Fast start propels HHS
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 1, 2008
By RYAN ARENA
Sports Editor
You might say Hahnville got off to a slow start this season with a loss right off the bat to South Plaquemines.
That was anything but the case on Friday night.
The Tigers lit up the scoreboard in the first quarter of its game against O.Perry Walker, scoring 24 points on its way to a 36-14 rout of the visiting Chargers in Boutte.
Hahnville (2-1) led 27-0 at halftime, and in doing so further handcuffed a Charger running game that was already without star tailback Tyrone Duplessis.
“It makes it easier on the defensive line,” said Hahnville coach Lou Valdin. “You get up big early, and you can let them just get after the quarterback. The safety doesn’t have to respect the play action fake, he can stay back.”
O.P. Walker (2-1) quarterback David Powell was under intense pressure all night – largely thanks to the tremendous play of Hahnville defensive tackle Wendell Boyd.
“He really handled their center,” said Valdin. “He controlled the middle of the line by himself. It let us send guys off the edge to the quarterback.”
Alfred Blue got Hahnville started, running for a 64-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 7-0.
Jai Steib added a 25-yard scoring run, and Brandon Larousse nailed a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-0 in the first quarter.
But the Tigers wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Linebacker Jeremy Sellers recovered a fumble and returned it 19 yards for the third and final touchdown of the first quarter for Hahnville, making it 24-0.
With the score 27-0, Walker (2-1) finally answered, netting a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Powell to Torrence Everett.
But Hahnville quickly dashed any hope of a Walker comeback. Guiseppe Crovetto hit James Butler for a 46-yard score through the air, extending the lead to 34-7 at the end of the third quarter.
Blue and Steib combined for 156 yards rushing. Hahnville totaled 231 yards on the ground.
“(Walker) used the same kind of defense that South Plaquemines played against us,” Valdin said. They put nine in the box, and they blitz like crazy. When you can run the ball against a defense like that, that’s selling out, there really aren’t any adjustments they can make to it.
“When you can run it on that type of defense, then you have them where you want them.”
The game represented the third straight game that Hahnville has played against a team ranked in its classification.
“We’ve played against three good teams. That can only help us in district,” said Valdin.