Friday Night Lights - Week 10

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OH, SO CLOSE! TERRIERS FALL IN OT AGAINST MIGHTY ASSUMPTION THE TIMES • NOVEMBER 4, 2019 • WEEK 10 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

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PUBLISHER

Brian Rushing

EDITORIAL

Bonnie Rushing Editorial Director Casey Gisclair Managing Editor Mary Ditch Managing Editor Drew Miller Associate Editor

CREATIVE

Amber Duplantis Senior Designer Nicholas Boutte Graphic Designer

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Drew Miller

PHOTOGRAPHY

TABLE OF

CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE THE POWER OF THE MATH The last week of the high school football season is Friday and by Friday at 9:30 p.m., every, single high school football coach will morph into a mathematician.

It never fails. Games will end at 9:15 p.m. or so. Postgame speeches will wrap up around 9:25 p.m. By 9:30 p.m., coaches will go back to the locker room, get out some pen and paper and will start crunching the numbers.

The LHSAA power rating system is based on a formula. Teams are given 10 points for a win and one point for all of their opponents win. Extra earning opportunities also exist for playing games up in class.

So on the final Friday of the season, it becomes a mad dash to the finish to see where all of the chips fell.

The LHSAA releases brackets on Sunday, but coaches don’t want to wait until then, so the race is on — a mad scramble to do the math, figure out an opponent and get all of the tape necessary to get ready for

05 06

HALLOWEEN WEEK MAILBAG This week’s Q&A

LACY GAINING STATS, INTEREST The Thibodaux receiver gives every game his all

08 12 14

TERREBONNE FALLS TO ESJ

16 20

ASSUMPTION BEATS VANDEBILT

22

UNDER THE LIGHTS

Drew Miller Jared Shanklin Wendy Bergeron

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Bonnie Rushing Sales Manager Deanne Ratliff Senior Account Manager Elise Falgout, David Gravois, Linda Pontiff

OFFICE/CIRCULATION MANAGER Michelle Ortego

CUSTOMER SERVICE Kimberly Ross

Wildcats’ defense cages Tigers

THE SCHEDULE IS SET See all 11 local schedules

TARPONS MATURING South Lafourche sophomores becoming ‘young juniors’

CONTACT

Publisher: publisher@rushing-media.com Editorial: mary@rushing-media.com Sales: sales@rushing-media.com

Mustangs take down Terriers in OT

TROJANS, TIGERS SET FOR SHOWDOWN Terrebonne and Central Lafourche get ready for a pivotal game Enjoy photos from various games

the first week of the playoffs.

To all our locals, best of luck in Week 10, and may the math be kind.

We’re hopeful and excited to report great news later this week when the brackets are finally released to the public! •

NOVEMBER 4, 2019 • WEEK 10

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

4 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

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HALLOWEEN

WEEK MAILBAG PHOTO BY: JARED SHANKLIN

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

Isn’t Halloween just the best?

I live in the middle of nowhere. I know good and well there won’t be any kids Trick or Treating in my street.

But I’ll be darned if I didn’t still buy a ton of candy knowing good and well that when no one comes over, it’ll all be leftover for me to enjoy in the days and weeks after the holiday.

So here we are — the end of the high school regular season.

You’re excited.

I’m excited.

And I’m writing this while literally sitting on my porch in costume waiting for kids to come trick or treat at my house.

It’s all-around the American Dream.

Q: Who’s recruiting Luke Alleman? (Asked by Tony, Houma) A: His recruitment has been a little bit slow, probably because he’s not super well-known around the state yet. He missed most of his sophomore season and the Tigers have sort of come out of nowhere in 2019. But I do know this. The kid can sling it, and he has the mentality that you want

from your quarterback.

He’s courageous, relentless and is a fierce competitor. From what I understand, a lot of the smaller schools locally are on him right now, but I fully expect that list to grow as he approaches his senior season.

Q: What happened to South Terrebonne down the stretch? (Asked by Reid, Houma) A: Injuries, man. They’ve had the worst rash of injuries of anyone locally.

