Trojans earn their duck stamps

            Most people this time of year go to Gueydan with duck stamps in hand for a guided hunt at Doug’s Hunting Lodge. The Trojans of Sacred Heart; however, went into town with something bigger in mind. They went into town looking for their first W of the 2014 campaign… which is exactly what they got.

            Coach Gary Adkins credited the win to how the Trojans responded from the loss at Opelousas Catholic. He said, “The kids were there (at school) Saturday morning at 10:00 ready to go.” He continued to say, “We had a real good week of weight lifting, we had a real good week of conditioning, and we had a real good week of practice.”

            Sacred Heart showed the work paid off with 31 rushing attempts netting 201-yards and 133-yards receiving on 5 passing attempts. Garrick Fontenot rushed for 96-yards, and Josh LaHaye completed 133-yards to Caleb Soileau. The Trojans held the opposition to 235 yards of offense which were gained only on rushing attempts.

The Trojans got the scoring started on its opening possession. Connor Fontenot carried the opening kickoff across the midfield stripe to the 47-yard line. Josh LaHaye completed a 37-yard pass to Caleb Soileau, and Dylan Scully followed it up with a carry into the end zone. Sacred Heart was up 6-points with 11:28 to go in the 1^st Quarter.

            Bevan Dupre intercepted Cade Sonnier’s pass on 3^rd-and-7 setting up 1^st-and-goal for the Trojans on the 6-yard line. Garrick Fontenot on the next play carried the ball into the end zone. The Trojans then went for a 2-point conversion which was successful on the part of a completion to Seth Shipp increasing the lead to 14-points with 9:42 remaining in the 1^st Quarter.

            The Bears looked like they would respond on their next possession. However, Wacen Fontenot accompanied with other defensemen brought up a turnover on downs deep inside Trojan territory. The Trojans ended the 1^st Quarter with a few stutter steps, but began the 2^nd Quarter with a bang. Garrick Fontenot carried the football all the way to the Gueydan 28-yard line for a gain of 54-yards. A Caleb Soileau run was followed up with a Dylan Scully run to the right side for another Trojan touchdown bringing the lead to 21-points with 10:21 remaining before intermission.

            The Bears again looked like they were going to respond on the ensuing possession. The drive was aided and abetted by Trojan penalties and Bear conversions on 4^th down. Gueydan drove down the field into the red zone, but the Trojan defense proved it was up to the test again forcing a turnover on downs. Three plays later Josh LaHaye again connected to Caleb Soileau for a touchdown reception. This time it was good for 95-yards. The half concluded with Sacred Heart up 28-0.

            The Bears were forced to punt on the opening drive of the 2^nd half, but then recovered a Trojan fumble in Trojan territory. Cade Sonnier ran a quarterback keeper to the Sacred Heart 34-yard line. A few snaps later, Malik Criner rushed into the end zone. The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful making the score 28-6 with 6:23 left in the 3^rd quarter.

            Garrick Fontenot began and ended the next drive. He carried the kickoff to the Trojan 35-yard line. The Trojans then convert for a 1^st down on the Gueydan 40-yard line. Caleb Soileau and Mikey Laughlin combined to set up 1^st-and-goal. Fontenot then carried the ball for a 9-yard touchdown run increasing the score to 35-6 with 3:07 remaining in the 3^rd Quarter.

            Tanner Dupre and Seth Shipp each had big tackles to start the ensuing possession on which the Bears looked like they would be forced to punt. The drive was kept alive on a big unsportsmanlike penalty against Sacred Heart to end the 3^rd Quarter. A Tanner Breaux pick up of a 1^st down and subsequent Trojan penalties set up 1^st-and-goal for the Bears. The Trojan defense again stood tall causing them to take over on downs at the 2-yard line. The Bears would eventually find the end zone for a second time bringing the score to 35-12.

            Gary Adkins after the game commented, “We started out fast tonight... we scored really, really quick.” He went on to say, “A win and a victory is always a good thing. It makes things a lot better. I’m just really happy for (the players) that we got the victory.”