By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – A tornado of controversy and upheavel has swept through Reserve in the past week. Somehow, East St. John won a football game along the way.

The Wildcats (8-0, 3-0) remained undefeated after downing rival Destrehan by a convincing 49-14 score.

It came in the wake of the departure of head coach and athletic director Larry Dauterive, who resigned Friday morning amid controversy after comments he made at a New Orleans Quarterback Club meeting were construed as offensive to some. Dauterive spoke at the meeting of the challenges facing a white coach at a predominantly black school. Dauterive’s run at the school ended in his ninth year there.

In his stead stands coach Ronald Barrilleaux, an assistant during Dauterive’s entire tenure. Barrilleaux, who was the team’s offensive coordinator, was the man in charge as ESJ downed Destrehan and was pleased with how his players responded.

“The kids came out and played hard, the same way they practiced all week long,” said Barrilleaux. I couldn’t have asked for anything more than what they gave.”

But the road gets no easier for ESJ, and the stakes only go up from here. No. 6 East St. John hosts No. 4 Dutchtown (8-0, 3-0) Friday night at Joe Keller Stadium in a matchup of the last two undefeated teams in District 6-5A.

Dutchtown squeaked by No. 9 Hahnville last week, 13-10, to remain undefeated. It is led by quarterback Leon Blouin and running back Effrim Reed, a duo that has charged the Griffins to an average of 30 points per game.

But when called upon, the defense has been just as stout. It has allowed over 14 points just once this season.

“They boast speed on offense and the defense is very good. Most importantly, they don’t make mistakes,” said Barrilleaux.

East St. John has outgunned all of its opponents this season, averaging 43 points a game. Both Dauterive and Barrilleaux have referred to the defense as the team’s “Achilles’ heel” this season. But the unit stepped up in a big way Friday, holding Destrehan to 14 points.

D’haquille Williams scored two long touchdowns. Andrew Taylor finished the evening with seven carries for a game-high 111 yards and two touchdowns.

For Barrilleaux, there is no grace period. After taking over and coaching on the same day, he now faces top 10 rated District foes in Dutchtown then Hahnville.

“It’s gonna be a challenge,” said Barrilleaux. “But I’ve coached under coach Dauterive for nine years.

“He was prepared for every game, and I’ve learned from him. I feel like I’ll be prepared for every game, too.”