At one point in recent weeks, they literally didn’t have a single healthy halfback option, so they were relegated to pretty much have to throw the ball every, single play.

Some teams can pull that off. But when you’re historically a Wing-T team, it’s a little bit tougher sell. The Gators won on Thursday and likely will win again on Friday. That’ll take them into the playoffs at 6-4. I think for them, that’s a successful year, despite the rough patch in the middle there.

Q: Why didn’t South Lafourche change its offense earlier? (Asked

by Tom, Raceland) A: Because they truly thought that what they were doing was going to work once district play hit.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

I think the Vandebilt game was a splash of cold water in the face of the Tarpons, and not having offensive success in that game forced the team’s hand in tweaking some of the things that they’ve been doing. They tightened their splits up front. That was a good move. They’ve run some different type of offensive plays. That, too, was a good move.

Packaged altogether, they’ve gotten the kids believing again, and that’s been as important as anything.

Q: You said on radio recently that the Division II Playoff bracket was ‘corruption’. What did you mean by that?

(Asked by Timmy, Houma) A: Corruption is a strong word, and probably not the best choice of words on my part, but I do not back off my thoughts that Division II’s Playoff formula is incredibly unfair and is not in the spirit of integrity in prep athletics.

Let’s explain. Division II is comprised of private schools that are Class 3A or Class 4A enrollment.

That’s a problem. In the current power ratings formula, teams earn extra points for playing up in competition. So, E.D. White (a 3A school) can

5 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

play Thibodaux High (a 5A school) and get 2 extra points, but Vandebilt (a 4A school) can play Thibodaux High and get just 1 extra point. It’s not apples to apples. It’s apples to pomegranates.The 3A schools have greater earning potential and get preferential seeding, despite sometimes having fewer wins. It’s incredibly unfair and what angers me so much is that coaches in both 3A and 4A know it and acknowledge it’s an unfair system, but yet the LHSAA still does nothing to fix it. It’s insane.

Q: Who is the best prep player you’ve ever seen play? (Asked by Ron, Houma) A: Me personally?

Probably either Ryan Perrilloux or Pooka Williams. But granted, I’m only 32. Others older than me rave about Eric Andolsek, Ed Reed and other amazing players.

An underrated one that I was able to see also was Trey Quinn, of Barbe. He left Barbe as the all-time leading receiver in high school football — any state. He was just unreal.

You knew he was getting the football every play and there was just no way to stop him.•

LACY PICKING UP STATS,

COLLEGIATE INTEREST PHOTO BY: JARED SHANKLIN

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

Thibodaux senior receiver Kyren Lacy is a verbal commitment to the University of LouisianaLafayette.

But some big-time schools are starting to take note of his talents and are knocking on his door.

Lacy’s offer sheet seemingly grows by the week, and he now owns offers from some of the top programs in the country as his recruitment heats up.

This past week, Lacy got an offer from the University of Miami earlier in the

week, then continued his progression forward on Friday night with a threetouchdown game against H.L. Bourgeois.

Coach Chris Dugas said Lacy has grown up so much from the beginning of his career to now and he’s proud of his progression.

“He can play anywhere he wants to play,” Dugas said. “He’s matured so much during his time here and he’s just turned into a complete player.

The thing with Kyren is he can really run. He runs like a little guy, but he has that physicality and that leaping ability of a bigger FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

guy. He’s just the total package and he’s a great weapon for us.”

Lacy’s journey through his prep career is a story of triumph over adversity.

The polished receiver wanted to be a basketball player early in his career — so much so that he didn’t play football at all his 10th grade year.

“He wanted to focus on basketball,” Dugas said.

“So we lost him. And it was a blow to us because we knew he was a talented kid.”

Lacy played football again as an 11th grader, but Dugas said he was slowed down a little

6 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

because he wasn’t in rhythm. His timing wasn’t quite right and his level of physicality wasn’t quite right, either.

“He was just a little bit off,” Dugas said. “It’s hard to take a year off from this sport. It’s hard to come back and have everything click the way you want it to right away.”

