CCA pushes forward with win

Covenant Christian Academy took care of business at home.

Next up, the Lions will try and continue their state championship ambitions from the road.

The Lions gashed Madison Prep Academy early and often in the teams’ opening round Division IV playoff game this past Friday night to take home a comfortable 39-7 victory.

With the win, No. 9 CCA will now head across the state and take on No. 8 St. Mary in the second round of the playoffs – a game that will take place at Northwestern State University this Friday at 7 p.m.

“It was really good to take care of business and get our first playoff game under our belts, but we know we can play better, especially offensively,” CCA coach Blyght Wunstell said. “In the second round, our opponent is going to be very equal to us. We know we need to elevate ourselves if we expect to move on.”

The Lions hit the ground running in Friday night’s playoff opener  – literally.

CCA rushed for close to 400 yards on the night, continually pounding the Chargers’ defense for big plays.

CCA led 14-0 early and 24-7 at halftime, mostly due to that ground-oriented attack.

Once in control of the scoreboard, the Lions were able to pile on in the second half, controlling both the scoreboard and the clock to secure the victory.

Halfback Lenard Calloway was the Lions’ big-gainer on the night, rushing for 182 yards in the game. Counterpart Marquil Daigle pitched in 95 yards of his own.

Explosive halfback Jordan McKay was mostly kept in check in the game, but still had a touchdown and close to 40 yards.

“Their plan was to take him away – there’s no doubt,” Wunstell said. “But the beautiful thing about our offense is it’s a three-headed monster. If you take away one, we’ll have something that we can exploit with the other two.”

The win marked the first-ever postseason victory for CCA as an LHSAA-sanctioned program.

The Lions competed in the Louisiana Christian School Athletic Association for many years before joining the LHSAA for the 2012 football season.

After serving the mandatory one-year probationary period, this year marked the first where the Lions were eligible for district championships and postseason play.

Wunstell said the win was a huge accomplishment for Covenant Christian.

“The kids were excited. The fans were excited. It was pretty special,” Wunstell said. “We’re definitely going to remember this one for a while.”

He added that the Lions hope to continue their postseason journey next week against a worthwhile foe. St. Mary is 7-4 on the season. They won 36-8 in the opening round of the playoffs against Grambling.

Elsewhere in the Tri-parish area

CCA is one of just three prep football teams still alive in the Tri-parish area.

In the top-half of the Division IV bracket, No. 16 Central Catholic moved to the next round of the playoffs in a 49-0 home thrashing of No. 17 St. Martin’s on Friday night.

The Eagles scored early and often in the win, while also keeping St. Martin’s uncomfortable with a dominant defensive effort.

With the victory, Central Catholic will now play the toughest foe in all of Division IV. The Eagles will travel to take on No. 1 Vermilion Catholic on Friday night – a matchup that seems like David vs. Goliath on paper.

Vermilion had a bye in the opening round of the playoffs, but will enter the game with a sparkling 10-0 record – a perfect season that includes two wins against 2A foes and a victory against a 3A school.

But the Eagles do know how to move the football on their powerful foe.

Central Catholic and Vermilion Catholic met on Oct. 3 – a game that the No. 1 team won 44-31.

The 31 points are the most Vermilion have allowed all season. The 13-point margin was the second-closest game of the season for the undefeated power.

Just up the road from Morgan City, Patterson also earned a second playoff game.

The Lumberjacks easily defended their No. 4 seed in the Class 3A bracket by dominating No. 29 Rayville in an easy 42-0 victory.

With the win, Patterson continues its red-hot play in recent weeks. The Jacks have won nine-straight games dating back to a Sept. 13 loss to East Ascension. Patterson also has been stunning in the past month, outscoring their last three opponents by a combined 144-13 margin.

With the victory, Patterson will stay at home in round two. The Lumberjacks will host No. 13 Loranger on Friday – a school that beat North Vermilion 28-7 in the first round of the playoffs.

Like the Jacks, Loranger enters the game hot. Patterson’s second-round foe has won four-straight games and has not allowed more than 20 points in a game since Oct. 4.

With the Lions, Eagles and Lumberjacks preparing for a new week of play, the rest of the Tri-parish area is now focused on basketball season.

Every other Tri-parish playoff team fell in the opening round of competition – some of the scores in lopsided fashion.

In Class 5A, No. 25 South Lafourche witnessed history in a 42-16 loss to Barbe, as LSU commitment and Buccaneers’ receiver, Trey Quinn, set the national record for career receiving yards in the Buccaneers’ victory.

Quinn gashed the Tarpons throughout the game, scoring on the game’s first play from scrimmage and breaking the record in the third quarter.

Also in Class 5A, No. 29 Terrebonne was walloped 44-0 by No. 4 Destrehan – a rematch of the teams’ early-season meeting.

On the opposite end of the bracket, No. 10 Zachary handed Thibodaux a heartbreaking 43-40 defeat – a back and forth game that featured several second-half lead changes.

In Class 4A, No. 32 South Terrebonne found out why Neville is the No. 1 team in the bracket, suffering a sound 50-7 defeat. On the bottom-half of the bracket, No. 3 Landry-Walker ended No. 30 Ellender’s season in a 62-0 victory.

In Division II, rivals Vandebilt Catholic and E.D. White suffered similar first-round fates. The No. 11 Cardinals couldn’t find offensive success and lost 14-0 to No. 6 Parkview Baptist.

No. 10 Vandebilt fell behind early and couldn’t ever record in a sound 44-7 defeat to No. 7 Teurlings Catholic.

In Division IV, Houma Christian couldn’t join CCA and Central Catholic in the second round. The Warriors fell 28-8 in a road tilt with Highland Baptist.