By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LUTCHER — Last year’s game between Lutcher and Hahnville lived up to the hype. And then some.

Lutcher pulled out a 42-34 win in double overtime behind a 303-yard, five touchdown rushing effort from quarterback and eventual Class 4A MVP Gavin Webster.

“It was a classic,” said Lutcher coach Tim Detillier. “When two River Parish teams get together, it always seems to deliver. And for whatever reason, whenever its Hahnville and Lutcher, it’s a classic or close to it. I don’t know why that is, but it is and it’s been that way since I was a young boy.”

The matchup hasn’t lost much luster, if any. Lutcher enters the game as the No. 8 team in Class 4A, while Hahnville is ranked fifth in Class 5A. The Tigers moved to 2-0 last week via a dismantling of Sarah Reed, 56-0 in Boutte.

That night Lutcher shook off a 28-14 loss to Class 5A No. 6 Dutchtown to emerge with a 56-18 victory over Scotlandville, a game the Bulldogs ripped open via scoring four unanswered touchdowns in the second half.

On a night that saw the stadium lights at Scotlandville go out in the first half, Lutcher was largely unaffected, rolling up 506 yards of total offense.

“All of a sudden, they score and it’s 20 12. But we answered the call and took control,” said Detillier. “The first week I didn’t feel like we responded to adversity at all. This week we did a much better job.”

Hahnville is a team fully capable of creating more adverse conditions for any team. The Tiger offense is averaging 43.5 points per game while the defense is allowing 13.5. So far, the Tigers’ pledge to get bigger and stronger is yielding results on both sides of the ball.

Last year, the Tigers rode tailback Alfred Blue. This year, quarterback Brian Ensminger has taken the lead with Blue’s departure to LSU.

But Detillier said that while Ensminger must command attention from his defense, Hahnville’s new tailback dictates the Bulldogs not sell out against the pass.

“Really, it looks like any running back they have that’s named after a color is pretty good,” said Detillier with a chuckle, referring to Hahnville rusher Ahmad White. “(Ensminger) is obviously excellent. They’re as skilled offensively as they are defensively.”

While Hahnville will attack primarily with Ensminger, White and go-to receiver Derek Howard, Lutcher counters with a quarterback-by-committee approach (Ruston Matherne, Austin Brack, Jared Poche), a stellar receiving corps led by Jarvis Landry (112 yards and three touchdowns on Friday) and tailback Daniel Taylor (115 yards away from Lutcher’s all-time rushing record).