Not satisfied: Dutchtown Remains Undefeated Behind Big Night From Running Back Lekedrin Harvey
by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Undefeated Dutchtown recorded another victory and remained atop the District 5-5A standings with a 27-13 victory Friday over Denham Springs.
But the Griffins are far from a finished product.
“We’re not playing championship-level football,” Dutchtown coach Guy Mistretta said. “We’ve got to put together 48 minutes.”
Two weeks after rallying from a 21-point halftime deficit to defeat St. Amant 24-21, Dutchtown (6-0, 3-0 in 5-5A) found itself in a 6-0 hole and threatening to fall behind by two scores in the first 14 minutes of the game.
Denham Springs (4-3, 1-2) took a 6-0 lead on its first offensive series when quarterback Jerry Horne’s 7-yard touchdown to Da’Sean Goldmond. The Yellow Jackets were in position to extend their lead on a drive that consisted of 13 plays and took more than six minutes off the clock.
That’s when senior cornerback Laithon Riley stepped in front of Horne’s third-and-goal pass attempt and picked it off at the goal line. His 24-yard return at the 10-minute mark of the second quarter changed the Griffins’ trajectory.
“Laithon making that play was huge,” Mistretta said. “Not many people can jump that ball like he did. That was exactly what we needed and from then on that’s when the offense kicked into gear.”
It was the first interception of the season for Riley who later added a blocked field goal in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve been studying them all well,” Riley said. “They do a lot of different things. I undercut the route and picked it off and tried to take it to the house.”
Denham Springs coach Brett Beard knew the ramifications of his team missing out on a potential two-touchdown lead.
“You’ve got to finish those drives,” he said. “You just can’t give up those against a team like this on the road. We did it again. We had a bad turnover.”
After Dutchtown managed five yards of offense in the first quarter, the Griffins put together consecutive scoring drives for a 14-6 halftime lead.
Senior running back Lekedrin Harvey, who had been battling a shoulder injury, put together his first complete game in three weeks with a season-high 180 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns. His scoring runs of 1 and 12 yards, respectively, gave the Griffins the lead for good after drives of 13 and 8 plays.
“I tried to hit every gap I saw,” said Harvey, the state runner-up in last year’s Class 5A 100, and third in the 200 meters. “We usually don’t like close games. We’re going to continue to work harder and harder.”
Denham Springs, which held a 318-271 edge in total offense, forced Dutchtown to punt twice in the third quarter and closed the gap with 1:37 left in the third quarter.
The Yellow Jackets parlayed excellent field position at midfield into a touchdown when running back Brenton Paul sprinted 46 yards on second-and-six, and following an unsportsmanlike penalty, Jonathan Bravo’s 35-yard extra point made it 14-13.
Paul led the Jackets with 97 yards on eight carries, while Slayde Daigle added 45 yards on 15 attempts. Ty’lan Haynes had a team-high four receptions for 43 yards and Goldman had three catches for 40 yards.
Horne completed 13 of 21 passes for 142 yards and added 31 yards rushing on eight attempts.
“The kids played hard,” Beard said. “I was really pleased with the way they fought and gave it everything they did. It kind of looked like us again. It was a big-time opponent, and it would have been a big-time win for us, but our kids competed for 48 minutes.”
Dutchtown showed its resolve with a 13-play, 65-yard drive that lasted nearly five minutes for a 21-13 lead with 8:11 to play.
While the passing game wasn’t a consistent source of moving the ball throughout the night, quarterback Dylan Champagne was 3 of 3 for 16 yards on the drive, and Denham Springs’ defense was flagged for offsides and pass interference.
Champagne (6 of 11 for 48 yards) found his favorite target – Rylan Mayeux – for a 4-yard touchdown on second-and-goal. Mayeaux had a team-best three catches for 20 yards.
“I thought that drive was the difference in the ballgame,” Mistretta said. “We had Lekedrin’s big play, and the defense had to make a couple of more stops, but putting together that long drive and keeping the defense on the sideline was vital for us.
“I totally expected Denham to come out and play hard,” Mistretta said. “They’re not going to lose a rivalry game (21-6 to Live Oak) and not come back and fight. Brett does a great job with them. They always play with emotion. I was a little surprised we didn’t come out playing with more fire early. All in all, it was a gut check, and rose up to it and accomplished. I can be proud of that. “
Riley stepped in to halt another scoring opportunity for Denham Springs when he came off the edge to block Bravo’s 30-yard field goal attempt.
Two plays later, Harvey bounced a play to the outside near his own sideline and sped untouched for a 75-yard touchdown with 3:26 showing.
“Once I hit it, you’re not catching me,” said Harvey. “I have to thank my o-line and the people blocking for me.”