By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

The play was so nice that Hahnville ran it twice.

With the Tigers trailing 48-41 in double overtime, Jai Steib lined up at quarterback and ran in a 3-yard touchdown, then ran the exact same play for the game-winning two-point conversion as Hahnville defeated Dutchtown 49-48 on Friday night in Boutte.

The Tigers (5-2, 2-1) blew a 35-7 first half lead but bounced back to notch a key District 5-5A win, one that keeps HHS alive for a potential district championship.

Alfred Blue rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns and added a touchdown reception to lead Hahnville to the win.

Much of that came behind the blocking of Steib, who moved to fullback for the game after both of the Tiger fullbacks were injured the week prior.

But at the end of the game, Valdin knew whose number he’d call, opting to put the game in Steib’s hands.

“We knew we had trouble stopping them in the overtime,” Valdin said. “I was scared that if we kick the extra point, I didn’t think we’d stop them if they decided to go for two.

“(Steib) sacrificed big for us. But I think our kids understand, when you do it for the team, everyone benefits.”

The Tigers overcame a monster performance from Dutchtown running back Eddie Lacy, who rushed for 228 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries.

It was truly a game of two halves — Hahnville owned the first, but Dutchtown matched that effort in the second.

“We played perfect in the first half. In the second half, we made mistakes,” said Hahnville Coach Lou Valdin. “That’s why you had overtime.”

Dutchtown rushed for 324 yards, to 203 for Hahnville.

“In the first half, we bled slow,” Valdin said. “The lead was more about them making mistakes than us stopping them.”

Hahnville only committed one turnover, but had 15 penalties for 103 yards, most coming in the second half during the Dutchtown rally.

“All our problems this year stem from beating ourselves with turnovers and penalties,” said Valdin.

Each team had an opportunity to win in the first overtime, and both were negated in the same way.

Hahnville went ahead 41-35 after Guiseppe Crovetto found Blaise Dempster for an 8-yard touchdown. But Brandon Larousse’s extra-point was blocked, leaving the door open for Dutchtown (6-1, 2-1).

The Griffins appeared to make good when Eddie Lacy romped into the endzone from 5-yards away, but Grant Auzene’s point after kick was blocked as well.

Lacy’s 10-yard touchdown run with the extra point put Dutchtown ahead by seven, but Steib’s two scoring runs from the “Wildcat” formation put the game to rest.

The Tigers scored 35 points in the first half behind two blocked punts and a fumble recovery — Dutchtown lost three in the game.

Crovetto’s 3-yard touchdown pass to James Butler in the first quarter kicked off the scoring. Hahnville would soon be answered by Dutchtown, when Kelvin York scored from 3-yards out.

From there, it became the Alfred Blue show. Blue scored on runs of 11, 4, and 34, and added a scoring reception of 11 yards to put Hahnville up 35-7.

“He came up in a big way,” said Valdin.

But Dutchtown wasn’t buried. Wesley Perkins found Lacy right before halftime for a big play, a 48-yard score to make it 35-14 at halftime.

“Once they were down 28, they had to throw. That resulted in that deep ball right before the half,” Valdin said.”

Lacy put on a show of his own from there scoring on runs of 13 and 3 yards in the third quarter and tying the game at 35 in the fourth with a 5-yard run.

Hahnville had chances late in regulation after recovering two Griffin fumbles, but couldn’t convert either, including a turnover on downs at the Dutchtown 5.