Coaches: T’bonne was a winner, despite scoreboard

After a week of early mornings and late afternoon 2-hour practices, the Terrebonne Tigers returned to familiar territory Friday night.

The band was in tune.

The cheerleaders and Tigerettes were in step.

And the crowd was raucous at Tom B. Smith Stadium.

Unfortunately, the combination of rust, a muddy field and the defending 5A state champion Destrehan Wildcats left the Tigers confused and mistake-prone in their 41-14 loss.

That was of little consequence, however, to the thousands who stayed through the entire contest.

For parents like Jill Dardar, Friday night’s return to the gridiron was an opportunity to support the high schoolers in the extracurricular activities they enjoyed prior to the storms.

“It’s good to get the kids back into their routine. They really enjoy it,” said Dardar, who watched her daughters Kiaya, a Tigerette, and Kaylee, a band member. “It was kind of hard to get them back because a lot of their friends, they’re all comparing what happen to their houses. There are good stories and bad stories, good outcomes and bad outcomes. It makes a difference with your kids. It affects them.”

Tigers coach Gary Hill was confident in the team’s ability to overcome everything they have been through this month.

“A lot of them are worried about other things, but emotionally, I felt they were here. They functioned well,” he said. “We had some good practices. Conditioning was a concern, but they still had their legs late in the game.”

One of those players putting the trauma behind him was Tigers senior defensive lineman Keith Bolden.

He took to the field despite his father’s home flooding because a levee in Montegut breeched and the collapse of his grandmother’s carport.

“You just got to move on. That’s how life goes,” he said matter-of-factly.

The Tigers did not have anything working early in the game. Third-ranked Destrehan scored 28 points in the first quarter and led 38-0 at halftime.

The Wildcats’ defense forced three turnovers in the first half, including two interceptions by safety Brian Blackwell. One was returned 25 yards for a touchdown to give Destrehan a 14-0 lead six minutes into the game.

Wildcats’ quaterback Wynrick Smothers threw for 142 yards and four touchdowns on 10-of-12 passes.

“No doubt, I thought we came out and played well early,” Wildcats coach Stephen Robicheaux said. “We kind of coasted after that.”

“This is way too many mistakes against a team like Destrehan,” Hill said of his team’s performance. “We dropped balls on the ground on handoffs; we threw the ball poorly; we blocked poorly; we forgot motions; we forgot offensive formations. It just looked like we hadn’t been out here in a long time.”

Destrehan (2-0) added field goals at the end of the second and midway through the third quarter to go up 41-0.

But the Tigers showed life in the final quarter. After safety Jordan Anderson recovered a Wildcats fumble, Terrebonne assembled a 10-play, six-minute drive that ended in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Neil Robertson to Shelton Lamark.

With 12.5 seconds in the game, Robertson threw his second touchdown pass, a 30-yarder to Roy Williams.

“I’m proud of my offense for not getting shut out,” Robertson said. “We just need to correct the mistakes and put this game behind us. I’m already thinking about our district game next week at Central Lafourche.”

Robertson finished with 67 yards passing and three interceptions on 5-of-18 passes. Tigers tailback Darrious Neville had 14 carries for 72 yards.

The way the Tigers played hard to the final play had both coaches singing their praises.

“My hats off to Terrebonne. They’ve been through a lot. They came out eager to play in tonight’s game,” Robicheaux said. “It’s a testament to their coaches and their kids.”

“I didn’t see any finger-pointing. That’s a good thing for kids this age,” Hill said. “We got better at some things as the game went on. Maybe that’s a sign we’re starting to get back into a rhythm.”

Tigers quarterback Neil Robertson is taken down on the muddy Tom B. Smith Stadium turf by a couple of Wildcats defenders. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF