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October 28, 2010
Two heated rivals on the field, and one Terrebonne Parish championship hanging in the balance.
Those were the stakes last Wednesday at Terrebonne High School, as longtime rivals Evergreen Junior High and Houma Junior High squared off on the gridiron with the mark of parish supremacy on the line.
Both teams led in the game, which was a pad popping and hard hitting Tri-parish thriller, but when the final whistle was blown, it was Evergreen who was standing on top, scoring a 34-18 win against their longtime rivals.
The game was played in front of a jam-packed Terrebonne High School football stadium with fans filling both ends of the bleachers to near capacity.
“This feels good, real, real good,” Eagles coach Troy Jackson said, still sporting a Gatorade-soaked shirt from the dousing he received from his team following the game. “I’m proud of the boys, because they’ve played their butts off all year long. We’ve got an incredible group of boys here getting ready to go off to H.L. Bourgeois to continue their careers, and I’m so proud of them.”
With the win, Evergreen polished off a perfect 8-0 season.
Leading the way for the Eagles throughout the year was a highly powered rushing offense halfback Tylone Johnson.
In just the eight game season alone, Johnson amassed 1,000 yards rushing for the season, as well as 17 total rushing touchdowns.
Against the Bulldogs, it was no different, as Johnson had three touchdowns.
“This kid’s incredible,” Jackson said. “They had no answer for him, nothing. And we knew they didn’t. We just have a great team, and I’m so thankful for Tylone and everyone, and I’m so proud of them.”
On the opposite sideline, Houma Junior High coach Stuart Vitter agreed with Jackson’s sentiments and said he tips his cap to the freshman back for a fabulous game and season.
“Getting 1,000 yards in an eight-game season with eight minute quarters in the games, that’s doing a lot of running,” Vitter said. “They have a wonderful backfield and they utilized it to the fullest, so congratulations to them. They earned it.”
But Johnson deflected talk about his lofty season following the victory and said the story of that day was about his team and their lofty season.
“This is so awesome, man,” he said. “I’m about to just cry tears of joy.”
Eagles starting quarterback Christopher Harris agreed and said a strong will and determination led the team to the win and the strong season.
“This group we have, we love winning, and we hate losing, so we just go out there and play our hearts out every night,” Harris said. “And this is the result of that right here: 8-0.”
Last Wednesday’s game was the final contest at the junior high school level for most of the players on both sides.
The beauty of the Evergreen/Houma Junior High rivalry is that their junior high school battles are only the beginning.
Most of the Evergreen youngsters are future H.L. Bourgeois football players. And likewise, most of the Houma Junior High players funnel just down the street to Terrebonne.
Evergreen wins this one, but they’ll meet again with the stakes higher in a few years.
Instead of a parish championship, future battles could possibly be for a District Championship and a chance to play for a state championship.
When they do, both sides say they are looking forward to it and will be ready.
“We’re in this together at the next step,” Harris said. “We’re going to stick together.”
“This is our whole H.L. Bourgeois combination, everybody you see there,” Johnson added, pointing to a group of his teammates. “This is our group right here. We’ll be back.”
For now, at least, bragging rights – and the parish championship sit in the Evergreen side.
Until they meet again.
Evergreen Junior High School coach Troy Jackson receives a Gatorade bath from his team as the final seconds ticked off the Eagles’ 34-18 win against Houma Junior High. With the win, Evergreen completed a perfect season. CASEY GISCLAIR I TRI-PARISH TIMES