But now, Lacy is full steam ahead.

He said he worked throughout the offseason to get bigger, faster and stronger and he showed up to as many workouts over the summer as he could to try and master his craft.

Lacy credits Tigers’ quarterback Luke Alleman, as well, saying that his successes are directly tied to Alleman — both on and off the field. The two men have chemistry and always know where each other are on the field.

That chemistry was developed because they worked hard throughout the summer to get their timing right on the route tree.

“There were days I didn’t want to work and he’d push me to keep going,” Lacy said. “I couldn’t ask for a better quarterback.

We work well together.”

Lacy did the camp circuit and started to show out and get offers.

Right now, he’s a ULLafayette commitment, but the list of offers

continues to grow and now features several prominent power 5 programs.

Lacy visited UL-Lafayette this past weekend and said he is still a commitment to the Cajuns. But he also said he’s listening to offers from other schools, as well.

In addition to ULL and Miami, his offer sheet now also includes offers from Virginia, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana Monroe and others.

He called the entire process a blessing, adding that he’s humbled to have so many quality programs interested in his services.

But first, there’s unfinished business at Thibodaux.

Lacy said he wants to finish his high school career with a bang, and

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

those aren’t just idle words — the Tigers are truly in position to make some noise and do some damage.

At press-time, Thibodaux is 7-2 and currently sits in the Top 10 in the state in power ratings projections.

If Thibodaux can beat East St. John on Friday, the Tigers would likely clinch a Top 8 seed, which could mean two-straight home playoff games.

Lacy said he and his team are motivated and they have a clear, united goal — to go to the Dome.

Dugas said he doesn’t know how far Thibodaux can push this postseason, but added that he goes into every, single game liking some of the matchups the Tigers have

7 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

on the edges, and Lacy is a big part of that.

The coach said he’s also most proud of how well Lacy has matured and evolved in his senior season.

“You have to be happy for a guy like that because you’ve seen him his whole career and you know he’s come a long way,” Dugas said. “Some schools are starting to get on him and they like the college body and the talent and the skillset he possesses.

But he’s stayed humble and grounded and a team player and he’s just been great for us this season. We’re so happy for everything he’s been able to accomplish for our team.”

TIGERS FALL IN DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

8 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

PHOTOS BY: WENDY BERGERON

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

East St. John was 0-for2 in extra points on Friday, so surely they couldn’t make a late-game, lastsecond field goal with the game on the line, right?

Wrong.

Terrebonne led East St. John 13-12 late in Friday’s crucial district game — a defensive struggle that went down to the final seconds.

East St. John got into Terrebonne territory late and turned to kicker Alexis Reyes, who was having a rough night.

But in one swoop of his right leg, Reyes changed that, banging home a lastsecond 28-yard field goal to secure a 15-13 Wildcats win.

That kick thwarted a furious fourth-quarter Terrebonne rally and improved the Wildcats to 7-2 on the season.

Terrebonne fell to 4-5.

“Our kids just kept fighting,” East St. John coach Brandon Brown.

“We trust our kicker in that spot. He’d missed a few, but we trust him.

He made a big one and it capped what was an outstanding high school football game.”

That, it was.

Both Terrebonne and East St. John have terrific defenses and they both showed out on Friday.

The Wildcats led 6-0 at halftime after forcing a turnover and converting a short field into a touchdown.

That advantage doubled and ballooned to 12-0 in the second half on another score aided by turnover. The Wildcats picked off a pass and set up a short field. They converted just a few plays later when Sean Shelby hit Dontae Fleming for a touchdown early in the third quarter.

Then Terrebonne fought back.

The Tigers went on a furious second-half comeback to take the lead — thanks in large part because of a Herculean effort from Florida State commitment Ja’khi Douglas.

Douglas’ first score came to cap an 80-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. A missed extra point made the score 12-6.

That score held for a quarter and a half after both defenses dominated one another and forced countless possession changes.

