One Special Night: Alexandria Shows Promise in Victory over Destrehan, Primed for Additional Tests

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

Every other year in rugged District 2-5A teams such as West Monroe and Ruston make their way to face Alexandria Senior High at J.L. “Butch” Stoker Stadium.

So, it’s commonplace for the Trojans to host high-end competition during the regular season, but last Friday’s environment rose to a new level.

It’s everything Alexandria football coach Thomas Bachman wanted when he took the job a decade ago, to build the Trojans into a successful program that not only made the Trojans the envy of central Louisiana but in all corners of the state.

Bachman noticed a different fervor when Alexandria hosted four-time state champion Destrehan in a matchup of two top 10 teams. Fans arrived early and in large numbers and were treated to what some observers believed was a signature victory when the Trojans, ranked No. 10, defeated the No. 7 Wildcats, 45-27.

“I thought it was one of the biggest crowds we’ve had,” Bachman said. “We’ve had some 50th anniversary of the school and homecomings. For a crowd for just about a ballgame, and coming to watch, it was probably one of the bigger crowds we’ve had in the last decade. We’re certainly appreciative of the people of Alexandria, and the people that support us and the way they turned out.

“You always dream of those things,” Bachman said. “That’s why you do it, for the big ballgame. To get our kids to embrace the big ballgames and measure yourself is what it is about. I’m happy that we were challenged and played well against some of the elite competition in the state. It’s something we’ve tried to embrace for a long time.”

LSU running back commitment JT Lindsey delivered a performance for the ages, rushing for 250 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, and Alexandria (3-0) produced 311 of its 530 total yards on the ground.

Quarterback Karsen Sellers also enjoyed a solid outing with 150 yards on 10-of-15 passing and two touchdowns. Darius Washington topped the team with three of his five receptions going for touchdowns and 98 yards. 

The Wildcats defense hadn’t allowed that many points in their 23 games dating to the Class 5A state playoffs against Zachary in 2018.

“We have a ton of respect for Destrehan,” Bachman said. “There are some things where if we don’t correct, somebody’s going to take advantage of us.”

Beginning with Friday’s contest at reigning Division II non-select state champion Opelousas, Class 4A’s No. 3 ranked team, Bachman warned of the ramifications associated with looking in the rear-view mirror after such a tremendous win instead of focusing on the difficult road still ahead.

“To be here in central Louisiana was a big moment for us that needed to capitalize on,” Bachman said. “I’m very proud of the kids for the way they did take advantage of the moment. I do get how people can see it. Destrehan’s an established name in Louisiana, a very respected team from our end, and the program they have. I understand because it was a matchup of top 10 teams, but it was just one challenge. There’s fixing to be a whole bunch more challenges coming up.”

Offensive Tint to the 2024 Team

With Lindsey back from a junior season in which he rushed for 1,587 yards and 23 touchdowns on 272 carries, Alexandria had some of the necessary pieces in place to make a splash this season. The Trojans were 8-5 and reached the Division I select state playoffs for the ninth straight season under Bachman.

Lindsey was a Class 5A honorable mention all-state selection and first-team All-District 2-5A selection and had the luxury of three returning offensive linemen to run behind in ’24. He’s already off to a fast start with 59 carries for 526 yards (8.9 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. Fellow senior Vaughn Darbon has 144 yards and a TD on 24 attempts.

Washington and fellow senior Jimmie Duncan were the team’s top returning targets with a pair of sophomores in Sellers and Max Gassiott waging a battle for the team’s starting quarterback position.

Washington leads the way with 20 catches for 288 yards (14.4 per catch) and four TDs, while Duncan has 10 receptions for 146 yards (14.6 per catch) and 3 TDs. 

Sellers has completed 73% of his passes (27 of 37) for 426 yards with seven TDs and no interceptions. Gassiott has passed for 125 yards on 14-of-19 passing with two TDs and an interception.

