By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

East St. John secured a trip to the state playoffs on Friday night, defeating host East Ascension 34-7 in a District 5-5A game.

The Wildcats (4-4, 3-2) finish the season tied for second place in 5-5A behind Destrehan, along with Dutchtown and Hahnville.

ESJ led 21-0 after a quarter, and controlled the game throughout. The Spartans only earned six first downs — none in the second half — and gained 115 yards of total offense against a stout Wildcats defensive unit.

“We got out to a big lead and coasted from there,” said East St. John Coach Larry Dauterive. “We had some penalties, some youthful mistakes. But we still had 475 yards of offense.”

In all, the Wildcats committed 11 penalties for 110 yards. It wasn’t nearly enough to close the gap between the two teams.

East St. John gained 475 total yards, most of it coming on the ground. The Wildcats rushed for 306 yards against a Spartan front that offered little resistance.

Alex Singleton scored three touchdowns and rushed for 136 yards on 19 carries to lead the Wildcats. Andre Millet added two more touchdowns. Kalen Henderson passed for 150 yards.

The Wildcats led 28-0 at halftime.

Singleton scored his first two touchdowns in the first quarter, scoring from eight and three yards away to put ESJ up 14-0 after a quarter.

His 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter made it 21-0. Millet’s first score came from 15-yards away, making it 28-0 at halftime. He broke a 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, making it 35-0. East Ascension would add a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but by then the game was well in hand.

And so was the Wildcats playoff spot — which is potentially bad news for teams in their half of the playoff bracket.

“We’ve got a quality team when we’re healthy,” says Dauterive. “We’ve had to shuffle the offensive line around, and we haven’t got much depth. But now, its lose and there is no more tomorrow…I like our chances.”