Late in the game, Terrebonne broke through and thought they’d sealed the win when Douglas and the boys marched again on a long drive capped by a touchdown pass from Douglas to AJ Walter to go up 13-12 with just more than 3 minutes to play.

But East St. John had one final answer.

Down a point, the Wildcats drove down the field and got close — on a drive aided by two key pass interference penalties on Terrebonne’s defense.

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Tigers coach Gary Hill said he didn’t agree with the fouls, but the Wildcats used them to push into range to set up Reyes’ kick, which was made as time expired.

The loss was big for Terrebonne, because now the Tigers head into Week 10 in must-win mode.

Terrebonne is currently in the upper 20s in the power ratings and a loss against Central Lafourche in the final week of the season could possibly knock the Tigers out of the Top 32.

TIGERS REBOUND WITH WIN OVER BRAVES Thibodaux played a poor first half on Friday against H.L. Bourgeois.

The heavily favored Tigers rolled to a fast start, but then struggled in the second quarter and only led 14-7 at halftime.

But in the third quarter, Thibodaux found its stride and got the win it was looking for.

The Tigers beat the Braves 49-14, thanks to a third-quarter onslaught that put the game on ice.

Thibodaux scored 35 points in the first 6 minutes of the third. Coach Chris Dugas said it was a strong second half after a slow start.

“We came out of the gates OK, but then we kind of fell asleep a little bit in the second quarter,” Dugas said. “We got into halftime and re-focused a FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

little bit and I thought we did a much better job.”

Thibodaux got big days from quarterback Luke Alleman and receivers Kyren Lacy and Darwin Davis in the win.

With the win, Thibodaux is now 7-2 on the season.

The Tigers are in position to earn a Top 8 seed in the Class 5A State Playoffs.

Dugas was complimentary to H.L. Bourgeois after the game, saying that he believes the Braves are headed in the right direction.

“They remind me of us last year with the young guys and some of the things they’re dealing with,” Dugas said. “You just can’t get away with that in Class 5A football.

10 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

They’re going to get a lot of kids back and I think they’re headed in the right direction.”•

CLASS 5A SCOREBOARD Thibodaux 49, H.L. Bourgeois 14 Destrehan 38, Central Lafourche 15 East St. John 15, Terrebonne 13 Jesuit 24, Hahnville 14

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11 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

2019 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

SCHEDULES SOUTH LAFOURCHE

CENTRAL LAFOURCHE

E.D. WHITE

Sept. 6 - vs. St. Charles [L] Sept. 13 - vs. Thibodaux [L] Sept. 20 - at Central Lafourche [L] Sept. 27 - at Lutcher [L] Oct. 4 - at Belle Chasse [L] Oct. 11 - at Vandebilt Catholic [L] Oct. 18 - vs. South Terrebonne [W] Oct. 24 - vs. Morgan City [W] Nov. 1 - vs. Ellender [W] Nov. 8 - at Assumption

Sept. 6 - vs. White Castle [W] Sept. 13 - vs. Franklin [W] Sept. 20 - vs. South Lafourche [W] Sept. 27 - vs. Thibodaux [L] Oct. 4 - at Ellender [W] Oct. 11 - vs. H.L. Bourgeois [W] Oct. 18 - at Hahnville [L] Oct. 26 - vs. East St. John [L] Nov. 1 - at Destrehan [L] Nov. 8 - at Terrebonne

Sept. 6 - at Vandebilt Catholic [W] Sept. 13 - at H.L. Bourgeois [W] Sept. 20 - vs. Assumption [L] Sept. 27 - at St. Charles Catholic [L] Oct. 4 - vs. South Terrebonne [L] Oct. 11 - vs. Donaldsonville [L] Oct. 18 - at Patterson [W] Oct. 27 - vs. Lutcher [W] Nov. 1 - at Berwick [W] Nov. 8 - vs. St. James

