De La Salle Claims District Title

De La Salle football defeated Haynes 42-14 on Thursday night at Joe Yenni Stadium to secure the outright District 10-3A title. The victory concludes a five-game winning streak for the Cavaliers, who improved to 5-4 overall and 3-0 in district play. The result guarantees the team a first-round bye in the Division III select playoffs, with pairings scheduled for release on Sunday.

The Cavaliers established a commanding lead in the opening frame, scoring four touchdowns before the end of the first quarter. Coach Chad Mahaffey noted that the team intended to finish the regular season with a strong performance. He stated, “We knew this was on the table coming into tonight, and we wanted to finish it the right way.” The early pressure set the tone for the rest of the contest.

Offensive coordinator Alericq Valentine orchestrated the early surge. On the opening drive, the team advanced 61 yards in eight plays. Charles Irvin finished the sequence with a four-yard run, giving De La Salle a 6-0 lead with 9:27 remaining in the first quarter. The Cavaliers followed with a long strike from Valentine to Garen Lewis. Lewis caught the 66-yard pass in stride for a touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0 with 7:01 left in the period.

Valentine continued to connect with his receivers throughout the first quarter. He found Gio Sanchez for a 15-yard score and Irvin for a 22-yard reception. These plays gave the Cavaliers a 28-0 lead after four minutes of play. The offensive line and passing attack controlled the opening frame, outgaining the Yellow Jackets 248 yards to negative 1 yard. De La Salle ran 21 plays in the first quarter compared to Haynes' seven.

Garen Lewis, a senior, finished the game with two receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. He emphasized the team's adherence to the game plan. “We had our game plan, and we knew what we had to do,” Lewis said. “We knew where we could attack, and we did it.” The Cavaliers extended their lead to 42-0 at halftime with additional scores from Emahd Williams and Lewis.

Haynes scored two touchdowns in the second half, but the deficit was already too large to overcome. Harper Hill ran for a six-yard score, and Darrell Brouillette added a nine-yard touchdown. The Yellow Jackets' quarterback, Brees Westerfield, passed for 86 yards. De La Salle's defense limited Haynes to 161 total yards of offense for the game, holding the team to a low total despite the running clock going into effect midway through the second quarter.

The win marks the fifth consecutive victory for De La Salle following a slow start that included four losses to Covington, Northshore, St. Paul’s, and St. Charles. Mahaffey views the bye week as an opportunity to prepare for the postseason. “The bye week is a blessing as long as you approach it the right way,” he said. “We have to be sure that we’re smart and stay healthy but at the same time not waste the opportunities we have to work on ourselves and get better and hopefully hit the ground running in the playoffs in two weeks.”