The Jeanerette Senior High School football team turned to one of its diamonds in the rough to secure a 48-14 win over White Castle on Thursday night.

That hidden gem was none other than sophomore running back/defensive back Devine Duhon, who scored four touchdowns on the ground and another through the air to help Jeanerette remain undefeated this season.

For head coach Clifford Paul, Duhon’s performance came after he learned to trust in his own abilities.

“He was really explosive,” Paul said. “He’s finally starting to understand that, if he uses his speed, there aren’t too many people that are going to catch him.”

Duhon’s first two scores came in the opening quarter, at 1:46 and 6:01 into the period, respectively, with QB Zyon Colar improving the team’s lead to 18 before White Castle scored points off a passing touchdown of their own to Caydon Duncan.

Another rushing touchdown from Colar came just seconds into the second quarter. Duhon scored his third touchdown of the night with a highlight-reel worthy run that saw the sophomore break eight tackles and run from sideline to sideline before finally ending up in the endzone.

White Castle scored their second and final touchdown early in the second half as QB Shadrack Allen found his way into the endzone. Duhon answered back with another impressive run, scoring his fifth touchdown off a well-delivered Colar pass to give the Tigers a 48-14 win.

Duhon ended the game with 191 rushing yards and 42 receiving yards with five touchdowns. Colar combined for 161 yards and two touchdowns. 

Defensive lineman Javonte Williams recorded four solo tackles and four tackle assists against White Castle. Tyrae Lively (6 assists, 1 solo), Raymond Jack (3 solo, 2 assists) and Gregory Green (1 solo, 2 assists, 2 for loss) also aided the defensive performance. Jaiden Ward and Zyre Colar each ended the game with one interception. 

Jeanerette, unable to find any willing opponents for Week 2, were able to schedule a bye week ahead of the White Castle contest. According to Paul, the team was able to make the most of the downtime with numerous film sessions and excellent effort in the weight room.

“We did a lot of classroom work,” he explained. “We watched film and paid attention to tendencies and figured out who were their go-to guys and that’s who we tried to stop. We also had a great week in the weight room.”

One of the biggest improvements for the Tigers was the ability to handle adversity without overreacting. Against Patterson in Week 1, several missed calls from the officials left the Jeanerette team feeling unprotected, especially after a Patterson player throttled Jeanerette’s Shamar Loston while he was on the ground. Against White Castle, the Tigers were quick to disengage from any potential trouble and stayed level-headed even when calls didn’t go their way.

“We told them that we can’t win with our hands,” Paul said. “We’re leading, so what’s the purpose of fighting? If you get thrown out of the game, you can’t play anymore, so they need to just keep their composure and walk away and they’ll be alright.”

The win moved the Tigers to 2-0 on the season ahead of their Week 4 matchup against Loreauville. Last season, the two teams met up for a close jamboree game that Jeanerette ended up winning. This season, Paul said he is preparing for more of the same.

“We’re going to go to the drawing board and the coaches are going to figure out what we need to do. As a matter of fact, we’re working tomorrow, so we’re going to make sure that we get everybody healthy,’ he said. “It’s going to be a good rivalry game, a good competitive game, so I just hope that we come ready to play like we have been doing.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Loreauville High School.