THIBODAUX

SOUTH TERREBONNE

ELLENDER MEMORIAL

Sept. 6 - vs. Riverside [W] Sept. 13 - at South Lafourche [W] Sept. 20 - vs. McDonogh 35 [W] Sept. 27 - at Central Lafourche [W] Oct. 4 - vs. Terrebonne [W] Oct. 11 - vs. Hahnville [L] Oct. 18 - at Breaux Bridge [W] Oct. 26 - vs. Destrehan [L] Nov. 1 - at H.L. Bourgeois [W] Nov. 8 - at East St. John

Sept. 6 - vs. H.L. Bourgeois [W] Sept. 13 - at Berwick [W] Sept. 20 - vs. Terrebonne [L] Sept. 27 - at Patterson [W] Oct. 4 - at E.D. White [W] Oct. 11 - vs. Assumption [L] Oct. 18 - at South Lafourche [L] Oct. 24 - vs. Vandebilt Catholic [L] Oct. 31 - vs. Morgan City [W] Nov. 8 - at Ellender

Sept. 5 - at Thomas Jefferson [W] Sept. 13 - vs. Terrebonne [L] Sept. 20 - at H.L. Bourgeois [L] Sept. 27 - vs. McMain [L] Oct. 4 - vs. Central Lafourche [L] Oct. 10 - at Morgan City [W] Oct. 18 - vs. Vandebilt Catholic [L] Oct. 24 - at Assumption [L] Nov. 1 - at South Lafourche [L] Nov. 8 - vs. South Terrebonne

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

12 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

VANDEBILT CATHOLIC

TERREBONNE

H.L. BOURGEOIS

Sept. 6 - vs. E.D. White [L] Sept. 13 - vs. Westgate [L] Sept. 20 - at Berwick [W] Sept. 27 - at Dutchtown [L] Oct. 4 - vs. Welsh [W] Oct. 11 - vs. South Lafourche [W] Oct. 18 - at Ellender [W] Oct. 24 - at South Terrebonne [W] Nov. 1 - at Assumption [L] Nov. 8 - vs. Morgan City

Sept. 6 - vs. Jesuit [L] Sept. 13 - at Ellender [W] Sept. 20 - at South Terrebonne [W] Sept. 27 - vs. Hahnville [L] Oct. 4 - at Thibodaux [L] Oct. 11 - vs. Destrehan [W] Oct. 18 - at H.L. Bourgeois [W] Oct. 25 - vs. Brother Martin [L] Nov. 1 - at East St. John [L] Nov. 8 - vs. Central Lafourche

Sept. 6 - at South Terrebonne [L] Sept. 13 - vs. E.D. White [L] Sept. 20 - vs. Ellender [W] Sept. 27 - at East St. John [L] Oct. 4 - vs. Destrehan [L] Oct. 11 - at Central Lafourche [L] Oct. 18 - vs. Terrebonne [L] Oct. 26 - at Hahnville [L] Nov. 1 - vs. Thibodaux [L] Nov. 8 - at Archbishop Shaw

COVENANT CHRISTIAN

HOUMA CHRISTIAN

WEEK 10 SCHEDULE

Sept. 6 - at Highland Baptist [L]

Assumption vs. South Lafourche

Sept. 6 - vs. Central Private [L] Sept. 13 - vs. Sci Academy [W] Sept. 20 - BYE WEEK Sept. 27 - vs. Loranger [L] Oct. 4 - vs. St. John [W] Oct. 11 - at Highland Baptist [L] Oct. 18 - vs. Centerville [L] Oct. 24 - at Central Catholic [L] Nov. 1 - vs. Vermilion Catholic [L] Nov. 8 - at Hanson Memorial

Sept. 13 - vs. Westminster Christian [L]

Sept. 20 - at Ascension Christian [L] Sept. 26 - at West St. Mary [L] Oct. 4 - at Loreauville [L] Oct. 10 - vs. Jeanerette [L] Oct. 18 - vs. Asc. Episcopal [L] Oct. 24 - vs. Catholic - New Iberia [L] Nov. 1 - at Franklin [L] Nov. 8 - vs. Delcambre

Terrebonne vs. Central Lafourche E.D. White vs. St. James East St. John vs. Thibodaux Ellender vs. South Terrebonne Vandebilt vs. Morgan City Shaw vs. H.L. Bourgeois Hanson vs. CCA Houma Christian vs. Delcambre

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

13 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

SOPHOMORES BECOMING

‘YOUNG JUNIORS’ FOR TARPONS PHOTOS BY: DREW MILLER

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

South Lafourche runs a triple option offense.

