Week 1 proves fruitful for local teams

Gordon seen as a good "trial run" for local governments
September 5, 2018
Local inks professional football contract
September 5, 2018
Gordon seen as a good "trial run" for local governments
September 5, 2018
Local inks professional football contract
September 5, 2018

High school football started this past weekend.

And already, just one week into the year, we’ve seen a couple of things that we may not see again this year.

Week 1 was memorable locally with several huge individual performances and a couple odd looking boxscores.


Oh yeah, and the rain.

Local coaches are already saying that fields in Terrebonne Parish will be in need of a re-sod — with still nine weeks left in the year.

CLASS 5A

It’s safe to assume that Central Lafourche halfback Deon Jenkins was ready for the season.


The Trojans halfback rushed for 361 yards and scored six touchdowns on Friday night in a dominant 50-21 victory over E.D. White.

Trojans coach Keith Menard said on Saturday morning that he doesn’t have data on-hand to indicate whether Jenkins broke a single-game school record with his performance.

But as far as 2018 is concerned, he undoubtedly shot up the radars as one of the top players in the area.


“He came to camp with a little more wiggle to him. He’s harder to tackle in the open field,” Menard said of the tailback. “And he just made big plays. The offensive line opened the holes, he hit them and it was a big day for our offense.”

That it was. The Trojans dominated E.D. White throughout the game, making amends for a close, hard-fought loss the team suffered against the Cardinals last year.

Central Lafourche struck early and often, roaring to a 36-0 lead before halftime, before cruising in the second half to the easy win.


Menard said the beauty of the Trojans’ team in 2018 is its balance — something which should be tough for opponents to contend with all season.

Jenkins was the hero on Friday, but just seven days prior, quarterback Jacob Barker made big plays in the passing game to help the Trojans beat Thibodaux in the jamboree.

Elsewhere in Class 5A, Terrebonne took care of business, beating Ellender 29-7, despite a sloppy game at South Terrebonne’s Stadium, which was ravished by rainy conditions throughout the day.


The teams had a hard time controlling the ball throughout the game, combining for 6 turnovers.

Defensively, Ellender did a solid job up front, limiting all-everything junior standout Jakhi Douglas to just 52 yards rushing and 5-of-7 passing. But Chaz Ward got going and scored twice to spark the offense.

Ellender had chances. They had the football deep in Terrebonne territory several times in the first half, but came up empty, which allowed the Tigers to take control of the game.


Terrebonne was without senior standout Keshawn James, who has missed most of the summer with a lower-body injury.

CLASS 5A SCORES

-Central Lafourche 50, E.D. White 21

-Terrebonne 29, Ellender 7


-South Terrebonne 9, H.L. Bourgeois 6

-Thibodaux 14, Vandebilt 10

CLASS 4A/DIVISION II

In Class 4A, Vandebilt Catholic had a chance to defend its home field on Friday night, but came up short, surrendering a 14-consecutive fourth-quarter points to fall 14-10 to Thibodaux.


The Tigers played sloppily throughout the game. Coach Chris Dugas said it was perhaps the ugliest victory of his career.

Thibodaux turned over the ball 6 times in the win. They only had 1 yard rushing. They had seven penalties.

But none of that mattered on the scoreboard after Ferronte Miller punched in a short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to make the game 10-7, then quarterback Luke Alleman hit Marquel Price on a long touchdown pass with three minutes to play to go on top 14-10 to seal the win.


“We have a lot of work to do,” Dugas said. “But it’s good for us to get a win — especially having a young team like we do. I don’t know if I’ve ever won a game before having six turnovers. I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

The Terriers had chances late in the game to salt away the clock, but fate wasn’t on their side.

Senior halfback Drew Rios had a big game for Vandebilt, but had severe cramps throughout the second half, which limited his activity and thwarted the Terriers’ offense.


Dugas said he believes his team having field turf was the difference in the game. He said the Tigers practice on the turf every day, which allowed for the team to be well conditioned for the fourth quarter. Vandebilt doesn’t have that luxury and spent most of the past week inside.

“I think that was a big factor in the game,” Dugas said. “They had a lot of issues with fatigue and cramping and we didn’t have any of that.”

Also in Class 4A, South Terrebonne got to 1-0 with a 9-6 win over H.L. Bourgeois in a mud bowl at Tom B. Smith Stadium in Houma.


The Gators played solid in all three phases in the win, ruining the debut of Braves coach Ryan Fournier.

CLASS 4A SCORES

-Thibodaux 14, Vandebilt 10

-South Terrebonne 9, H.L. Bourgeois 6


-Central Lafourche 50, E.D. White 21

-De La Salle 33, South Lafourche 0

CLASS 1A/DIVISION IV

Opening week was kind to both CCA and Houma Christian, as well.


Each lit up the scoreboard in decisive wins. The Lions beat Fisher 41-0, riding a strong running game and dominant defense to secure the win.

Coach Randy Boquet said he was proud of his team for handling an early-season road trip in stride to secure a win.

The Lions got several big plays from Channing Holloway and Anthony Ruffin in the win.


“I just give the credit to the kids,” Boquet said. “They came out and just executed. They did the things we asked them to do and were good on both sides of the ball. It’s always great to start the year 1-0 with a win and that’s exactly what we were fortunate enough to be able to do.”

Boquet said in addition to Holloway and Ruffin, quarterback Nicholas Lagendyk was sound, running the offense and generating the right reads throughout the game.

Boquet said Lagendyk, a multi-year starter, has full command of the Lions’ system.


“He sees things and we trust him,” Boquet said. “He will come to us and if he says that they’re overplaying the sweeps, then we will trust him and call him number on a keeper. He’s seen a lot of things and he’s just a tough kid — a tough, steady kid.”

Houma Christian shined, too, trumping Highland Baptist 40-20 on Friday.

The Warriors led 18-14 at halftime, before exploding in the second half to secure the comfortable win over their annual rival.


CLASS 1A SCORES

-CCA 41, Fisher 0

-Houma Christian 40, Highland Baptist 20

Houma Times Pick 6

Week 1

1. Terrebonne – One sloppy game doesn’t change our opinion. The Tigers are awfully good and will likely carry this No. 1 ranking for most of the season, assuming they’re healthy.


2. Central Lafourche

3. Thibodaux

4. Vandebilt


5. South Terrebonne

6. South Lafourche 

CLHS


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