By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

DESTREHAN – East St. John has long been known for its offense. But on a night where the high-octane ESJ attack was relatively grounded, it’s special teams and defense took the wheel for a safe, smooth landing in a 20-0 shutout victory at rival Destrehan.

“Special teams are a huge part of the game for us,” said ESJ coach Phillip Banko. “It was huge for us tonight. Our defense played extremely well … a shutout is very rare. It’s a heck of a win. People don’t know how intense this rivalry is. But I’ve been here before, and I already knew.”

It was a crushing blown to an injury-ravaged Destrehan (2-6, 0-3) team, one that now falls to 2-6 this season and one that now almost assuredly will need to win out for a shot at the postseason.

For East St. John (6-2, 3-0), the win meant sole possession of first place in District 8-5A after Hahnville handed Higgins its first loss. ESJ will host Higgins next week. A win there would clinch a share of the district crown at minimum.

The game was contested on Cox Sports Television, as its “Game of the Week.“

In the battle of teams sporting the “Wildcats” moniker, East St. John wasted little time taking charge – it couldn’t have asked for a better start. ESJ scored on the very first play of the game when Deszmann Broussard took the opening kickoff and raced 99 yards for a score to make it 6-0. ESJ would not convert the point after, but it forced a three-and-out defensively. On the ensuing punt, Xavier Lewis fielded it and took it straight up the sideline, going 52 yards to the DHS 3. After a false start, ESJ quarterback Darion Monroe rolled left and found Rashad Green for an 8-yard touchdown. The two-point try was stopped.

Broussard credited his teammates on his return score, noting the tough blocking; he was as proud of his own block on Lewis’ punt return, one that helped free Lewis to find open field.

“We came out here with one thing on our minds, to dominate,” he said. “When you have that mindset, and you get it done in all three phases, you’re going to have success.”

Destrehan looked to punch back. After misfielding the kickoff and beginning at its own 6, DHS drove into ESJ territory thanks largely to a short Donovan Isom pass to Ferman Victor that Victor broke for 34 yards, then a 20-yard run by Kevin Smith to the ESJ 24. But Isom’s next pass, an attempted screen to Smith, was intercepted by Davaron Stockman.

ESJ was forced to punt, and once again Destrehan drove to the ESJ 24, this time methodically. But a 12-play drive resulted only in a missed field goal by Daniel Cimino.

The drive looked like it could nonetheless be a potential turning point, as Arizona committed defensive tackle and ESJ defensive anchor Gerron Borne was ejected from the game for fighting.

“We do miss a beat without him. He’s a very good football player,” said Banko. “He did something uncharacteristic of him, and the official made a great call, an obvious call. We had guys step up to the plate after that. (Defensive tackle) Dwayne Johnson did a great job stepping up. A bunch of guys. A lot of freshman back there … It was a team effort and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Trying to bury the opposition before it could become a factor, Monroe led ESJ down the field, running passing, and even receiving: an end-around pass from Nigel Anderson went to Monroe for an 18-yard gain to the DHS 38. On a second-and-6 play from the 16, Monroe faked left then took off to his right, sprinting past the defense for a rushing touchdown. He’d add a two-point run on a swinging gate play to make it 20-0 with 10:34 left before halftime.

It would be the last score of the game, as a defensive slugfest ensued with or without Borne. Both teams had chances. Destrehan stopped a potential ESJ score after a 43-yard connection from Monroe to Green set ESJ up on the DHS 31, halting ESJ on four straight plays. DHS nearly scored just before halftime, but a fourth-and-3 play from the 12 went for naught when Clarence Scott intercepted Isom in the endzone.

ESJ got just three first downs in the second half, but DHS couldn’t capitalize, having as difficult a time driving on the ESJ ‘D’. Isom and Travon Wright nearly dialed up a long bomb for a touchdown when Isom uncorked a pass from his own 6; but while Wright got behind the defense and caught the ball, he couldn’t keep his balance, and Destrehan settled for a 54-yard gain. DHS would stall at the ESJ 36, its last opportunity of the night.

“Nobody wanted to listen, and just wanted to look at their record. But that defensive line has three Division I guys,” said Banko. “A team with that kind of talent, you can’t just judge them on a record. We knew we were in for a fight.”