For those unfamiliar with that style of offense, it’s an alignment that’s heavily dependent on its quarterback and fullback — both to read defenses and to push forward and stay ahead of the chains.

Both of those players this season for South Lafourche are sophomores — quarterback Patrick Gisclair and fullback Derin Doucet.

Early in the season, those guys were young and inexperienced and it showed.

But lately, those guys have grown up and

they’re almost like “young juniors” now for the Tarpons team — a team that heads into Week 10 having won three-straight games after an 0-6 start.

“They’ve grown up.

There’s no question,” South Lafourche football coach Blake Forsythe said.

“They’ve gotten more experience and they’ve gotten more comfortable and I think our whole offense has gotten to the point where it’s started to click a little bit. We’re proud of those kids.

They’ve done an excellent job and they’ll be a big part of our future.”

South Lafourche’s once-struggling offense has caught fire in recent weeks.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

In the first 6 games of the seasons, the Tarpons struggled mightily.

They lost all 6 of those games and had a hard time pushing forward and staying on the field.

South Lafourche scored just 35 points in their first six games and most of those points were set up by turnovers and a lot of those 35 points were field goals.

But after an 18-3 loss against Vandebilt, the Tarpons’ offense got rolling.

In the past three games, South Lafourche has scored 100 points — all wins.

First, they beat South Terrebonne in somewhat of an upset, a last-second

14 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

win. Then, they beat Morgan City and Ellender — both in blowouts.

In all three of those games, South Lafourche scored touchdowns on their first drive of the game.

Against Morgan City, the Tarpons scored on every, single first-half drive. On Friday, the Tarpons got ahead early, then cruised, staying ahead of the chains and controlling the clock en route to a comfortable win.

“Our kids have stayed patient,” Forsythe said.

“We’ve had some rough times, but they’ve just kept pushing.”

And Gisclair and Doucet have been a huge part of the turnaround.

Doucet has been the inside running workhorse for the Tarpons. He’s put together several 100-yard games and has scored several touchdowns. More important than the yards and touchdowns is staying ahead of the chains, and Doucet’s running has helped the team do that.

The Tarpons have played far more 2nd and short and 3rd and short plays in the past month than they have all season.

And Gisclair has been reading the defenses right and making the right decisions for the Tarpons.

In Friday night’s win against Ellender, Gisclair threw a touchdown, ran a 74-yard touchdown and added a short touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

Forsythe said Gisclair’s

toughness has been inspiring to see. He’s made several plays with both his arm and legs in recent weeks to help power the team forward.

Forsythe said he’s excited to see Gisclair command the offense for the next two seasons.

The Tarpons also have several linemen and several offensive playmakers back next season, as well, in addition to their quarterback and fullback.

“He came in, won the job in the summer and he does a good job managing our offense,” Forsythe said. “He’s a competitor.

He’s continued to get better throughout the season. You can see things just keep slowing down for him.”

Now, for South Lafourche, it all comes down to one game.

The Tarpons are 3-6 and are currently No. 34 in power ratings projections.

If they win on Friday against Assumption, there’s no mystery — the Tarpons will be in the playoffs and will also clinch a share of the District Championship.

But if they lose, they’ll be at the mercy of the math and may need a little bit of help to get into the playoff bracket.

Forsythe said the Tarpons are approaching Week 10’s game as a playoff game, adding that the coaches are telling players that the game is a must-win.

Assumption is a mean machine. They’ve rolled

through the season with a 8-1 record. But on Friday night, they showed some vulnerabilities, squeaking out a 26-20 win over Vandebilt in overtime.

Forsythe said the Mustangs’ strengths are along their defense, adding that Assumption’s defense is fast and hustles to the football and doesn’t miss tackles.

