By RYAN ARENA
L’Observateur

DESTREHAN — Will Matthews said he’s dreamed of playing for a state championship for as long as he can remember.

So the Destrehan tailback’s bright smile after Friday night’s dramatic victory over visiting West Monroe told the tale: dreams, indeed, do come true.

“I’ve been wanting to go to state since I was a little kid,” Matthews said. “All of us have been talking about this for a long time, about going all the way. Tonight was all about heart, all about mental toughness. We kept pushing and pushing.”

Matthews and his Destrehan teammates are headed to the Superdome to compete for the Class 5A state championship, after besting West Monroe 27-22 Friday night in a wild game that seemed to have a little bit of everything.

Destrehan (14-0) led 21-3 at halftime, but West Monroe stormed back to take a 22-21 second half lead, setting up a memorable finish.

The Wildcats began what would become the game-winning drive from their own 35-yard line, throwing a new wrinkle at the West Monroe defense: wide receiver John Williams lined up at “Wildcat” quarterback and immediately made rushing gains of 11 and five yards before finding Alfred Smith for a gain of 18.

Rashaun Myles sacked Williams to set up a second and 16, but West Monroe was flagged for pass interference on a ball intended for Smith over the middle.

With starting quarterback Koheon Granier back in, the sophomore passer gained a first down on a draw, setting DHS up at the 16.

West Monroe (11-3) forced a fourth down and inches play from its own six, but Granier’s hard count drew the Rebels offsides, giving DHS first and goal from the 3. Two plays later, Matthews romped through the middle to push DHS ahead 27-22. Destrehan went for two and failed, leaving the lead at five.

West Monroe’s Lushawn Ware returned the ensuing kickoff to midfield, setting up a steady diet of  running backs Devonte Williams and Trey Coleman, who chewed up 19 yards on the first four plays of the drive.

Soon, it was West Monroe facing its own fourth-and-one from the DHS 29. The Wildcats surged through to stop Bolden for no gain, and DHS took over on downs.

With 4:30 left, West Monroe got one more crack at it. The Rebels quickly garnered runs of 5, 13, 16 and 9 yards between Williams and Coleman. They marched deep into Destrehan territory via seven straight runs.

With 1:36 left, it was time for Destrehan to make one last stand: fourth-and-two from the Wildcats’ 28. Coleman took the handoff and got close to the marker, as Destrehan waited to begin its celebration. The measurement showed the ball was short, and the Wildcats sideline exploded in ecstasy.

Everything rolled the Wildcats’ way in the first half: West Monroe turned the ball over two times, each time leading to Destrehan scores.

After DHS took a 7-3 lead on Granier’s 15-yard pass to Smith, Raekwon Morgan made the play of the night: cutting in front of a Robert Scott Foust pass and picking it off — reaching out with one arm, then cradling the ball — and returning it to the West Monroe 19. Four plays later, Matthews was in for a two-yard touchdown.

The star DHS tailback gained just 62 yards on the night, but those two scores were pivotal.

“West Monroe’s defense is awesome,” Matthews said. “A lot of credit to those guys. They gave us nothing easy.”

After a West Monroe fumble on the ensuing drive, Destrehan marched 61 yards, getting most of that on one big play: a Granier to Williams 52-yard strike to make it 21-3.

But West Monroe shifted momentum to begin the second half from an unlikely position: its own 1-yard line. The Rebels went 99 yards, scoring on a 34-yard Williams run, to earn their first touchdown of the night.

Then, West Monroe called for an onside kick and recovered it. A key pass interference penalty over the middle led to a Coleman 10-yard run, suddenly making it 21-16.

Destrehan collected four turnovers on the night, but a fumbled shotgun snap earned the Rebels a takeaway of their own. It took just one play for Coleman to score again on a 15-yard run, giving West Monroe the lead. 

But that lead wouldn’t last; Destrehan’s season is.

Destrehan needed one last first down on its final drive. Matthews took the ball, pushed through for the necessary yardage — and refused to go down, until finally having to settle for a sizable gain to midfield.

And a game-sealing first down.

“I wasn’t going down,” Matthews said. “I would have scored if I could have.”