Prep Roundup – Playoffs Week 1

Playoff Scores

Thibodaux – 56

Captain Shreve – 6

Thibodaux had its hearts splattered last season, losing in the opening round of the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion. This time around, the Tigers didn’t leave the game in doubt. Thanks to an absolutely dominant rushing attack, Thibodaux roared past Captain Shreve with ease, putting the game away bright and early on Friday night. With the win, the No. 6 Tigers will now travel to take on No. 22 Scotlandville, who upset No. 11 Ruston 18-14 in the opening round. Scotlandville has one of the best defenses in Louisiana. They will be a tough nut for the Tigers to crack – especially on the road. But with quarterback Peyton Bonvillain playing at his current level, who are we to bet against Thibodaux? Those guys have climbed every hurdle that has faced them throughout the entire 2014 prep football season.

Ponchatoula – 76

South Lafourche – 22

Against the No. 2 team in Class 5A, South Lafourche knew it had to play a near-perfect game to have a chance against mighty Ponchatoula. The Tarpons opened pretty strong, rushing the football effectively. But ultimately, South Lafourche’s defense wasn’t up to the challenge on Friday night in frigid conditions, allowing countless big plays en route to a blowout loss that ends the Tarpons’ season with a 4-7 record in arguably Louisiana’s best district. The Tarpons are brutally young at many key positions. We expect this year’s success to be something that the team will use to grow itself into the 2015 football season.

South Terrebonne – 25

Lakeshore – 22

Lakeshore gave South Terrebonne absolutely all it could handle on Friday night, threatening to take the lead in the fourth quarter. But the Gators’ defense forced a turnover and saved the day, allowing the Gators to improve to 10-1 on the season. With the victory, South Terrebonne will hit the road in Round 2, traveling to take on No. 25 Franklin Parish. The game will be no cupcake for the Gators. Franklin Parish upset No. 8 Bastrop 48-44 in the opening round.

E.D. White – 31

Loyola Prep – 6

The Cardinals advance to the Division II Quarterfinals with a dominant showing against Loyola Prep. The Cardinals fell behind early, surrendering six early points to start the game. But the Cardinals dominated the action for the rest of the game, gashing their opponent with ease to roll to the next round. E.D. White will take on Notre Dame on Friday night. The game will take place at ND’s Crowley-based campus. No matter what happens, congratulations are in order for Cardinals’ first-year coach Chris Bergeron, who has done a great job with his team in 2014.

De La Salle – 34

Vandebilt – 21

Vandebilt’s four-game winning streak to close the regular season ends with a thud in the playoffs, as De La Salle wins its first postseason game since 1969 on Friday night. For the Terriers, the loss marks the end of coach Jeremy Atwell’s inaugural season with the team. De La Salle generated more than 500 yards of total offense in the win. The Terriers have nothing to be ashamed of in defeat. The turnaround those guys made after an 0-6 start is admirable.

Vermilion Catholic – 54

Houma Christian – 21

Playing the No. 1 team in Division IV proved to be a bit too much for Houma Christian, which fought tough, but couldn’t muster a victory. The loss ends arguably the most successful season in the history of the Warriors’ program. What the Warriors have done to their football program in such a short stretch of time is amazing. The Warriors lose Drake Battaglia this offseason, which will leave a huge hole in the team’s depth chart. But those guys are doing things the right way. We fully expect them to be back with a vengence in the next football season. To go from having no football at all to defeating a team like Country Day in just a few, short seasons is a feat that we don’t see too often in Louisiana prep sports.

Ouachita Christian – 56

CCA – 21

Covenant Christian’s defense had no answer for Ouachita Christian, allowing 46 points in the opening half en route to a blowout loss. The Lions could never recover from their early-game struggles. But like the Warriors, the Lions are headed down the right path, and we fully expect them to make another push into the playoffs next season. Coach Randy Boquet has his squad headed in the right direction, and with more years to gain experience and build the program’s tradition, the Lions will continue to contend.

