By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

BOUTTE — Lou Valdin’s Hahnville teams tend to peak as the playoffs draw near. Its performance against Destrehan on Friday suggests the same is true again.

Host Hahnville defeated Destrehan, 34-3, to win its third straight game and to clinch a share of the District 8-5A championship.

“We played great defensively tonight,” said Valdin. “We’ve been getting better every week, and we really played well tonight. We played about as good a game as we can play.”

The Tigers and East St. John share the district crown after each finished 4-1 in district play. Higgins fell out of the split after falling to John Ehret Friday.

Hahnville attacked Destrehan’s strong defensive front with an effective running game; that, coupled with a forced fumble and partially blocked punt, led to a 17-0 first quarter lead.

“Things just snowballed from there,” Valdin said.

Hahnville (6-4, 4-1) led 27-3 at halftime.

The Tigers defense has been quietly climbing toward the state’s elite as district play has rolled on, Friday representing perhaps its most impressive performance: it held its archrival Wildcats to just 128 yards of total offense.

Travis Faucheaux rushed 14 times for 96 yards and a score. Ernest Thompson accumulated 70 yards on his 14 carries. Mike Ford rushed six times for 26 yards.

Easton Melancon was nearly perfect, completing 8 of 10 passes for 111 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for two scores. Ronnie Greene was his favorite target, hauling in four passes for 73 yards. Jaylon Bryant caught the other touchdown.

Hahnville led 3-0 before HHS forced a Destrehan fumble, leading to Melancon’s first touchdown, a 21-yard pass to Greene.

Hahnville would hold DHS again, and on the Wildcats’ punt attempt the Tigers came up big, tipping it to set up a short field and eventually another score, this one on a 1-yard Melancon run.

Bryant’s touchdown reception would make it 24-0.

Destrehan (2-8, 0-5) running back Kevin Smith had been on fire entering the game, but he would finish with just 15 yards on four carries.

DHS’ Donovan Isom completed 11 of 16 passes for 78 yards.

HHS’ Craig Ford made two field goals, including a long of 45 yards.