Destrehan back in familiar territory

When you make the state playoffs and win a playoff game, that is a successful season by most measurables for most schools.

That is not the case at Destrehan, where the bar is high under Steve Robicheaux.

Under Robicheaux, the Wildcats won consecutive state championships in 2007 and 2008. They reached the state championship game in 2014 and made it to the semifinals in 2013 and 2016. Destrehan was in the quarterfinals in 2002, 2005 and in 2015.

After a second round exit a year ago, the Wildcats are back in familiar territory.

The No. 2 Wildcats are in the Class 5A semifinals, set to host sixth seed and defending state champion Zachary Friday night at 7 p.m. in a matchup of two of the best, most consistent programs in Louisiana. The Broncos have won two of the last three Class 5A state championships, having claimed the state title in 2015 as well.

“We’ve been fortunate to be one of those programs,” Robicheaux said. “It takes good coaches and good players and we have been blessed to have both. So has Zachary. You don’t get this far that often unless you are doing things right and have the people in place to achieve success. We are fortunate to have the program we have. Zachary has proven that it is one of the best programs in Louisiana in any class. We know what we have to do Friday night and it is going to be a tough test.”

Destrehan (12-1) has beaten No. 31 Hammond (22-0), No. 18 Landry-Walker (31-26) and downed No. 7 Terrebonne (31-14) in a District 7-5A rematch contest in the quarterfinals.

“You never want to play someone you played before but I thought our kids bought in and handled it well,” Robicheaux said. “We had a lot of success the time before and for us, we had to remain focused and understand that they were a very explosive team and for our defense to come up and play as well as it did, I was very excited for our kids.”

The Wildcats have perhaps the best skill-set of players in 5A, if not the state.

Senior quarterback and Stephen F. Austin commit J.R. Blood has started for much of four seasons. Wide receivers Quinton Torbor, a Mississippi State commit, and sophomore Quincy Brown, who already has multiple SEC offers, are superb. Junior running back Kyle Edwards is a dynamic player and will be a top recruit next year. He has offers from Arizona, Kentucky and Utah.

Then, there is LSU commit John Emery.

The senior running back is ranked among the top five backs in the country. In the win over Terrebonne, Emery rushed 26 times for 209 yards and four touchdowns and caught one pass for three yards, taking over the game in the second half.

What is great for Emery is that he is still fresh, not overused at all over the course of 13 games. Robicheaux has seen to that.

“John is a special back and he has done a very good job,” Robicheaux said. “In the second half against Terrebonne, we just kind of let him take it over and he did that. Kyle Edwards is going to be a high profile running back next year. The enables us to share carries and when J.R. is on, he is a really good quarterback. Torbor is a Mississippi State commitment. Quincy Brown is a six-foot-four guy who can go get it. Carl Lewis and Joe Washington in the slot have been doing a really good job for us, also. There’s a lot of weapons and we can spread it out. We’ll take what the defense gives us.”

Emery has rushed 201 times for 1,586 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per carry and has rushed for 24 touchdowns, averaging a modest 15.4 carries per contest. Edwards has 96 carries for 668 yards and six scores. Blood has rushed 39 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He has completed 148-of-223 passes (66.4%) for 2,247 yards and 26 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Brown has 31 catches for 537 yards and six touchdowns, Torbor has 31 catches for 412 yards and five scores, Lewis has 18 catches for 244 yards abnd three touchdowns and Washington has 13 receptions for 254 yards and five scores.

Destrehan faces its stiffest challenge of the season against Zachary.

“Zachary is multi-dimensional offensively,” Robicheaux said. “They are pretty much like we are. They have receivers with skill that is the best we will have faced all year. Their quarterback started as a freshman. He has been in the big games and has done a tremendous job. They run the ball real well and they are big on defense. They have a lot of team speed. We definitely have our work cut out for us.”

Zachary (10-2) has been impressive in the playoffs, dismissing No. 27 Sulphur (42-17), No. 22 Hahnville (41-20) and won at No. 3 Acadiana (26-14).

The Wildcats will have to score and they will have to slow down the Broncos in order to win.

“Terrebonne had three great running backs and a good receiver we were able to hold down,” Robicheaux said. “If we can use that bend but don’t break philosophy and force some turnovers like we’ve been fortunate enough to get, hopefully we come out and be successful Friday night.”

Junior quarterback Keilon Brown led Zachary to the state championship a year ago. Brown accounted for 259 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for 106 yards and passing for 153 yards in the win at Acadiana. Zachary overcame three turnovers to win. Nicholls commit Chandler Whitfield had seven catches for 103 yards. RJ Allen ran for a score. Defensive back Tyler Judson and defensive end Caleb Jackson are top defenders for the Broncos.

“You’ve got to get to the quarterback,” Robicheaux said. “You can’t just sit back and let him make plays. He throws well on the run. We’ve got to get a good push up the middle and get him moving around. They are going to make plays. We’re just going to have to score with them and do what we need to do to be successful. Everyone is good at this point. We have to focus on what we do well. They scare you because they are explosive and are used to winning this late in the playoffs. It’s the semifinals. Hopefully, we can get it done.”

The Wildcats will have one advantage.

“We are glad to be at home,” Robicheaux said. “We’re excited. We are a little bit better team at home. Our crowd is great and they will be a big help for us. We are looking forward to the opportunity against the defending champion.”

With two excellent, well coached teams who are used to being here, expect an outstanding game Friday night.