“They’re so wellcoached and disciplined,” Forsythe said.

“They attack at the line of scrimmage and are so aggressive. But for us, we know what the situation is. We’re telling the kids, ‘Let’s forget the math and let’s go ahead and take care of business out there and punch our ticket to earn our way in.’”•

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VANDEBILT IN OVERTIME PHOTOS BY: DREW MILLER

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16 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

The officials let the kids decide it on the last play.

Assumption fans were pleased with that decision and the Vandebilt faithful were spewing the entire ride back home.

Assumption beat Vandebilt 26-20 in overtime on Friday night after both teams played to a 20-all tie in regulation.

In the extra period, the Mustangs got the ball and scored a touchdown to go up 26-20, but the extra point was blocked, giving Vandebilt a chance to win.

The Terriers moved close to the end zone and on fourth down, threw a pass in the back of the end zone to Jean-Luc Lapeyre.

Assumption’s defensive back appeared to make contact with Lapeyre before the ball arrived, which could have drawn a flag.

But none came, which sealed the win for the Mustangs in the hardfought, physical game.

“It’s disappointing.

There’s some things I’m not going to comment on, but it was a good, hardfought game,” Vandebilt coach Lance Ledet said.

“I thought our effort was great. But we just made too many mistakes. When you’re facing a really good football team, you can’t do those types of things. We got in our own way a little bit too much on Friday night. And unfortunately, we’ve done that a lot at times this season.”

Friday’s game was significant because the winner would clinch at

least a share of the district crown.

And neither team disappointed.

The Terriers struck first on a trick play.

Quarterback Gavin Daigle was making checks at the line of scrimmage when Vandebilt direct-snapped the ball to Caleb Calhoun.

Calhoun flipped the ball to Hunter Porche who kept his eyes down the field and found Daigle in the end zone for a long touchdown pass.

But the extra point was no good, which left the Terriers up 6-0 late in the first quarter.

That missed extra point would matter later.

Assumption found their stride in the second quarter and seemingly grabbed control of the game with three-straight touchdowns to go up 206.

Sage Rivere hit Jaden Tyler for two scores in the quarter and Rivere ran one in during the onslaught, as well.

The Mustangs missed one of their three extra points.

That missed extra point would also matter later.

In the second half, Vandebilt dominated and got back into the game, forcing several turnovers and getting just enough offense to square the game up to force overtime.

Calhoun scored late in the third quarter to make the game 20-13.

That score held until the final seconds when Vandebilt got another score on a long touchdown drive with 40 seconds left.

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That score, too, had some drama.

Daigle got the touchdown, but was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting an Assumption player as he got into the end zone.

That made the score 2019, but also pushed the team’s ensuing extra point to the 18-yard-line.

After missing a kick earlier in the game, Vandebilt kicker Austin Ledet calmly came through, drilling the long extra point, sending the game into overtime.

Then, things got even more dramatic.

Assumption lost the overtime coin toss and got the ball first.

With possession, Rivere hit Tyler on a 10-yard touchdown pass to go up 26-20, but the extra point got blocked, which meant that Vandebilt had a chance to score 7 points and win the game.

But their drive went for naught and the controversial fourth down play didn’t draw the flag, sealing the win for Assumption.

Ledet said he doesn’t blame the officials for the loss. He said the Terriers had plenty of chances to win, but didn’t do enough to capitalize. Assumption turned over the ball six times in the game, but Vandebilt didn’t turn many of those opportunities into points.

“We had our chances,” Ledet said. “We watched it back on film and watching it the third time, it made me feel worse than the first time. We

had opportunities. We just couldn’t get it done.”

TARPONS, GATORS ROLL With Assumption’s win, South Lafourche now has a chance to win a piece of the district title.

South Lafourche beat Ellender 30-7 on Friday night, improving to 3-1 in district play.

The Tarpons led 23-7 at halftime, then cruised in the second half to secure their third-straight win.

Ellender was overmatched in the game and had just 32 dressed players.

