By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

DESTREHAN — Destrehan has had a year to heal and learn from its 2013 semifinal loss to Acadiana. This week, they’ll have a chance to avenge it.

The two teams face off at 7 p.m. Saturday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the Class 5A state championship game. Acadiana will attempt to repeat as state champion after earning that crown a year ago. Destrehan hopes to win its first title since back-to-back championship wins in 2007 and 2008.

Destrehan hasn’t lost a game since that 2013 trip to Acadiana, and a second straight undefeated regular season paid off in a big way for the Wildcats. Destrehan had to travel just once in the first four rounds of the postseason and hasn’t had to leave the River Region, its lone road trip a bus ride over to East St. John.

DHS earned the fourth seed in the postseason and dominated No. 29 Pineville to set the tone for another long playoff run, winning 54-0.

The aforementioned game at East St. John came in the regional round. Destrehan collected a second consecutive one-sided win, taking a 68-14 win from its district foe just two weeks after a 28-14 DHS win over ESJ in the final game of the regular season.  

The quarterfinals saw Destrehan host, this time facing another familiar face: archrival Hahnville in a St. Charles Parish showdown.

Like the regular season meeting between the teams, Destrehan pulled away after a tight first half, outlasting the Tigers 24-12.

Last week was the most dramatic of Destrehan’s postseason wins, shaking off a furious West Monroe second half comeback to secure a 27-22 win, punching its ticket to the Superdome.   

Acadiana suffered its first four-loss regular season in the 11-year Ted Davidson era as Wreckin’ Rams coach (not counting a 2010 season that saw the team forfeit five of its nine regular season victories due to a violation), but this was not an easy team to beat by any stretch.

The team’s losses came at the hands of Rummel, Barbe, Carencro and Shades Valley of Alabama,  a quartet boasting a combined 36-9 record.

Just one of those losses have come in the past nine games.

Acadiana has won five consecutive games, beginning with a 42-14 win over New Iberia in the final week of the regular season.

Acadiana earned the No. 15 seed in 5A after its 6-4 campaign and quickly went to work, dominating No. 18 seed St. Amant 37-0.

Next came No. 2 seeded Ponchatoula. The Rams outlasted the Green Wave, ousting a team with high expectations by a narrow 38-28 margin.

For a second straight week, Acadiana hit the road, this time for a quarterfinal game at Mandeville. The Rams were 28-14 winners in that one.

Zachary was the final obstacle to the Superdome for Acadiana, who hosted last week’s semifinal game between the teams and won a defensive slugfest, 9-3.

Tickets for the state championship will be on sale at Destrehan High School from 9:30 a.m to 1 p.m. through Thursday.

Limited Reserved tickets are $16 and General admission tickets are $13.