Trojans exorcise the Demons

In the foyer of Sacred Heart High School there is a sign that reads “Through these halls walk the finest people in the world… Our students.” Many of whom returned to the Halls of Troy Friday for homecoming as a new queen Elizabeth Soileau was crowned. The Mamou Green Demons converged on Soileau-Landry Field the same night with hopes to crash the Trojan party. It looked like they would succeed for a half, but the “Do or Die” spirit of the Trojans prevailed in the end with a final score of 28-14.

            Garrick Fontenot and Dylan Scully set the tone early for the Trojans. Fontenot carried up the middle for a gain of 4-yards on the first play from scrimmage. Scully and Fontenot combined for three consecutive 1^st down rushes that brought the Trojans down to the Mamou 30-yard line. After a gain of 4-yards by Scully, Fontenot busted up the middle for another 1^st down. The momentum switched sidelines after a Trojan timeout as Mamou took over on downs. Daniel Matthews of Mamou did his part to quell the Trojan attack.  The momentum; however, did not stay on the Mamou sideline long as the Trojans recovered a fumble on the Green Demon 21-yard line. Scully, Fontenot, and Seth Shipp combined to get the Trojans inside the red zone. Scully marched into the end zone with 4:23 remaining in the 1^st quarter. The Trojans led 6-0 after a missed extra point attempt.

            The Green Demons went 3-and-out on the next series. The Trojans would then knock on the door of the 50-yard line before Joab Perron (who suffered a high ankle sprain in the opening game against Pickering) recovered a Trojan fumble giving the Green Demons 1^st-and-10 on the Trojan 40-yard line.

            Green Demon quarterback Dylan Duplechain thus began his ground attack. He rushed 8-yards setting up a 1^st-down conversion on the part of Kendal Jack. Nicholas LaHaye dropped Duplechain back for a loss of 6-yards.  Duplechain then connected with Daniel Matthews bringing the ball to the Trojan 14-yard line. After a short gain, Ellis LaHaye brought Duplechain down short of the 1^st-down marker. Matthews then carried down to the 3-yard line followed by a quarterback keeper into the end zone. The point after attempt was successful giving the Green Demons a 7-6 lead.

            The Trojan quarterbacks combined for a ground attack of their own on the next possession. Josh LaHaye rushed for a gain of 8-yards setting up 2^nd-and-2 at the Green Demon 35-yard line. After a conversion on the part of Garrick Fontenot, Phillip Vidrine ran another quarterback keeper for a 1^st-down down to the Green Demon 23-yard line. The Trojan drive would stall as Jacob Israel stood tall for the Green Demons on back-to-back snaps. The Green Demons would take over on downs.

            Mamou drove down into Trojan territory. As the Trojan drum line played the theme to The Pink Panther, Jacob Lafleur weaseled his way behind the Green Demon line knocking down Duplechain to set up a punt.

            A facemask penalty against the Green Demons added 15-yards to the end of Dylan Scully carry bringing the football to the Trojan 48-yard line. Caleb Soileau bruised his way down to the Green Demon 41-yard line. After a short gain, Phillip Vidrine kept the football down the right side to the 25-yard line. Two plays later Vidrine kept the football again running this time into the end zone with 2:05 remaining in the half. The Trojans would fail to convert the 2-point play; thus, bringing the score to 12-7.

            Following an illegal shift penalty, Dylan Duplechain connected to Jacob Israel bringing the football into Trojan territory. Ellis LaHaye and Wacen Fontenot combined to set up a 4^th down before Nathaniel Holland converted giving the Green Demons the football at the Trojan 26-yard line.  Kendal Jack would then find pay dirt with 4 ticks of the clock remaining before halftime giving the Green Demons a lead of 14-12.

            Trojan head coach Gary Adkins commented after the game, “We had trouble getting the ball in the end zone it seemed like in the 1^st half. But I knew we could move the ball on them, and we did.”

            The 2^nd half began with the Green Demons punting the ball into the end zone for a touchback. Dylan Scully turned on the jets for an 80-yard touchdown run down the right side. At the 11:10 mark of the 3^rd-quarter, the Trojans led 20-14.

            The Green Demons would fail to take advantage of recovered fumbles and other Trojan miscues resulting in them punting on three consecutive possessions. The Trojans found momentum again on the tandem of Fontenot and Scully. The two carried the ball down to Green Demon 12-yard line before Scully received a Josh LaHaye pass in the end zone. The two-point conversion attempt to Seth Shipp was successful for a Trojan lead of 28-14 with 5:02 remaining in the contest.

Sam Tuminaro would then leave his mark on the night. The subsequent kick off was stuffed at the Green Demon 40-yard line when Tuminaro brought down the return man. Ellis LaHaye finished off the Green Demon attack with a 10-yard loss on a sack. The clock expired with the same 28-14 score on the scoreboard.

Adkins went on to say, “The way we won is really impressive. It wasn’t easy. We had to fight the whole way. We were down by 2 points at half time and just came back. Every win’s a great win, but when you win them like this it’s pretty special.

