By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — The rivalry between East St. John and Hahnville is one of the most well chronicled within the River Parishes. In 2009, each can boast a member of the elite within Class 5A.

ESJ junior wide receiver D’haquille Williams and Hahnville running back Alfred Blue were named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Class 5A All-State team this season after each standout led his team to the postseason.

Williams was a revelation for the Wildcats, a player whom ESJ coach Larry Dauterive calls “the find of the century.” After transferring from Liberty Christian Academy, where Williams did not play football, he joined the Wildcats this summer after its spring program was already complete.

He turned out to be a quick study. In 10 games, Williams piled up 39 catches for 1,014 yards and 17 touchdowns, while adding 133 yards and two more scores on the ground.

“He’s got things you just can’t coach,” said Dauterive. “When you hear coaches like (Destrehan’s) Steve Robicheaux and (Hahnville’s) Lou Valdin saying he’s the best high school receiver they’ve seen, that really says something. He’s like having Ryan Perrilloux again, only playing wide receiver.”

Dauterive said that he didn’t know where the Wildcats would have been this season without their star pass catcher.

“He was vital to us,” said Dauterive. “I don’t know how many games we win this season if he doesn’t arrive on the scene.”

Blue, meanwhile, was a scoring machine, to put it lightly.

He rushed for 29 touchdowns in 10 regular season games to go along with 1,607 yards. The LSU commitment led Hahnville to the Class 5A quarterfinals and a 11-2 overall record this season.

While his statistics alone make the case as to Blue’s value, Valdin has credited his mere presence on the field as a key to the offensive balance the Tigers were able to strike this season.

“He’s valuable as a rusher, but also as a decoy,” said Valdin. “You want to always feed him the ball. But everyone comes out to take him away, and that gives us one-on-one matchups on the outside. He commands so much attention, and that makes it easier on our passing game.”

Hahnville quarterback Brian Ensminger and tight end Byron Gautier were named honorable mention, as was Destrehan offensive tackle Ashton Duhe.