By GEORGE MAHL

BOUTTE – Anytime two undefeated teams get together it usually makes for a close match-up. However, that was not exactly the case Sunday afternoon between 3-0 Hahnville High School and 3-0 East St. John High School.

The HHS Tigers jumped out to a 27-6 lead and never looked back as they cruised to a 48-20 thumping of East St. John before a boisterous crowd in Tiger Stadium.

“I thought the better team won this afternoon,” said ESJ Wildcats coach Larry Dauterive. “We made some mistakes that cost us early on.”

Dauterive pointed out a couple of crucial plays executed by Hahnville which were the contest’s determining factors. Right before halftime, Tigers quarterback/defensive back Laron Landry found Craig Turner in the endzone for a touchdown and the strike made the score 27-6 Hahnville.

“If we would have stopped that, then we would have only trailed by two touchdowns at halftime,” Dauterive explained.

Leading 34-20, Hahnville’s Darius Reynard returned a kickoff for 66 yards to put the ball on the Wildcats’ 14-yard line. Four plays later, Landry scored on a keeper to give the Tigers a three-touchdown lead.

“That was huge for them. Again, we were only two touchdowns behind prior to that,” Dauterive said.

Hahnville scored on its first three possessions.

An impressive nine-play, 81-yard drive was finished off when Reynard ran it in from 14 yards, giving HHS a quick 6-0 lead. Reynard, who finished with 78 yards on 12 carries, added a second touchdown with about two minutes left in the first quarter. The 2-yard run made it 13-0.

An interception by Landry gave the Tigers first down and 10 yards to go on their own 31 yard line.

Three plays later, Reynard ran it in from the 22 yards to put the Tigers up 20-0. The key play in the drive was when Turner ran a 65-yard misdirection play that put the Tigers deep in ESJ’s territory.

The second half saw the Wildcats finally get on the scoreboard. An impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Perrilloux to Derron Thomas. The ESJ sophomore quarterback finished by going 21-38 for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

Trailing 34-12 at the start of the fourth quarter, Perrilloux completed a 16-yard pass to Reggie Joseph to keep the Wildcats’ drive alive.

Thomas, two plays later, scored from the 5 yard line to pull ESJ to within 14 points.

Dauterive said he believes his players are still trying to get used to the system he has implemented.

“We have had our system in for five months,” Dauterive said. “They (HHS) have had their system in for about seven years. It is going to take a little more getting used to.”

Both coaches realize each team will get better as the season progresses.

“We beat a very good football team today. They (ESJ) have already tied their win total from last year,” said HHS coach Lou Valdin.

Dauterive added, “I’m proud of how our kids hung in there today. Now, we have got to get ready to play South Lafourche on Friday night.”