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The Best of the Rest

1. Thibodaux: The Tigers are four wins away from the state championship now, absolutely walloping Captain Shreve on Friday night. Beating those Northern Louisiana foes in the playoffs is never an easy feat. That the Tigers won by 50 shows how tough this team truly is.

2. South Terrebonne: The Gators weren’t perfect on Friday night, but they survived – the name of the game in the playoffs. With a big-time matchup against Franklin Parish looming, the Gators will now have to take their best effort on the road.

3. E.D. White: The Cardinals are sort-of laying in the weeds in the Division II bracket, but they just keep on surviving. Beating Notre Dame will be no easy chore, but we expect the Cardinals to give ‘em a ride.

Early 2015 rankings among those ousted

1. South Lafourche: The Tarpons return their quarterback, halfback, top receivers and several offensive linemen next year. Will they be up to par with the Destrehans and Hahnvilles of the world? Maybe, maybe not. But they will be a much better football team than they were this past year.

2. H.L. Bourgeois: Maybe I’m crazy, but I just have a sneaky feeling that H.L. Bourgeois will be motivated after its win against Terrebonne and will thrive in the 2014 season. The talent is there. It’s just about putting it all together.

3. Central Lafourche: Keith Menard is an excellent coach. He will get the Trojans on the right track. We think the 2015 season may be the one where Central Lafourche makes a push.

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Playoffs Players of the Week

Honorable Mention: South Lafourche halfback Corbin Allen – The Tarpons’ postseason opener didn’t go the way that anyone in Galliano would have expected. But Corbin Allen still used the big game as his opportunity to shine. The Tarpons’ freshman was a spark plug for South Lafourche on Friday night, rushing for more than 100 yards with three touchdowns. With three more seasons to play at the varsity level, there’s no telling how dominant and explosive Allen might end up being. Of course, it’s all the product of some good genes. Allen’s big brother is Harvey Allen – the Tarpons’ starting quarterback, who is a heck of a player as well.

Bronze: South Terrebonne halfback Cristian Wallis – Always a threat to rush for 100-plus yards, Wallis was his usual self on Friday night, pushing forward for close to 130 yards in the Gator win. The kid is amazing – one of the more underrated players in Louisiana. It just seems like every, single week he has a dominant, solid performance. He just never lays an egg and underperforms.

Silver: E.D. White halfback Jeremy Rounds – The Cardinals’ bruising, physical halfback was a dual threat option on Friday night, rushing for 101 yards and receiving for 86 more to help lead the Cardinals past Loyola Up next will be a Friday night battle with Notre Dame – one of the best teams in Division II.

Gold: Thibodaux High quarterback Peyton Bonvillain – There are no words to explain how good Bonvillain was on Friday. In his second-ever playoff game, the Tigers’ quarterback dominated, combining for six touchdowns and countless yards to push Thibodaux into the next round.

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By The Numbers for the opening round of the Louisiana State Playoffs

3: The number of local teams still in contention for the state championship. Thibodaux, South Terrebonne and E.D. White all moved past round one with impressive victories. All three locals will be on the road in the second round.

76: South Lafourche allowed 76 points against Ponchatoula – the most total points the team has given up in a game during the Dennis Skains era.

6: Thibodaux High School quarterback Peyton Bonvillain accounted for six touchdowns on Friday night. The dominant Thibodaux senior threw, rushed and received for scores in the Tigers’ dominant win over Captain Shreve.

264: The E.D. White offense pushed for 264 rushing yards in Friday night’s home playoff win against Loyola Prep. The Cardinals have played some of their best football in recent weeks, which bodes well for the team’s matchup with Notre Dame on Friday night in Crowley.

98: Lakeshore halfback David Ducre had 98 rushing yards on Friday night against South Terrebonne. But considering that Ducre is an LSU commitment, that’s probably a job well done by the Gators’ defense, which forced a late fumble to secure a close, hard-fought win.