Destrehan and Lutcher High School met for their annual jamboree Friday night at 7pm at Destrehan High.
Lutcher won the initial toss and elected to defer to the second half, giving the Wildcats first possession on offense for the jamboree. Destrehan began by testing the run with RB Kyle Edwards against the Lutcher front 7, but found little success and was forced to punt after a 3-and-out.
The Bulldogs started their offense on the ground as well, finding success with their all-purpose, workhorse back and receiver Jacoby Williams. Along with Williams, junior QB Mekhi Patterson got involved in the run game early with a mix of QB draws and power plays. Lutcher was able to pound the ball into the redzone with the help of backup RB Rasuan Storks who burst up the middle for a gain of 12, making it a first and goal for the Bulldogs. Patterson then took it for 8 yards on a QB draw and the first score of the night, making it 7-0 Lutcher.
On the next possession, Destrehan opened up the offense and began testing the Bulldog secondary. Wildcat QB Damarius Jackson connected with senior wideout Matthew Erwin for a modest gain of 5 and the first Destrehan pass completion on the game. The Wildcat offense began driving the ball on the ground, pounding their way to the Lutcher 40 yardline. On the next play Jackson connected on a 38 yard pass, placing the Wildcat offense on the 2 yard line, leading to a touchdown run by Kyle Edwards, tying the game 7-7.
Overall, a great response by Destrehan’s offense, aided by a strong rushing attack and beautiful pass completion from Jackson.
Lutcher’s Patterson continued to put in work on the ground, avoiding pressure and scrambling for a gain of 19, but the Bulldogs failed to convert on the new set of downs and were forced into a punting situation midway through the first half.
On the first play following the Lutcher punt, Destrehan QB Jackson connected on a short out route to standout receiver Quincy Brown, who turned the corner and outran the entire Bulldog defense along the sideline for an 80 yard touchdown completion, giving the Wildcats their first lead of the night at 14-7.
As the half began to wind down, Lutcher struggled to move the ball on the ground, but QB Mekhi Patterson found Jacoby Williams for a 16 yard pass completion on a crucial 3rd down. Lutcher was helped with a pass interference call on an attempted pass to Zack Poche, spotting the ball directly at midfield. After the interference, Lutcher failed to convert on 3rd and 10 as Patterson was swallowed up in the backfield for a sack of 11 yards.
Destrehan’s defensive line provided great pressure on Patterson, with MLB Dylan Gibbs constantly harassing the Lutcher quarterback.
The Wildcat offense began moving the chains with ease, mixing up the run and pass as they crossed into Lutcher territory. Destrehan was then awarded a personal foul, pitting the offense inside the Lutcher 25. Lutcher seemed to be plagued by penalties throughout the first half, needlessly giving away yards at will. When a Wildcat touchdown appeared all but certain, 5’11 senior corner Ivan Clark of Lutcher picked off QB Damarius Jackson for the first turnover of the night for either team.
However, more costly penalties by Lutcher hindered any chance at capitalizing on the turnover and the Bulldogs were forced to turn the ball over back to Destrehan with under a minute to play, with the Wildcats electing to run the clock down to end the half.
It is worth mentioning that Destrehan also committed a few meaningless penalties, allowing Luitcher to shorten the field on multiple occasions. Overall, a somewhat sloppy, but competitive half by both squads.
Lutcher received the ball in the second half and came out passing with Patterson hitting Williams for a gain of 15, and then another completion to Williams for 10 in succession. Lutcher then tested the run for modest gains, with Destrehan’s Gibbs seemingly always in pursuit of the ball carriers as he racked up tackles for the Wildcat defense. Lutcher then fumbled the ball, granting Destrehan its first turnover of the night with a recovery by Linebacker Dylan Whitted.
Destrehan mixed up their play calling with good gains both through the air and ground, which was aided by a pair of back-to-back 15 yard penalties by the Lutcher defense. Immediately after the two penalties, Lutcher committed yet another, placing the ball inside the 5 yard line for the Wildcat offense. Destrehan’s Razan Keller would take it up the middle for a Wildcat touchdown, furthering their lead to 21-7.
Gibbs continued to apply pressure on Lutcher QB Patterson, hitting him in the backfield for a loss of 3 following the Destrehan score. However, Patterson seemed to have a knack for avoiding the sack at times, and would scramble to the outside for a gain of 15. A sort of chess match formed between Lutcher’s patterson and Destrehan’s Gibbs. Patterson has an uncanny ability to turn nothing into positive plays, while Gibbs constantly shadows his back, coming up with tackles and flocking to the ball carrier with great awareness. Behind a theatrical run by Patterson, breaking a sure sack, the Lutcher QB found the edge again and scrambled for a gain of 28 yards into Wildcat territory. Patterson scrambled another time for a gain of 10, then on the next play completed a 20 yard touchdown pass to D’Wayne’ Winfield, making it 21-14.
Destrehan responded by pounding the ball constantly until they crossed midfield and were yet again helped by another Lutcher penalty, which then led to a 33 yard rushing touchdown by Wildcat RB Kyle Edwards. 28-14 Destrehan lead with 4 minutes remaining in the game.
Destrehan’s defense would then force another fumble and recovery by Dylan Gibbs, giving the Wildcats football inside the Lutcher 10 yard line. Destrehan would pick up an easy touch down on the ground, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Lutcher Bulldogs as time expired. The Destrehan Wildcats would go on to win the game 35-14 in front of their home crowd.
Next week, Lutcher travels to face Amite for their regular season matchup, while Destrehan will host Bonnabel High. Both games are set for a 7pm kickoff on Friday, Sept. 6th.
