History was made Friday night in Sterlington.
The Jena Giants overcame a two-touchdown halftime deficit to defeat the Sterlington Panthers 34-28, earning the program’s first victory over Sterlington in school history.
After losing to the Panthers each of the previous two seasons, including last year’s Division III Non-Select state championship game, Jena finally broke through — and did it in dramatic fashion.
Sterlington appeared to be in control at halftime, taking a 28-14 lead into the locker room. But instead of allowing the deficit to derail them, the Giants regrouped and came out with a completely different mindset in the second half.
Jena head coach Jay Roark praised his team for its ability to stay focused and respond to adversity.
Roark said he was especially proud of how the Giants were able to “lock in” going into halftime, despite trailing by two touchdowns.
The Giants’ rushing attack ultimately proved too much for the Panthers.
Jena finished with 360 rushing yards on 50 attempts and 17 first downs.
Junior running back Kaeden Kittlin continued his outstanding start to the season, carrying the ball 22 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior running back Daniel Hatcher delivered another huge performance, rushing 21 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns.
But Hatcher saved his biggest run for the biggest moment.
With less than three minutes in the game, all Sterlington had to do was run out the clock to preserve the win. Then destiny struck. Sterlington quarterback J-Rob Breen put the ball on the ground as he was hit by Cash Richerson.
Jena’s Jonathan Willis recovered the fumble, giving the Giants possession and an opportunity to complete the comeback.
Jena took advantage.
With less than a minute remaining, Hatcher powered his way into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown run, giving the Giants a 34-28 lead.
The defense then held on to secure one of the most memorable victories in Jena football history.
The Jena defense produced several key performances throughout the night.
Brian Evans led the Giants with 10 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
Senior safety Logan Thompson recorded nine tackles and a
Parker Durham added three tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack.
The defense’s lategame takeaway proved to be the difference, setting up Hatcher’s game-winning touchdown and allowing Jena to complete the comeback.
The victory represents more than just another win in the standings.
For the first time in school history, the Jena Giants defeated the Sterlington Panthers.
After suffering losses to Sterlington in each of the previous two seasons (semifinals in 2024 and finals in 2025), Jena finally got its breakthrough — and did so by erasing a 14-point halftime deficit on the road.
The Giants are now 2-0 to start the season and have already picked up two impressive victories over teams that made deep postseason runs a year ago.
Jena will hit the road again this Friday, traveling to New Iberia to take on the Westgate Tigers.
Westgate will enter the matchup with an identical 2-0 record, setting up another major early-season test for the Giants.
The matchup will also make history, as it will be the first meeting between Jena and Westgate in school history.
After overcoming Mangham in Week 1 and then completing a historic comeback against Sterlington, the Giants will head into New Iberia looking to remain perfect and continue building momentum toward another postseason run.
Two games into the season, Jena has already shown it can win in different ways.
Last Friday night, the Giants showed they can overcome adversity — and make history while doing it.
Don’t forget that if you can’t make it to the game then you can watch all of the action live at www.jenagiantnetwork.com starting at 6:30 p.m. with the pre-game show.
