E.D. White beats Patterson in closely-watched game

In each of the last four years, the winner of the Patterson and E.D. White game has gone on to win the district crown.

The game has been a proven testament in district 6-3A as both have used the game as something to build on the rest of the way.

If that fate holds true again this season, the E.D. White Cardinals appear to be in good shape.

Senior running back Dylan Ledet powered his way through the Lumberjacks’ line prancing for 176 yards on 19 carries as the Cardinals upended the Lumberjacks 17-14 Friday night in Thibodaux.

The Cardinals’ senior outshined the state’s best running back, Kenny Hilliard, who finished the night with a quiet 160 yards on 27 carries, nearly 100 yards shy of his average.

Now with their fate in their own hands, E.D. White head coach Kyle Lasseigne said it’s up to his team to take charge and continue the hard work starting this week against Berwick.

With the Lumberjacks now out of the way, the Cardinals appear poised for a run at the district title and the postseason.

“It’s a great feeling. Every year people say whoever wins this game will win the district,” Lasseigne said. “We hope that’s the case but there is still a lot of football left. I like where we are.”

Doing so, however, will require the team to step up in one particular phase of the game – turnovers.

The Cardinals (6-1) turned the ball over four times in the win over the Jacks. Lasseigne said the team has to secure the ball to have any chance to continue on its trek.

He also said it’s important for his team to continue to progress as the end of the season nears. As in all cases, teams want to reach their peak during playoff time and Lasseigne does not believe the Cardinals have done that yet.

“We can’t regress in the next few weeks,” the coach said. “We have to continue to get better. If we digress in the first round of the playoffs then we’re not at the level we are now.”

Looking ahead with three district games remaining, the Cardinals are in a position not even they expected to be – on pace to a top seed in the class 3A playoffs as they’ve finished 70 percent of their season.

“We’re one play away from being 7-0, a place that we never thought we’d be. When we started in the fall we had a bunch of guys who believed that. They worked hard enough to be here. We’re in a great situation right now.”

For the Lumberjacks, it’s back to the drawing board.

While his team is rightfully disappointed after the loss, head coach Tommy Minton said they to make it a point to take care of business and finish strong.

In order to do so, the Lumberjacks have to capitalize off of their opponent’s turnovers. Against the Cardinals Friday, the Lumberjacks scored twice off E.D. White’s four turnovers.

Minton said he is looking for his team to rebound Friday against Franklin.

“We didn’t make enough big plays on defense and we couldn’t capitalize on offense,” Minton said. “We’ll grow from this, and change things up a bit heading into the playoffs. We can use this as a lesson of what we need to do the rest of the way.”