The mood was more somber on the Mamou sideline after the game. Green Demon head coach Brian Brumfield “thought (his) kids played hard.” He went on to say, “We were in the game until the end, but at some point we need to be able to flip that switch and take control of the game … Our kids played hard. I’m proud of them. They did a good job, but we’re going to have to be able to learn how to win.”

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.”

Vikings pillage Trojans

            The Sacred Heart Trojans set sail Friday night for Donald Gardner Stadium to clash with the Opelousas Catholic Vikings on a night when the 1974 State Champions were honored at half time. The Vikings smashed through the Trojans lines with a barrage of long bows and battering rams from the very beginning of the contest. The Trojans could not withstand the Viking onslaught and fell by a final score of 39-6.

            Sacred Heart head coach Gary Adkins called the Vikings a “very good football team.” He said “they showed you win football games on the line of scrimmage on offense and defense. They lined up and bloodied our nose. We didn’t really respond; we didn’t have an answer.”

The opening drive of the game was a good sample of how the night would go for the Trojans. Eli Waters recovered a fumble which set up 1^st-and-10 for the Vikings on the Trojan 30 yard line. Two plays later David Labbe handed the ball off to Aaron Miller for a 9-yard touchdown. The ensuing point after gave Opelousas Catholic a 7-point advantage with 10:06 remaining in the 1^st Quarter.

            On their next possession, the Vikings punched it into the end zone again as Aaron Miller dragged a bevy of Trojans with him. The touchdown was set up largely in part by a recovered fumble on the part of Caleb Vidrine, who returned the football 17-yards.

            Again on their next possession, the Vikings scored a touchdown on behalf of Aaron Miller. This Viking score was set up by a 35-yard pass complete to Connor Cart.

The 1^st Quarter ended with a bright spot for the Trojans. Caleb Soileau returned the kickoff to the 29 yard line. Two plays later Garrick Fontenot broke through the Viking defenses for a 1^st down at the midfield line as the horn sounded. Dylan Scully and Garrick Fontenot started the 2^nd Quarter like the 1^st one ended for rushing yards that resulted in a series of 1^st downs. The Trojan drive died; however, on an incomplete pass to Seth Shipp resulting in a turnover on downs.

Caleb Vidrine of the Vikings wasted no time in taking the football into the end zone for another touchdown. However, the score was negated on a Viking holding penalty bringing the football back to the Viking 38 yard line. Aaron Miller rushed across midfield to the 45 yard line, and David Labbe took the football the rest of the way for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

Dylan Scully converted a 4^th down for the Trojans on their ensuing possession followed by a 13-yard pass completion to Seth Shipp. A holding penalty and a reverse that went for a loss combined to back the Trojans up to their own 28-yard line. The Vikings intercepted the football on the next play, but a holding penalty and a fumble recovered by the Trojans set up a Trojan 1^st down at their 20 yard line. Matt Castille recovered a Trojan fumble, and Caleb Vidrine found the end zone again for the Vikings with 53-seconds remaining before half time.

The Vikings began the 2^nd half with another score. The drive began at the Viking 34 yard line. After an incomplete pass, David Labbe kept the football and rushed across midfield to the Trojan 40 yard line. Labbe again rushed up the middle but was met by Bevan Dupre, who brought the Viking quarterback down two yards short of the 1^st down marker. After another incomplete pass, Caleb Vidrine carried for a big gain shaking a couple of tackles to the 14 yard line. The next pass was intended for Connor Cart in the end zone but the Vikings ultimately scored on a Caleb Vidrine carry. With 7:05 remaining in the 3^rd Quarter, the Vikings took a 39-0 lead over the Trojans.

The Trojan lone scoring drive of the night began with Nathan Fontenot recovering a fumble at the 43 yard line. On 2^nd-and-3, Garrick Fontenot carried across midfield for a 1^st down. Fontenot then hhconverted a 3^rd-and-2 which brought the football to the 28 yard line. Dylan Scully on 2^nd-and-8 carried the ball for a gain of 10 yards. The Vikings were then penalized half the distance to the goal. Scully took advantage and carried the ball into the endzone. The Trojans squandered the 2-point conversion attempt. The Vikings now led 39-6 with 3:11 remaining in the game.

These Vikings fought like the Norsemen of old and proved they were worthy to be counted in the corridors of Valhalla. As for the Trojans, Coach Gary Adkins shed some hope on his football team. He said, “The kids are learning. We’re going through a phase right now. We’re just going back to the drawing board tomorrow and just keep going. We’re gonna still love them, we’ll still take great care of them,  and we’re gonna get them ready for next week.”

Sacred Heart travels next week to Gueydan. The Trojan head coach “looks at it as one more opportunity for us to have a good week of practice and to go down there and try to get better. 

Pickering picks up a win in Mamou

Pickering came into Mamou Friday night to begin the 2014 regular season. The teams traded touchdowns in the beginning before trading turnovers. The teams then traded jabs like two heavyweight fighters in the ring. However the Red Devils ultimately withstood the test and showed the Green Demons whose forks were more fearful. The game ended with a final score of Pickering 48 to Mamou 13.

