Week 9 – Prep Roundup

Terrebonne 27

Central Lafourche 23

Both Terrebonne and Central Lafourche absolutely needed a win in this one, but it was the Tigers who actually got it done, scoring a late touchdown to seal the win. The Trojans had a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t seal the deal. They now absolutely have to win on Friday against East St. John to sneak into the playoffs.

Destrehan 48

Thibodaux 33

The Wildcats clinch the District 7-5A Championship with a hard-fought victory over Thibodaux. The Tigers pushed the Wildcats to the limit on Friday. They led the game late in the third quarter, but couldn’t hang on, losing steam late and surrendering a few fourth quarter scores.

Hahnville 43

H.L. Bourgeois 19

H.L. Bourgeois has proven capable of scoring points against the River Parish teams this season, scoring 27 on Destrehan and 19 on Hahnville. But the Braves just don’t quite have the defensive firepower to keep those top-tier teams out of the end zone. That plagued the Braves on Friday – the team’s fourth-straight loss.

Assumption 30

South Lafourche 14

Everyone wrote off Assumption after they started the season 0-3. But guess what? They’re the District 7-4A Champions. The Mustangs aren’t the prettiest football team. They can’t throw the ball much, and they’re far from the biggest team in the area. But they’re scrappy and are extremely well-coached. That’s been enough to push them through for the second-straight season.

Ellender 69

South Terrebonne 43

The Patriots finally snap their nearly two-decade losing streak against the Gators, scoring almost a dozen touchdowns in a big-time victory over the Gators. Congratulations to the Patriots on the winning season. Those guys have made a lot of strides throughout the season and are a legitimate playoff team in Class 4A. They’re a squad no one will want to face in the bracket.

Vandebilt 62

Morgan City 0

It’s safe to assume the Terriers weren’t happy about losing to Assumption last week. Vandebilt roared to a 62-0 halftime lead against the Tigers before coasting in the second half to seal the win. The game of the week in the area in Week 10 will be Vandebilt’s matchup with Ellender. It will be fun to see how those teams matchup with one another.

Berwick 42

E.D. White 35

Never did I think I’d see the day where Berwick was 7-2 in a football season. But that’s exactly where things sit right now after the Panthers beat E.D. White in a shootout on Friday night. The Cardinals had chances to seize control of the game, but never could, surrendering defeat to a Panthers team that’s quietly one of the lead dogs in Class 3A.

CCA 34

Houma Christian 7

The Lions have still never lost to their rivals, using absolutely dominant defense to suffocate the Warriors in a decisive victory. CCA will get a nice test next week before the playoffs begin – a Week 10 battle with Class 5A’s Grace King. The Lions have better football players than the Irish do, but Grace King has larger numbers. It ought to be a very stiff test for CCA.

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Week 10 games

East St. John @ Central Lafourche

Terrebonne @ H.L. Bourgeois

Thibodaux @ Hahnville

Vandebilt @ Ellender

South Lafourche @ South Terrebonne

Erath @ E.D. White

Grace King @ CCA

Houma Christian @ Varnado

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Players of the Week – Week 9

Bronze – CCA quarterback/linebacker Caleb Seitz – Lions standout senior Caleb Seitz did just about everything on Friday night against Houma Christian. As a quarterback, Seitz both ran and threw for touchdowns in the first half. As a defender, he picked off a pass, which set up his team for another score for the Lions, who are now 7-2 on the season.

Junior – Terrebonne athlete Anthony Ruffin – Terrebonne quarterback Keshawn James was like a starting pitcher on Friday night against Central Lafourche. He kept the Tigers close and into the fourth quarter with a chance to win. From there, Anthony Ruffin was the closer, catching a fourth-quarter, game-winning touchdown pass to give the Tigers the lead. From there, he also scored a game-clinching interception to put the Tigers into the winner’s circle for the first time in a while.

Gold – Ellender defensive back Montae Smitherman – Some defensive players play football their entire lives without ever getting the opportunity to score a touchdown. But Patriots defensive back Montae Smitherman got the proverbial hat trick on Saturday, returning three fumbles for touchdowns in a win against South Terrebonne.

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High-Five

1. Thibodaux – There’s absolutely no shame in losing to Destrehan – especially not when you control a lot of the game and even have a lead late into the third quarter. But the Tigers couldn’t close the deal, and they don’t have much time to lick their wounds with Hahnville on the schedule in Week 10.

2. Vandebilt – Vandebilt took exception to its Week 8 loss against Assumption. The Terriers scored 62 points in the first half on Friday night against Morgan City, battering the Tigers both on the ground and through the air. Vandebilt will not win the District 7-4A crown, but they are still a postseason threat.

3. Ellender – The Patriots didn’t just end its 19-year losing streak against South Terrebonne. They blew the thing up and left nothing but ash in its place. The Patriots scored 69 points on their rivals, moving the ball with relative ease throughout the game. But the big key for Ellender was several defensive touchdowns, which allowed the Patriots to control the game for good.

4. CCA – The Lions will be a threat in the Division IV State Playoffs. With Caleb Seitz back and 100 percent, CCA is reaching its peak at the right time in the season. Don’t be surprised if they beat Grace King to close the season. The Irish are a Class 5A team, but the Lions aren’t afraid to take on larger competition.

5. Terrebonne – The Tigers thrived in a must-win situation on Friday, scoring a comeback win against Central Lafourche. Terrebonne isn’t a lock to make the playoffs yet, but their prognostications look much better now than they did before the win. But a win over H.L. Bourgeois would help that cause a lot, too.

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By the numbers

3 – Ellender athlete Montae Smitherman recovered three fumbles for touchdowns on Friday night against South Terrebonne – scores that allowed the Patriots to dominate their longtime rivals. With the win, the Patriots clinch a winning season under first-year coach David McCormick.

9 – Terrebonne trailed by nine points going into the fourth quarter on Friday night against Central Lafouche. But it didn’t matter. The Tigers scored three times in the final quarter to get a huge comeback victory – the team’s first in district play.

603 – Thibodaux’s offense was on point on Friday night against Destrehan, scoring more than 30 points against the undefeated Class 5A foe. But the Wildcats gained 603 yards of offense against the Tigers, which allowed them to control the game in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

2 – There were two district champions crowed on Friday night in the area. In the local Class 5A district, Destrehan reigned as the champ, rolling through the regular season with an undefeated 9-0 record. They don’t play in week 10. In Class 4A, Assumption is the championship-winning team for the second-straight season after trumping South Lafourche.

Thibodaux football

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