Ariel Lynn Guidry
November 11, 2008
Southern Smith
November 13, 2008There were a few tears on the Terrebonne Tigers’ sideline after a 62-33 loss to Thibodaux Friday night, but the sadness was short-lived.
Terrebonne (6-2, 5-1) lost its shot at the District 7-5A title. However the Tigers knew they would be making their first playoff appearance since 2004.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association announced that 22nd-seeded Terrebonne will play the 11th-seeded Archbishop Rummel Raiders in the Bi-District round on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Joe Yenni Stadium in Metairie.
“To come from where we came from, I couldn’t be prouder of the guys,” said second-year Tigers coach Gary Hill. “You hate to lose this game because the guys worked so hard to get the opportunity. But next week is another week, and we haven’t been able to say that in a long time.”
Where Terrebonne has come from is a combined 7-22 record the previous three seasons. This year’s squad posted its best mark since the last district winning Tiger team in 1995.
For the teams’ seniors, reaching the playoffs is a milestone, but they were disappointed in their performance Friday night.
“It’s a 180-degree turnaround from last year,” said senior quarterback Neil Robertson. “I’m proud of everybody on this team. We fought our hearts out all year long.”
“I’m very happy we’re going to the playoffs, but I’m mad we lost this game tonight,” said senior tailback Darrious Neville. “Thibodaux came out strong. The better team won tonight.”
The 29-point loss to Thibodaux was the Tigers’ worst of the season.
Their other loss was by 27 to defending Class 5A champion Destrehan in the season opener.
In between, Terrebonne won six straight games. They had not won two consecutive games since October 2005.
“What we did this year is a tribute to a lot of hard work by the kids and the coaching staff,” Hill said. “It just didn’t show Friday night. We’re a better football team than we showed.”
Both Terrebonne and Rummel are coming off season-ending losses that cost them their respective district titles.
The Raiders (8-1, 3-1 in District 9-5A) lost to Brother Martin 14-9 last Friday.
Statistically, Rummel appears very similar to Thibodaux.
The Raiders’ defense only allowed a total of 66 points this season, including three shutouts. The offense averaged 31.6 points a game.
