By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

“We know we aren’t 25 points better than Destrehan,” was what Lutcher coach Tim Detillier insisted after his team topped the Wildcats 25-0 in the preseason jamboree matchup between the teams.

But sometimes, people just don’t know their own strength.

A 28-point second quarter explosion doomed Destrehan and lifted Lutcher to 5-0, as the host Bulldogs took a 48-10 win in a battle of 2008 state champions.

“I thought it might have been our most complete performance this year,” said Detillier. “The Dingos showed up big time. I thought our defense had one bad week, against Warren Easton. But if anyone wanted to make a statement on Friday, our defense did. And they answered all the questions.”

Quarterback Gavin Webster tormented Destrehan, completing 24-of-27 passes for 350 yards and five touchdowns. For the first time all season, Webster did nothing on the ground, but Daniel Taylor picked up the slack – the sophomore rushed 13 times for 200 yards and two scores. Taylor added another score on one of his eight receptions that totaled 76 yards. Landry finished with 182 yards on 10 catches.

Destrehan led 35-10 at halftime.

“Somehow, we’ve just picked up where we left off last year,” said Detillier. “We had a sense of urgency to us down the stretch run last year. And it’s a credit to our coaching staff and these kids that we’ve kept it going.

“We’re cookin’ offensively. It’s all I can say.”

Destrehan (2-3) was very much in the game after the Wildcats’ Henry Lenox scored with 1:07 remaining in the first half.

Lutcher (5-0) answered though, driving down to the Destrehan 3 before Webster hit Trevor Englade for his fourth touchdown pass of the half to make it 28-10 with 22 seconds left.

Then the bottom fell out for DHS. The Wildcats fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, and Webster combined with Jarvis Landry to made them pay – the duo hooked up for a 29-yard touchdown to push the lead to 35-10.

“That was a backbreaker,” said Detillier. “We felt them fighting back.

“We just wanted to answer their score, but we did that and then some.”

Lutcher piled up 583 total yards to Destrehan’s 247.

DHS gained almost all of its yardage on the ground, rushing for 176 yards.

Lenox, carrying the load for an injured Marshall Charles, carried 16 times for 81 yards. Lutcher held DHS quarterback Taylor Dunn to 71 yards on four completions.

Webster’s 34-yard scoring strike to Trevor Englade put the Bulldogs ahead 7-0 with 5:32 left in the first quarter.

Destrehan answered back on a 33-yard field goal by Quinn Mautemps with 1:09 left in the first.

Lutcher pushed its lead to 14-3 at the 9:17 mark of the second quarter on a 20-yard pass to Taylor. Almost three minutes later, the lead jumped to 21-3 when Webster and Landry combined for a 56-yard touchdown.

Taylor tacked on two third quarter touchdowns on big plays, rushing for a 75-yard score in the second half’s first minute, then a 60-yarder in the final 10 seconds.

“If you had told me we’d be 5-0 going into district, I’d have said no way, not at all,” said Detillier.

“A lot of media people referred to our schedule as the toughest in the state, and I still believe that. I knew we’d be good but 5-0? I just didn’t consider it.”