The Westgate Tigers aren’t afraid of road trips

Last season, Westgate managed to defeat both No. 4 seed Northwood Shreve and No. 1 seed Edna Karr on the road, and this season is shaping up to be a similar run to the Division I state championship game.

Before they can make their way to the Superdome this year, the Tigers will need to overcome 5A powerhouse Destrehan.

The Wildcats entered the playoffs as the No. 3 seed following a perfect 10-0 regular season record. After receiving a BYE week to start the playoffs, Destrehan continued their domination with a 35-14 win over Dutchtown and a 21-20 victory over East St. John.

The Tigers struggled in district play this year, dropping games to LCA, STM and Teurlings before finishing the season with a win against Northside.

While the team will be unhappy with their losses, it can’t all be blamed on the on-field performances. The Tigers suffered several injuries to key players early on in the season, forcing head coach Ryan Antoine to shuffle players around to fill in the gaps. Now that the team is mostly healthy, Antoine said that they will have a chance to upset Destrehan.

“These kids believe in each other, and they play for each other,” Antoine said to the Advocate’s Eric Narcisse. “We didn’t expect all the injuries that we had, but we felt once we got healthy that we would have a shot.”

When the two teams last met, the Tigers were routed 59-7 by the then-No. 1 seed Wildcats in the semifinals of the 2007 Class 5A playoffs.

A lot has changed for Westgate since then. In addition to winning the program’s first state championship last year, the Westgate “never say die” mentality has morphed into an air of confidence that permeates all aspects of the team. They don’t just know that they will fight until the very end, they also know that if they do, they’ll most likely come out on top. That makes Westgate a very resilient team that Destrehan will certainly be concerned about.

After picking up early playoff wins against Hammond and Slidell, the Tigers hosted boogeyman Neville at home. After dropping out of the playoffs twice against Neville in recent years, The Tigers showed no mercy to their opponents from Monroe. With a 14-10 lead that lasted for most of the second half, the Tigers added the final nail to Neville’s coffin courtesy of a 41-yard TD run from senior five-star recruit Derek Williams.

Just like last year, that giant-killer game will give the Tigers some much-needed momentum going into the semifinals. Destrehan’s dynamic offense has managed to put big numbers on most of their opponents this year, but Westgate’s defense has continued to show why they are one of the best in the state.

In addition to a strong defense, the Westgate team will also have a strong offense to rely on. Led by sophomore QB Jaboree Antoine, the Tigers have managed to adapt as needed so far this season to pick up important yards when it matters most. Senior all-around athletes Dedrick Latulas and Amaaz Eugene will provide Antoine with passing options, while underclassmen RB Tavais Gordon will give the Tigers strong abilities on the ground.

In addition to top performances from his players, Antoine said that he needs the New Iberia fans to pack the stadium on Friday to give his team the edge.

“We’re going to have to muster up that same type of energy they will have, if not more. It’s going to be a big atmosphere with a lot of fan support for them. We’re the underdog,” said Antoine.