River Parish vice grip loosening

Last year, Hahnville, Destrehan and East St. John gave our local Class 5A schools the equivalent of a wedgie in their inaugural year back in the Bayou District.

They beat the tar out of the local schools in football, placing first, second and third in district play – posting a combined 14-1 record against Bayou schools in the process.

The River Parish trio followed it up and dominated in basketball, too. East St. John won the boys’ basketball district title, cruising through the league with a 13-1 record. On the girls’ side, Destrehan was even better, pacing the league with a 31-2 overall record and a glistening 14-0 mark in district play.

In baseball? More dominance. Destrehan won the district, and Hahnville finished second.

In softball? Hahnville won district, and Destrehan was the runner-up.

Are you sensing a bit of a theme here?

But for as dominant as the three River schools were over our local teams in the 2013-14 school year, I come today with promising news for the future.

I know it’s early, and my projections may be way off, but I think the River’s vice grip over district titles is loosening. I’ll take it a step further and add that I’m willing to guarantee that they won’t sweep the district titles in all of the major sports for the upcoming sports season.

Let’s start with football.

There’s absolutely no doubt that Destrehan is the team to beat locally when it comes to the 2014 prep football season. Hahnville isn’t far behind, owning a victory over Landry-Walker and a triple-overtime loss to Rummel – the two-time reigning state champions.

But while that one-two punch seems daunting, we have some schools locally with a little bit of gusto, as well.

Start with Thibodaux – the school most regard as the top local Class 5A school. With a powerful rushing offense led by All-Everything quarterback Peyton Bonvillain and dynamic halfback Jayquan Chenier, the Tigers have rushed for more than 300 yards per game and have scored more than 30 points a contest. Their win against Hahnville this past Friday is no fluke. Those guys are good –darned good.

But don’t forget about Central Lafourche. What about them? After all, they are the one behind the one in last year’s 14-1 win/loss record for the River against the Bayou.

With two top-notch running backs, an elite head coach and the ability to control the clock and keep possession, it’s not too far-fetched to assume that the Trojans can knock off another River Parish school to preserve some pride for the Bayou Area.

Of course, South Lafourche and Terrebonne are always battle tested and each will have something to say about how the season turns out, as well.

H.L. Bourgeois may be a little down, but they have talented players and can score points on almost anyone. If you can do that, who knows what may happen on a given Friday night?

In all of the 2013 season, our area’s teams won just one game against the River Parish schools. But in just one week of district play, that total was equaled with Thibodaux’s victory over Hahnville.

Overcoming the River dominance in football will be tough because of the enrollment numbers advantage they have on our area’s schools – something that can never be overstated in a depth-rich sport like football.

But I think their dominance is waning, and I think they are losing their grip. With some of the youthful teams we have in our area, I think those guys will learn pretty quickly in the coming seasons that this area can play some football, too.

But while local schools fight and claw to gain traction in Class 5A football, I think our area is already there in basketball, and I am boldly stating right now that I think Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes will sweep the local 5A district for both boys’ and girls’ hoops.

On the boys’ side, our area is absolutely going to be loaded thick with Central Lafourche returning the core of its 17-11 squad that finished 10-4 in the league. The same can be said for H.L. Bourgeois, who will also be among the favorites in boys’ basketball, thanks to their size, speed and versatility. But don’t forget about Thibodaux, either. They always somehow get left out of the mix. I predict that one of those teams will surpass East St. John and will take home the title once the basketball starts pounding the hardwood next month. It’s not all that far-fetched when one considers that the Trojans were the lone team to defeat East St. John last season in district play, and Central Lafourche returns a better core of its players than the Wildcats.

On the girls’ side, Destrehan was a bear in 2013-14, but I think that bear will be swallowed by a Tiger this year. Powered by standout guard Jewel Triggs, I think Thibodaux will rule the girls’ basketball scene locally for the next few months.

For an intriguing storyline, I urge everyone to pay close attention to South Lafourche.

The Lady Tarpons were 15-11 a year ago, including a 10-4 record in district play. But South Lafourche is gaining arguably the best ninth-grade class in Louisiana this year – a core group of players that were a part of a Biddy International Championship team and a middle school State Championship in their younger days.

Remember names like Traya Bruce and Victorianna Nelson.

Both freshmen have already been placed on the varsity roster, and I have no doubt that each will see some burn before the year is over. It may not all click this year, but I assure you that it will click.

That group of young ladies are winners. They will undoubtedly have success in a big way in anything that they seek to achieve now and into the future.

There’s absolutely no doubt that the River Parish trio came into this area and gave our local schools a swift kick in the pants last year.

But looking around at some of the things that have happened in the past few weeks, it surely seems like things are about to level out and get back to normal.

Be aware, Hahnville, Destrehan and East St. John. The tides have turned.

You may have given our area’s teams a wedgie last year. But this year, it’s your turn to take a few licks.