the Wildcats’ Ricky Grinstead to attack more offensively, Dupuy said.

“With Joe back there, Ricky can afford to be more offensive-minded,” Dupuy said.