By RYAN JONES

Special to L’Observateur

There were moments during Hahnville’s 21-0 homecoming shutout of Higgins on Friday night when it became difficult to discern whether Tigers senior Sergio Medina was playing on offense or defense. When he carried the football, Medina, a linebacker who until two games ago hadn’t lined up at running back since freshman year, seemed just as likely to plant a Hurricanes defender into the ground as to be brought down himself.

Medina pounded the Higgins defense for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and Hahnville (3-4) moved to 3-0 in district play.

“It feels good both ways: tackling, but especially running over guys,” Medina said. “I think it’s more of an accomplishment running over someone than hitting someone. … I can read the defense. I just know how hard they’re coming so they can make a play too, so I just have to go just as hard so I can get away from the tackle.”

The Hahnville offense, which finished the game with 31 rushing attempts and two completed passes, methodically marched down the field, and Hahnville Coach Lou Valdin said Medina’s biggest contribution to the team may be his ability to help set a steady pace.

“Pound-for-pound, he’s the strongest kid on the team, maybe the best athlete,” Hahnville Coach Lou Valdin said. “He’s hard to bring down; the first guy doesn’t get him. Moving him to offense might have been the best defensive move we ever made because that keeps our defense off the field.”

The Tigers defense allowed 152 yards on 30 carries from Higgins junior Theron Williams, but it forced turnovers at opportune moments in the game and fought to keep the Hurricanes out of the end zone until the final whistle.

With less than 30 seconds remaining, Higgins (2-4) had possession at its opponent’s 1-yard line. Hahnville, however, forced a fumble, and junior linebacker Timothy Roberts recovered, sealing the shutout.

“Defensively, what can you say?” Valdin said. “We pitched a shutout. We had some backup guys go in there and play hard. We’re where we want to be. We’re 3-0, and we’re still in the hunt for the district championship. I think that’s the only way we’re going to get the playoffs.”

The game began with a scoreless first quarter. On their first possession, the Hurricanes drove 77 yards on nine plays down to the Hahnville 15-yard line but missed a 32-yard field goal. Midway through the second quarter, Higgins went three-and-out inside its own red zone, and an ensuing 18-yard punt set the Tigers up with a very short field.

Medina took Hahnville to the end zone in two plays with a 23-yard burst and a 3-yard score that put the Tigers on top 7-0 with 5:36 remaining in the first half.

The next Hahnville drive spanned 87 yards and ended less than 20 seconds before halftime. Senior quarterback Easton Melancon arched a pass over the heads of two Higgins defenders, and sophomore wide receiver Ricky Preston caught a 26-yard touchdown that gave Hahnville a 14-0 lead.

Higgins fumbled the second half kickoff, and Tigers senior Elroy Williams recovered, setting Hahnville up at the 30-yard line. The Tigers set up to go for a fourth-and-one at the Higgins 1-yard line, but two consecutive penalties backed them up to the 11-yard line, and senior Brooks Vial missed a 28-yard field goal.

“We had some critical illegal procedure penalties,” Valdin said. “We’re down there with a chance to put the game away, and we don’t get it done. We missed the field goal. … We’ve got to finish. We’ve got to be able to finish some drives. Illegal procedure is a drive killer, and they were always called at inopportune times.”

Medina capped the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown run, during which he cut back across the middle of the field and then dragged two defenders the last 10 yards.

“I thought they were about to get me down, but i just kept moving my feet and just kept leaning towards the end zone, hoping i could get in there and get a win for homecoming,” Medina said.

Medina accounted for more than 80 percent of Hahnville’s total offensive output. Melancon completed 2 of 7 passes for 35 yards.

As a team, Higgins completed only one pass and threw an interception on six attempts.

Having finished up their regular-season home schedule, the Tigers will travel to play John Ehret at 7 p.m. Friday in another district showdown.