South Lafourche can now earn a piece of the district title in Week 10 if they beat Assumption.

The Tarpons likely need to win that game to make the playoffs.

South Terrebonne is likely in.

The Gators beat Morgan City 48-0 on Thursday night, improving to 5-4 on the season.

South Terrebonne now likely has enough power rating points to clinch a playoff spot, but a win in Week 10 against Ellender couldn’t hurt.•

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TROJANS AND TIGERS SET FOR WEEK 10 SHOWDOWN

PHOTOS BY: DREW MILLER

BY CASEY GISCLAIR

casey@rushing-media.com

The playoffs have come early for both Central Lafourche and Terrebonne.

Both the Trojans and Tigers are in good position to earn an 11th game. But first, both teams will play a showdown matchup with one another — a game that could provide valuable seeding to both teams heading into the Class 5A Playoff Bracket.

Central Lafourche is

currently No. 22 in power ratings. They’re in no matter the outcome of the game, and they’re also locked into a road firstround game.

For Terrebonne, there’s a strong likelihood that they, too, are in. They sit at No. 29 and are almost a full power point ahead of the No. 33 team.

But both coaches in the game say that Week 10 will be huge because crucial seeding will be earned for the winner — that and momentum heading into FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

the postseason.

“It’s a big game.

We want to get some momentum going into the playoffs and get that good feeling and some better seeding,” Trojans coach Keith Menard said. “We have a chance to maybe knock those guys out of the playoffs, so we know emotions are going to be high on both sides.”

“We told the kids we needed to have that playoff intensity in the final games,” Terrebonne coach Gary Hill said two

20 NOVEMBER 4, 2019

weeks ago. “We have to take that next step and be a little more intense if we want to get to where we want to get.”

These teams are a contrast in styles.

The Trojans are incredibly explosive on offense — a spread group led by halfback Deon Jenkins and a slew of capable receivers.

But Terrebonne’s defense is one of the best in the area with five-star defensive end Maason Smith plugging up all of

the running holes and an opportunistic defense that’s forcing turnovers just about every game.

Menard said it will be a challenge for his offense to get in a rhythm against a tough Terrebonne defense.

“We’re going to have to block and execute. There’s no question,” Menard said. “They have some big, physical guys and we’re going to have to handle that and do what we’re coached to do and make plays to stay ahead of the chains and on the field.”

On the opposite side of the equation, Terrebonne’s offense is struggling, but so, too, is Central Lafourche’s defense, which could turn the game into a highscoring game.

Menard said he thought his defense played well against Destrehan on Friday, but they still let up 30-plus points.

Terrebonne’s offense has also struggled in recent weeks, having scored just 22 points combined in the past 2 games — and one of those scores came on a pick six.

Hill said one of the keys to Terrebonne’s offense is keeping its balance. When the Tigers are at their best, they’re able to both run and throw.

On Friday, they had that balance at times. Ja’khi Douglas both ran and threw for a touchdown in the second half of a close loss against East St. John. But for a lot of the game, the Tigers couldn’t challenge the Wildcats’ defense.

“We have to be able to do a little bit of both,” Hill said. “We have to be able to keep the defenses honest.”

On paper, these teams are equal, and historically, this is one of the best games of the year — even though Terrebonne has gotten the upper hand recently in close, hardfought games.

The Terrebonne and Central Lafourche rivalry has been fierce in recent years.

Last year, Terrebonne was undefeated for the first nine games of the season, but the Trojans gave them all they could handle before falling short late in a 25-17 game — one that wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

In 2017, Terrebonne beat the Trojans 34-28. In 2016, Terrebonne won 2723.

Menard said he’s been telling his team all week that the stakes will be high and this is a great time to avenge some of those close defeats and find a way to power forward.

“We know we match up well with them. We’ve played with them the last few years,” Menard said.

“They might have better athletes than us, but we know we can match up with them at the line of scrimmage. We’ve had some wars with them, but they’ve been able to get on the better end of those games. This year, we’d like to flip that around. We’d like to be the ones who find a way to make that play at the end to get the win.”•

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