“We felt like we had experience on the offensive side of the ball,” said Bachman, who guided ASH to a Class 5A state runner-up finish in 2020. “We had graduated a lot on defense. We have a lot of sophomores and juniors there that are growing with every practice and every game. Can you get the stops? Do you have them developed enough physically to compete at the elite level? We’re going to take our entire roster and figure out how we can maximize the productivity of our team.”

Junior linebacker Xzavier White represented some of the experience Bachman had back on defense along with senior outside linebacker Kartez Simon, senior defensive end Elijah Nelson, and junior strong safety Kerrick Gaines.

White leads the Trojans with 44 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Sophomore Jakyrin Griffin follows with 28 tackles and two interceptions, Gaines (23 tackles, 6 TFLs, sack), Simon (22 tackles, 6 TFLs, 1 ½ sacks), junior defensive end Grayson Thibodeaux (20 tackles, 6 ½ TFLs, 3 sacks), Nelson (19 tackles, 5 TFLs, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery) and sophomore linebacker Jackson Townsend (19 tackles, 3 TFLs).

“We’ll play hard, and we can tackle well,” Bachman said. “If we can do those things, then we’ll continue to grow.”

Challenges Coming in Waves During District

Before Alexandria kicked off the new season with a 44-7 victory against West Feliciana, the Trojans faced reigning Division I select state runner-up Acadiana in a fall scrimmage and Sterlington, last year’s Division III non-select state semifinalist, in the jamboree.

“We try to schedule challenging opponents,” Bachman said. “There’s a lot of great districts in the state and I feel like ours is up there and this year, and you can add Neville. We have tremendous respect for those coaches, players, and programs. That gets you prepared for those matchups in the playoffs where you’re battle-tested. You’re not seeing anything as far as the quality of play that they hadn’t been seeing week after week. While the schemes change, the quality of execution and the quality of play you’ve experienced since the scrimmage hopefully helps you.”

Alexandria followed its season opener with another road game against Union Parish, the reigning Division III non-select state champion, with a convincing 41-12 victory, setting the stage for the team’s home opener with Destrehan.

Bachman said his players embraced the challenge which grew in scope for a region whose level of football is often ridiculed on a statewide basis. 

Alexandria delivered a mighty blow for not only its program but central Louisiana in one frenetic evening.

“I couldn’t be prouder to be part of this community and the way they’ve embraced and supported us,” Bachman said. “All we want to deliver is something they can hold their heads up high on not just a local level, but statewide level. The way our kids play. I want them to be proud of the way we’re competing.”

ASH raced out to a lead of 35-20 at halftime before turning it over to the ground game to maintain the lead and take valuable time off the clock.

“I thought we played hard,” Bachman said of his team’s first half. “I’m proud of the effort. We made some key plays in some key moments. But after looking at the film, there’s so much room for growth. Penalties killed a bunch of drives, and we felt we left a lot of points out there. We busted a couple of coverages, and they were able to take advantage of it. I was proud that we were able to be efficient.”

Not only did Sellers find Washington for three touchdown passes, but Lindsey rushed for 153 yards and scored twice in the second half.

“He was impressive in the second half,” Bachman said. “We threw the ball six times in the second half.  We made a commitment to run the football because we had the lead. It was extremely impressive. He showed toughness, a work ethic, and determination to go along with all of that talent. We see it every day as coaches. We’re proud that he got to put that on display for everybody to know what we already know.”

Placekicker Channing Meche and Lindsey accounted for the team’s 10 points in the second half, while the defense limited the Wildcats to a fourth-quarter touchdown.

“It’s what high school football should be as far as the environment,” Bachman said. “We’ve had great crowds, our support’s great. That was kind of a step up who how full the stands have been. It was just another level and we’re very appreciative. 

“Hopefully you continue to perform well, and we’ve got some huge matchups at home (West Monroe on Oct. 11, Ruston on Oct. 25, Neville on Nov. 8) throughout the season,” Bachman said. “Hopefully that’s a glimpse of things to come as far as the Friday night experience.”