High-speed chase ends in arrest
October 10, 2017
Lafourche booking log – Oct. 9, 2017
October 10, 2017
BY CASEY GISCLAIR
casey@rushing-media.com
Mention District 7-5A football in front of educated fans and you’ll hear all about how good the River Parish teams are.
You’ll hear about Hahnville halfback Pooka Williams and how he’s one of the top playmakers in America – a must-see player every Friday.
You’ll also hear about mighty Destrehan and how coach Stephen Robichaux has another team capable of making a deep playoff push.
Heck, you may even hear about East St. John – an upstart program that’s risen from mediocrity in recent years and has become a contender again.
But you won’t hear much about Terrebonne.
And that’s OK by them.
While the so-called experts focus on the historical powers of the league, the Tigers are quietly picking their way through the season unscathed – silencing all of their many critics every step of the way.
Terrebonne has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2017 football season. The Tigers are 5-1 at press-time and have scored at least 35 points every game this season. On Friday, they made a huge statement, routing Thibodaux 48-0.
Coach Gary Hill said he’s proud of his team for their start, adding that the players have a chip on their shoulder to try and prove themselves in a district loaded with historical powers.
“We don’t get much of the attention or much of the notoriety, and that’s OK with us,” Hill said during a radio interview earlier this season. “The kids like that. They feed off of that. They like to have the role of the underdog and they like to have that us against the world mentality. This group works hard and really wants to keep getting better. They’ve been a fun group to be around.”
They score points in droves. That’s fun for any coach.
Terrebonne’s offense is dynamite – one of the best in the state in Class 5A.
The Tigers have junior Keshawn James making plays all over the field, gashing defenses with long runs and precision passes.
James plays everything for the Tigers – quarterback, running back, slot back – you name it, he does it.
He’s one of the area’s leading rushers, and he owns several runs this season of 20 yards or greater.
“Having Keshawn James on our side is making life easy right now,” Hill said with a laugh. “He makes so many big plays and he’s continuing to get better and better each game. In the open field, I think a lot of people know how dangerous he is. But he’s worked hard on his passing, as well, and he’s become more accurate in that area, as well.”
But he’s also not the Tigers’ only quarterback. Their other is quite a player, as well.
Ja’Khi Douglas has come on in recent weeks and has shown the ability to both run and throw, which has given the Tigers’ offense a new element.
Against the Tigers, Douglas played nearly every snap at quarterback and was 7-of-9 passing with 80 yards.
In addition to the one-two punch, Terrebonne also leans heavily on Chaz Ward, Kwan Allen and Brennon Guidry – who all share touches in the Tigers’ spread attack.
On special teams, Terrebonne is also sound with kicker Mauro Ramirez, who is widely considered to be among the best in the area.
Defensively, the Tigers are progressing and getting better each week. After allowing 52 points against Hahnville on Sept. 29, they shut out Thibodaux on Friday, controlling the line of scrimmage to hold the opponent to just 161 yards of total offense.
“They’re coming around,” Hill said. “We’re trying to limit the big plays. They’re coming around and working hard to get better every single week.”
Now, for perhaps the most impressive part: Terrebonne has hardly any seniors on the field.
The Tigers are one of the youngest teams in the Houma-Thibodaux area. That youth was one of the biggest reasons why people questioned how successful the team could be this season – especially in the brutally difficult district they play.
Heck, even Hill had a few questions.
At TGMC Media Day in August, he said that he and his coaches were taking a two-year plan approach to the next few seasons.
At the time, Hill said he wanted to chase as many wins in 2017, of course. But he quickly added that because of the youth, he knew that anything the Tigers did this year would be a foundation laid for next year when almost the whole team will be back.
It’s only six games in, but it surely looks like that foundation is quite impressive.
The Tigers are on fire and are a virtual lock to make the playoffs. If they keep rolling, they’ll likely have a home game, too – if not even more than that.
“We’re young. It provides us with some challenges at times,” Hill said. “But the kids are talented. We don’t make excuses about it. They want to be pushed. They want to be held to a high standard. So as coaches, we challenge them and they respond. They’ve done a great job so far this year.”
The Tigers will take on East St. John on Friday. •
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