Mamou head coach Brian Brumfield commented after the game that his team “played well in the 1^st half,” but it “just got to play better.” He said there were “a lot of missed tackles” on defense and said “the offense did come up with a few big plays.”

Pickering’s head coach John Cryer commented after the game that his young football team “just started out slow.” He said that he has a “very athletic offense that came together” and has a “hurry-up defense.” He concluded by saying his team “did a good job of executing.”

Mamou ran the opening kickoff back to the 30-yard line. Kendal Jack carried for 1-yard to bring up 2^nd down and 9. On the next play, Pickering got the scoring started when it picked up a fumble for a touchdown with 10:59 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was good, and Pickering led 7-0.

Mamou returned the kickoff to the 21-yard line. Dylan Duplechain threw a pass complete to Nathaniel Holland for 6-yards and later on the drive ran for a quarterback keeper that was good enough for a Mamou first down at the 35 yard line. Kendal Jack and Daniel Matthews combined to rush for a first down at midfield. The drive subsequently stalled, and Hunter Israel punted the football into the end zone for a touchback.

As the rain began to fall slightly on the ensuing Pickering possession, Mamou picked up a fumble at the Pickering 24 yard line. Mamou capped off the drive with a 25-yard touchdown completion to Jacob Israel in the corner of the end zone; however, the point after was blocked. Mamou trailed 7-6 with 5:27 remaining in the first quarter.

Pickering’s next drive stalled before an offsides penalty on Mamou gave Pickering a first down at the Mamou 30 yard line. Pickering then gashed the line for a first down to the 14 yard line. Mamou’s defense withstood the test and forced Pickering to turn the ball over on downs.

Joab Perron of Mamou went down on the subsequent drive with an apparent leg injury and was carted off the field. Head coach Brian Brumfield commented, “the momentum died” with the injury.

The second quarter began with a Mamou punt. The drive resulted in a Pickering touchdown from 7-yards out. The extra point was no good. Pickering led Mamou 13 to 6.

Mamou ran the kickoff back to the 45-yard line. Dylan Duplechain had a 40-yard run negated by a holding penalty. Duplechain quickly fired a pass complete to Kendal Jack at midfield for a gain of 20 yards resulting in 3^rd down and 5. Nathaniel Holland caught the next pass at the 40 yard line which was good enough for a first down. Mamou saw it’s drive begin to sputter as the rain lightly fell again; however, a roughing the passer penalty and an unsportsmanlike penalty on Pickering gave the drive new life. Duplechain then carried the ball for a 6-yard touchdown that was brought back because of a holding penalty. A pass interference penalty on behalf of Pickering gave Mamou an automatic first down. Mamou then tied up the ball game with a touchdown carry and a made point after attempt with 7:02 remaining in the second quarter.

The tied game was short lived as 20 seconds later Pickering carried a screen pass for a 72-yard touchdown that resulted in a 2-point conversion. Pickering led Mamou 21-13.

Nathaniel Holland of Mamou returned the kickoff to midfield; however after an official time out, Pickering intercepted the next pass from Mamou. Robbie Deshotel and Daniel Matthews also of Mamou both made big defensive plays resulting in a recovered fumble at the Mamou 12 yard line. Pickering then returned the favor by intercepting a pass in the end zone.

            The next Pickering possession began with a 30-yard gain followed by a Mamou personal foul penalty which brought the ball to the 46-yard line. After completing a pass for 15-yards, the Pickering quarterback ran for a 1^st down to the Mamou 10-yard line. A holding penalty backed up Pickering 10-yards before scoring on a pass completion in the end zone. The point after attempt was good giving Pickering a 28-13 lead with 2:12 remaining before half time.

The next Mamou possession resulted in a Pickering interception and touchdown increasing the deficit to 22 points at the half.

The tailback for Pickering carried the ball to the 48-yard line to commence the 2^nd half for a gain of 24 yards. Pickering then began to wear Mamou down as the same tailback carried the football for a touchdown. The point after was no good, and with 8:55 remaining in the 3^rd quarter Pickering led 41-13. The rout was on.

Mamou on the ensuing possession looked like it was going nowhere before another roughing the passer penalty on behalf of Pickering gave Mamou a 1^st down and brought the ball to the 42 yard line. The drive ultimately stalled again as Mamou was forced to punt. Robbie Deshotel of Mamou brought down the punt return.

Pickering carried to gain 28 yards setting up 1^st down and 10 at the 35-yard line and then began to gash Mamou with subsequent carries of resulting in another 1^st down. Jacob Israel closed the 3^rd quarter with a tackle in the backfield, and Hunter Fusilier began the 4^th quarter with a tackle for a short loss to set up 4^th down. After a timeout, Pickering found the end zone again and successfully made the point after. The score now was 48-13 with 10:13 left in the game.

Mamou got the ball to down to the Pickering 3 yard line on its next possession but ended the game inches short of the goal line.