That, folks, is why they play the game: EDW stuns Vandebilt

And that, Houma-Thibodaux-area football fans, is why they play the game.

E.D. White beat Vandebilt 24-17 on Friday night at Buddy Marcello Stadium, using a power running game and dominating defense to advance to the second-round of the Division IV State Playoffs.

The win wasn’t expected by many around Louisiana.

The Terriers entered the game with an 8-2 record, while the Cardinals were just 3-7. The teams met in Week 1 of the season and Vandebilt won 41-7.

But on Friday, nothing in the past mattered, and it’s now E.D. White who will play another day – a Friday night matchup in Lafayette with St. Thomas More.

“What an amazing night for our football program,” E.D. White coach Chris Bergeron said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team. I couldn’t be any prouder of the effort we gave. We were facing a team who had beaten us once before, but we changed some things in our game plan and the kids challenged themselves to be way more physical than we’d been in the first game, and they delivered. The kids played as well as they’ve played all year at the time when it mattered most.”

The second game of the season between the rivals started almost exactly like the first did.

In the season-opener on Sept. 2, Vandebilt had opportunities to put the game away early, but couldn’t, taking a 13-7 lead into halftime before dominating the second half to win.

In Friday night’s playoff game, the script was the same – at least early.

This time, the Terriers took a 14-7 lead into halftime, thanks to a pair of touchdowns from quarterback Andrew Robison to Roland Johnson – one of the most successful pitch and catch duos in the area throughout the season.

But given a second chance, E.D. White didn’t falter.

Instead, they dominated and shocked the state.

In the second half, E.D. White played with a renewed intensity – an energy level that Bergeron said he knew his team had, but which they hadn’t shown on a Friday night.

The Cardinals kept Robison and the Terriers offense off the field with their power running game. They attempted just one pass in the game, gutting the middle of Vandebilt’s defense for meticulous, steady yards.

Once in scoring range, E.D. White converted and finished drives.

They tied the game in the middle of the third quarter on a 12-play drive capped by a run from sophomore Nik Shanklin.

After a missed field goal by Vandebilt, E.D. White took the lead for good – first on a 41-yard field goal by Mike Melancon and then on another lengthy drive capped by Shanklin, which put the Cardinals up 24-14 with six minutes to go.

“Our offensive line was outstanding,” Bergeron said. “They got a push throughout the game and our ball carriers were hitting the holes and making good things happen.”

Vandebilt didn’t go down without a fight.

After a long kickoff return, the Terriers chipped three points off the lead on a long field goal from Reid Bourg, which cut the score to 24-17.

After forcing a punt, Vandebilt took over at the two-minute mark and was moving the ball.

But a big sack of Robison put the Terriers in fourth-and-24, and that’s where Robison’s magic act ended.

On fourth down, the quarterback scrambled and heaved it deep, but the Cardinals were there to swat it down and seal the win.

“As it happens, there’s just that moment where everything goes blank,” Bergeron said of the fourth down play. “Quickly, you snap out of it and realize you have to get the offense back onto the field and everything else, but it all just sort of went blank and you think to yourself, ‘Oh my God, we just won this football game.’”

With the win, E.D. White will move on to take on St. Thomas More on Friday – a second-round matchup.

Bergeron said that game will be tough, because he believes they’re one of the best teams in the state.

But with momentum, anything can happens – especially in the playoffs.

That’s why they play the game. •

No. 10 E.D. White shocks Vandebilt in Playoffs

Vandebilt had hopes of winning the Division II State Football Championship in 2016, and rightfully so.

The Terriers rolled through the regular season with an 8-2 record – a dominant run that earned the team a high seed in the playoffs.

Once there, it all got derailed.

In the opening round, the Terriers faced rival E.D. White – a team Vandebilt beat 41-7 in the first game of the season.

This time around, it didn’t go the same. Vandebilt struggled to move the ball and E.D. White controlled the clock and the scoreboard, scoring a thrilling upset win. •

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