The race is on: Locals competing for postseason play
October 29, 2019
Houma Christian, CCA battling youth
October 29, 2019
It was Homecoming night on Thursday night at South Terrebonne.
But by the time the final whistle had blown, it was Vandebilt who was doing most of the dancing and celebrating.
The Terriers beat South Terrebonne 31-9, earning their third-straight district victory and their fourth-straight win overall.
The Terriers trailed 9-7 at halftime, but dominated the second half to secure the win.
Coach Lance Ledet has said multiple times throughout the course of the year that he thinks his team is getting better, and those improvements were on display in a dominant second half.
“Our kids have been told all season long that they can be a pretty good football team if they cut out the mistakes and stop shooting themselves in the foot,” Ledet said. “When we play our best, we think we’re a team that can compete and do great things.”
A lot of those great things happened in the final 24 minutes on Thursday night.
The first half was sloppy.
The Terriers struggled to move the football — their only score set up by a fake punt, which extended a drive and helped the team to a 7-0 lead early in the game.
For South Terrebonne, the rest of the half was theirs. A Vandebilt turnover gifted the Gators possession and a score — a touchdown pass from Christian Arceneaux to Peyton Parr. Late in the first half, the Gators had a chance to get another touchdown, but they instead had to settle for a short field goal and the 9-7 halftime lead.
The second half was all Vandebilt.
The Terriers’ offense got moving, which changed the complexion of the game.
Quarterback Gavin Daigle hit Hunter Porche on a long score to put Vandebilt up for good in the third quarter. The quarterback also added a touchdown with his legs — one of two he scored in the game — to put things out of reach.
Caleb Calhoun also punched in a second-half score in the onslaught.
South Terrebonne had chances late, but Vandebilt’s defense slammed the door shut.
South Terrebonne turned it over multiple times in the second half, which allowed Vandebilt possessions, but also the ability to run out the clock with the lead.
With the win, Vandebilt is now on a collision course for a district title. They’ll play Assumption in Napoleonville on Friday. Assumption, too, is 3-0 in district. The winner of this game will clinch at least a share of the league crown.
TARPONS ROLL PAST MORGAN CITY
Two weeks ago, South Lafourche lost to Vandebilt 18-3, and after the game, coach Blake Forsythe had some pointed things to say about the play of his offensive line.
They got the message.
For a second-straight week, the Tarpons controlled the line of scrimmage and rolled to a win.
The Tarpons beat Morgan City 57-12 on Homecoming Thursday night, using dominant play up front to secure the win.
South Lafourche is now 2-6 on the season, but 2-1 in district play.
Forsythe said he was happy with how the Tarpons controlled the game up front. The Tarpons scored on every first half possession, and didn’t have to throw a pass in the entire game.
“We did an excellent job at the line of scrimmage of controlling the game,” Forsythe said. “I thought we were physical and our offense clicked. We were able to get the ball to a lot of our playmakers and they took advantage and made plays.”
The Tarpons’ offense struggled for the first 6 weeks of the season, but the last 2 weeks have been better.
They got the ball first and marched straight down the field on a touchdown drive Thursday — a trek capped by a short run from Patrick Gisclair.
Morgan City made plays early — enough to make the score 22-12 at the end of the first quarter.
But the Tarpons’ defense stiffened firm, allowing the team to dominate the rest of the game. South Lafourche led 37-12 at halftime, then never looked back.
Derin Doucet eclipsed 100 yards in the game, and an army of players scored for South Lafourche, including Francois Terrebonne, Reece Toups, Austin Danos, Wes Allemand and Braxton Pitre.
The Tarpons will take on Ellender on Friday night — a chance for a third-straight win.
Forsythe said the playoffs have started early for South Lafourche. If the team wins out, it will easily make the postseason.
If they win just one of the next two ballgames, it’s going to be close.
“I’m so proud of our kids. They’ve endured a rough patch, kept fighting and now, they’re in position,” Forsythe said. “We have another big one next week. We’re looking forward to working hard in practice and getting ready to play.”
CLASS 4A SCOREBOARD
Vandebilt 31, South Terrebonne 9
South Lafourche 57, Morgan City 12
Assumption 46, Ellender 0
