Plaquemine downs Istrouma, wins fourth straight game
PLAQUEMINE — Plaquemine rolled past Istrouma for its fourth straight victory and remained undefeated in District 6-4A with a 48-8 win at Green Devil Stadium on Friday night.
Hakeem Deggs forced three turnovers — two fumbles and an interception — and had 168 all-purpose yards with one touchdown. Quarterback Rickey Aro completed 7-of-12 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 96 yards on the ground with two more rushing touchdowns.
Julius Maracalin ran for 94 yards on 11 carries.
“We started off the season about as bad as you can imagine,” said Plaquemine coach Paul Distefano. “But we’re now on a four-game winning streak. … We’re aiming for a district championship.”
Istrouma managed 143 yards, led by Marquise Kaigler, who threw for 95 yards and added 37 rushing. Kaigler had the only Istrouma touchdown.
Plaquemine controlled the ball most of the first half, jumping out to a 28-0 halftime lead. The Green Devils held Istrouma to just 48 yards on 14 plays in the opening half.
Deggs kicked off the scoring for Plaquemine on a 21-yard touchdown run that capped a nine-play, 70-yard drive. Two Istrouma offensive plays later, Deggs picked off Kaigler to set up the next PHS touchdown.
After three straight running plays, Aro found Thomas for a 28-yard TD pass. The two players connected again on Plaquemine’s next possession, this time from 57 yards out.
“I was proud of the fact that we got out to an early lead,” Distefano said. “Our passing game improved tonight. Our quarterback did a good job. Thomas hasn’t gotten the ball as much as he probably should this year.”
The Green Devils defense then held Istrouma to a three-and-out, and Plaquemine mounted a 14-play, 74-yard touchdown drive capped off by a 1-yard run by Myron Jack. Maracalin had six carries for 50 rushing yards on the drive.
Plaquemine nearly added to its lead late in the first half after Deggs forced a fumble, but Darius Robinson picked off Aro at the goal line to keep the score 28-0 at halftime.
Both teams turned the ball over to open the second half. After Plaquemine forced an Istrouma punt, the Green Devils went 76 yards on six plays to jump ahead 35-0. Aro scored from 21 yards out. Maracalin contributed 31 rushing yards on the drive.
On the next Istrouma possession, Kaigler launched a deep pass into the end zone from the 30-yard line, but Deggs came up with his second interception. Aro then got his second rushing TD on a 30-yard score.
“Hakeem had a great game, which he does every week,” Distefano said, “offensively and defensively.”
Istrouma avoided a shutout with a 50-yard scoring drive capped off by a 7-yard TD run by Kaigler, who totaled 58 rushing yards on the drive and had a 11-yard completion.
Plaquemine tacked on one more score in the waning minutes on a 10-yard TD run by backup quarterback D’morea Wicks.