By RYAN ARENA, L’Observateur

By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

LUTCHER – Lutcher’s Tim Detillier is a busy man these days, but he acknowledges the work will be well worth it come Friday night.

That’s the night where Detillier, his Lutcher coaching staff and players will be center stage as Lutcher’s rebuilt football stadium will be open for business.

Last season, Lutcher’s football stadium was severely damaged by fire just after the Bulldogs’ first victory in the Class 4A playoffs.   Had the fourth-seeded team continued deep into the playoffs, the stadium would not have been usable.

It would not come into play; a young LHS team saw its 10-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Teurlings Catholic.

It’s fitting that the first game in the new Dog Pound will be between Lutcher and McDonogh No. 35 in a battle between two of the top teams in Class 4A. The Bulldogs fell at Dutchtown, the second-ranked team in 5A, last week but boast high expectations going forward – a season ago, LHS won 10 straight games after falling in the opener.

The Bulldogs are the sixth-ranked team in 4A. The Roneagles are right behind them at seven. The winner will likely make a strong case to move into the top five.

McDonogh No. 35 made a strong statement in its Monday night victory over St. Augustine, winning a 50-42 shootout.

Quarterback Jyron Walters leads McDonogh No. 35 after topping 1,800 yards passing a year ago. His top target is Kedrick Banks.

The Roneagles fell to Karr in the second round of the 4A postseason in 2010.

Dutchtown’s Landon Collins led the way as the Griffins topped Lutcher on Friday night.

Collins made the most of his limited offensive touches. The highly touted safety got four carries on offense and turned them into 73 yards and two touchdowns, coming from 8 and 62 yards.

Daniel Taylor had a strong game for the Bulldogs, running 26 times for 181 yards and a 3-yard score that gave LHS some third quarter life, cutting Dutchtown’s 170 lead to 17-8; Taylor rushed for the ensuing two-point conversion as well.

But Collins’ 62 yard run with 6:29 left in the third quarter put the Griffins ahead by two scores again. Mason Nickens finished things off with a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:44 left to play, his second score of the night.

The game was close in terms of total yardage, Dutchtown outgaining Lutcher 260-240. Each team allowed few passing yards, while each was also able to run effectively.

But Dutchtown gained separation by winning the turnover battle (3 takeaways to one) and holding Lutcher to just two-of-10 third down conversions. Dutchtown converted a healthy seven of its 13.