Hahnville quietly rolls on, moving up in power ratings

It was a season on the brink.

With a tough loss at John Ehret and a surprising home loss to Brother Martin, Hahnville found itself at 1-2 and the passionate fan base was restless.

A 20-13 victory over arch-rival Destrehan calmed the storm and since that win, the Tigers have become a quiet but powerful storm, winning four consecutive games.

Now, Nick Saltaformaggio’s Tigers find themselves 5-2 and in control of District 7-5A at 3-0 following a convincing 41-13 win at Thibodaux Friday night.

Speaking on The Three Tailgaters Show on WGSO, 990 AM Saturday morning, Saltaformaggio described how easy it is to go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

“It really is, especially at Hahnville,” Saltaformaggio said. “That was as big draw in attracting me to the job here. We have great fan support. We were close against Ehret and didn’t play very well against a Brother Martin team that is better then people think. It is all about focus, week-to-week and we have to maintain it. We were not only but we are now. The big thing for us is our quarterback has gotten infinitely better.”

Junior quarterback Jha’quan Jackson pass for two touchdowns and ran for two scores while super senior Anthony “Pooka” Williams rushed for 140 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Tigers in the win at Thibodaux.

Hahnville raced out to a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back as Jackson ran for touchdowns of 40 and eight yards and connected on touchdown passes 61 yards to sophomore Daryle Evans and 29 yards to junior Noah Zeringue. Williams added touchdown runs of 48 and 18 yards in the third quarter. Senior Derrick Sullivan scored on a one-yard run and senior Saharold Holmes scored on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter to account for the Thibodaux (1-6, 1-3) scoring.

Jackson finished 3-of-5 passing for 102 yards and rushed seven times for 69 yards.

“We started 2-3 twice previously and won six in a row,” Saltaformaggio said. “Over the last four years, we’re 21-0 after the fifth week of the season. We have started slow frequently but come on strong. We’re trying to work our way up to a higher seed to get as many home games as possible. This is a special place to play on a Friday night.”

On the season, Williams has rushed for 1,139 yards and 15 touchdowns and has four catches for 53 yards and has returned a punt for a touchdown. Jackson is 11-of-30 for 231 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions and has rushed 80 times for 619 yards and nine touchdowns.

“The big thing for us is we have had guys open earlier in the year but Jackson is now hitting the plays and he is much more comfortable throwing it and progressing through his reads,” Saltaformaggio. “I fyou can be good up front offensively and be a good defensive football team, you’ve got a chance to have a special season. We’re fortunate to have skill kids. We even through a touchdown pass to tight end last night.”

Hahnville needs to win out to get a high seed in the 5A playoffs. In the most recent LHSAA power ratings, Hahnville was ranked ninth. The Tigers face a stiff test at East St. John next Friday night, before closing at home against Central Lafourche and H.L. Bourgeois.

“David Baudry keeps me updated on the power ratings, I am superstitious about them,” Saltaformaggio said. “East St. John is very talented and we have to go over there. We have that big board in our end zone with our state championships, district championships and playoff appearances. I tell the players ll the time to focus on the district championships and the rest will come. The prize is every Friday night. We have to keep our eyes on the prize.”