Defining Moment: St. Michael Relies on Suffocating Defense to Pave Way in 7-0 District Victory over Istrouma

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

St. Michael the Archangel’s defense found itself facing its biggest test in the early portion of the 2024 season.

The Warriors passed with flying colors.

St. Michael forced four turnovers and limited Istrouma to less than 100 yards of offense in a 7-0 victory in District 6-4A play at Olympia Stadium.

“We talked about that all week,” St. Michael defensive end Jackson Samson, who recovered a pair of fumbles. “We knew they had their guys. We knew we had to keep those guys in check and as long as we did that, we knew we were going to come away with a win.”

Jackson’s first fumble recovery on the third play of the game proved pivotal in the only score of the game.

With Class 4A All-State selection Kyree Paul back in shotgun formation, the ball was snapped over his head and Jackson came flying in for the recovery at Istrouma’s 30-yard line less than two minutes into the game.

The Warriors needed five plays to score in just over three minutes, also taking advantage of a pair of defensive offside penalties, to set up running back John Martinez’s 3-yard run over the left side and Ben Jones added the extra point at the 7:57 mark.

“That’s all we needed,” Martinez said. “Our defense stood up, stopping Kyree and their offense the whole time.”

St. Michael (2-1, 2-0 in 6-4A) ended five other drives in Istrouma territory but wasn’t able to extend its lead. Istrouma’s Dyion Chavers came up with an interception of quarterback Brock Hamilton at the Indians’ 5 with 14 seconds left before halftime, and Jones pushed a 32-yard field goal attempt to the left at the 2:01 mark of the third quarter.

“The defense played lights out,” said Istrouma football coach Sid Edwards, whose unit allowed 178 yards and forced a pair of turnovers led by linebacker Darryon Simmons. “I’m proud of them. We’re a little short-handed. They played as hard as they could. It’s hard to win against a quality, well-coached football team like them.”

This year’s matchup was in stark contrast to the 2023 edition when St. Michael outlasted Istrouma, 49-34, in what turned into a competitive district race won by Plaquemine in the final week of the regular season.

The Warriors registered their second straight shutout after silencing Tara (46-0) the previous week. They limited Istrouma (2-1, 1-1) to 98 total yards and more importantly, kept Paul in check on 12 carries for 52 yards. He also completed 3-of-6 passes for five yards and combined for 66 yards on kickoff returns.

“That’s what it’s all about,” St. Michael football coach Zach Leger said. “All phases of the game. All of them were on point and all of them did their job at some point in time. That’s all you can ask.”

St. Michael continually kept Istrouma’s pinned on its side of the field, forcing the Indians to begin drives at their own 18, 14, and 6. 

Istrouma began its only series on St. Michael’s side of the field midway through the second quarter and held onto the ball for six plays and 4 ½ minutes when freshman Ethan Sutton intercepted Paul at the Warriors’ 5-yard line with 10:26 showing.

It was the first time the Indians, who were averaging 40 points, were shut out since a 50-0 loss to Plaquemine on Sept. 23, 2022.

“A lot of it was scheme and coaching,” Edwards said. “I’ve got what I consider is one of the best players (Paul) in the state and they did a really good job of being where he was all night. We played him at quarterback, tailback, slot, and wide receiver and we just couldn’t get a whole lot going.”

Istrouma tried a variety of matchups to crack St. Michael’s defense, lining up Paul, Elijah Parker, and Jeremiah Coleman at quarterback. After being held to one yard of offense in the first quarter, the Indians showed signs of life near the end of the first quarter and into the start of the second.

They converted on fourth-and-three with Paul under center, rolling to his right on a five-yard carry and the team’s initial first down to St. Michael’s 26. Three plays later, though, Sutton picked off Paul to end the threat.

At the end of Paul’s longest offensive play of the game – a 15-yard gain – he had the ball punched out and recovered by Samson at the Indians’ 48 with 3:16 left before halftime.

“We knew he was fast, and we had to contain him,” Samson said. “Me and our defensive end (Blaine Rodrigue) had to contain him, and we did our job and everybody else did their job, and that results in a win.”

Edwards also lamented his team’s tendency to commit pre-snap penalties – both on offense and defense. Of the 13 infractions against Istrouma, four were for either illegal procedure or false starts, while the defense was guilty of jumping offsides five times, three of which resulted in first downs for the Warriors.

“It just felt like we were stuck in mud,” Edwards said. “We’re not a great first-and-15 or second-and-20 team and that’s how we had to play the whole night. That’s on us. We had no rhythm and just didn’t feel right all night on offense.”

After Jones’ failed field goal attempt to give St. Michael a two-score lead, the Warriors relied on the capable legs of Martinez to keep the ball away from Istrouma and put the game away.

Martinez, who became the school’s third all-leading rusher with 2,140 yards, led St. Michael with 35 attempts for 113 yards. He carried on 21 of his team’s final 26 plays that featured eight of the last nine plays of the game, helping the Warriors consume the final 5:45 of the game (for a 29-19 advantage in time of possession) that finished with Hamilton taking a knee.

“We’ve got to clean up the mistakes in the red zone,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to fix that if we want to be a playoff-contending team and win playoff games. We knew Istrouma was a top team in the district. They blew out McKinley (38-6) last week and McKinley’s always beaten us. This was a good win for us.”