Defense helps carry Destrehan to undefeated season, Division I non-select championship

Wildcats preserve game with two late interceptions to fend off Ruston, 17-10

By Buck Ringgold 

Destrehan photo by Garland Gillen (WVUE-TV)

NEW ORLEANS - Destrehan coach Marcus Scott has instilled a mindset that his defense was going to not concede even a single blade of grass.

While the surface of the Caesars Superdome was FieldTurf and not grass, that defensive mentality carried over into the Wildcats’ biggest game yet - the Division I select championship.

And the Wildcats delivered, holding No. 1 seed Ruston to 10 points, and after taking a seven-point lead with 3:22 to play, they intercepted two passes down the stretch to hang on for a 17-10 win, closing out a fantastic Friday of games at the LHSAA Prep Classic.

“The kids play with pride and we call it one blade of grass,” Scott said. “If it’s one blade of grass, we will defend it with everything we have to keep that ball out of the end zone, and that’s a mindset, that’s a mentality that these kids have adopted.

“They truly believe we can get stops when we have to defend the offense, and that’s a tribute to the defensive staff.”

Destrehan also capped off a perfect 14-0 season with its first state title since 2008, and fifth in program history.

The Wildcats held Ruston (12-2) to 189 total yards, 99 of those rushing. They also forced three turnovers, including the two late interceptions.

Destrehan’s first turnover was a second-quarter fumble forced by senior defensive back Kevin Adams deep in Ruston territory. Anthony Robinson, a junior defensive back, scooped up the loose ball and returned it 8 yards to the Bearcats’ 2-yard line.

That set up a 33-yard field goal from junior kicker Ryan Lacy that gave Destrehan a 10-0 lead.

Ruston did come back on the next series with a touchdown, which was set up by a long kickoff return coupled with a personal foul face mask penalty. It remained 10-7 until 6:54 left in the game, when Russell Brown’s 24-yard field goal evened it at 10-all.

Then Destrehan put together a 10-play, 77-yard drive to regain the lead for good. On the final play, faced with a third-and-8 at the Bearcat 29, Wildcat senior quarterback Jai Eugene Jr. took a keeper and found an open space, going down the left side and breaking a tackle near the 5 to go in for the eventual game-winning TD with 3:22 left.

“The game-winning touchdown was probably me by myself, but I still couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Eugene said.

“It’s definitely something I couldn’t do alone; I’m so proud of my teammates and the coaching staff, and everyone who played a part in this game and this season.”

From left, Destrehan's Jai Eugene Jr., Anthony Robinson, coach Marcus Scott, Kevin Adams and Shane Lee following the Wildcats' 17-10 win against Ruston for the Division I non-select title on Dec. 9, 2022

Just two plays after Eugene’s go-ahead TD, Destrehan senior linebacker Andrew Schafer stepped in and grabbed Ruston quarterback Jaden Osborne’s pass. The Bearcats were able to hold, forcing a punt, and moved down the field in the closing moments.

Ruston reached the Destrehan 32, but with 47 seconds left, with no receiver in close range, Wildcat senior defensive back Travon Thomas was right there for the pick, sealing the win and the championship for Destrehan.

“Those were definitely big plays in the game,” Robinson said. “I feel like we needed those; they were driving down on us, especially on the last interception that Travon Thomas made.

“He’s a big playmaker for us; he’s been a big playmaker for us these past playoff games, and I felt like he stepped up a lot.”

The Wildcats finished the season giving up an average of 6.5 points per game. They had three shutouts, and there were only four games - including Friday’s championship game - where they gave up at least 10 points.

Eugene - a Tulane commit - completed 11-of-21 passes for 158 yards and added 67 yards rushing on 12 carries. Receiver Daniel Blood, a senior, caught six passes for 118 yards.

But perhaps Blood’s biggest catch came on the Wildcats’ second series of the game, as he caught a 57-yard pass down to the Ruston 5. On the next play, junior tailback Shane Lee covered those final 5 yards, and Lacy’s PAT put Destrehan up, 7-0.

Osborne completed 11-of-24 passes for 90 yards, including a 16-yard TD to receiver Aaron Jackson which got Ruston within three points in the second quarter. Jackson ended up with nine receptions for 88 yards.

Ruston junior linebacker Jadon Mayfield had a team-high nine tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He was named his team’s Most Outstanding Player.

Adams was named the Wildcats’ Most Outstanding Player postgame. He finished with eight total tackles, seven of those solo stops, along with a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

Another Adams, junior linebacker Arrington Adams, led all tacklers with 13 total, seven of those solo.

And appropriately enough, it was defense which helped define the Wildcats’ latest championship run.

“I think this was our best game considering our backs were against the wall a majority of the game, considering they were in good field position most of the time,” Robinson said. “But our coaches kept telling us to fight and fight, and whoever wanted it the most was going to come out on top.”