South
Terrebonne cruises past Assumption
Derek
Breaux
Sports Correspondent
Published:
Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 8, 2008 at 1:22
a.m.
NAPOLEONVILLE
– South Terrebonne amassed more than 300 yards of
total offense and cruised to a 59-21 victory over
Assumption Friday night at Mustang Stadium in
District 7-5A play.
The
Gators (4-4 overall, 4-2 district) used a 42-point
second half to pull away from the Mustangs (0-9,
0-6), who ended their season winless.
As
lopsided as the victory was, the game was evenly
played through the first half with South Terrebonne
taking a 17-14 lead into halftime.
The
Gators drew first blood with a 1-yard touchdown run
by Demetrius Boyd
with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter to take a
7-0 lead. A 25-yard touchdown run by Assumption
tailback De’Ray Lucien with 2:50 to play in the
first quarter tied the game at 7-7.
Gators
quarterback Quinton Lirette
then found Kiley Louviere for
a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-7 with 8:47
left in the second quarter. Justin
Pitre later connected on a 27-yard field
goal to put the Gators ahead, 17-7, with five
minutes left in the first half.
But
the Mustangs answered on Lucien’s second touchdown
run of the night, a 7-yard score with 1:05 left in
the first half, making it a three-point game.
In
the second half, the Gators took over. South
Terrebonne tailback B.J.
Dardar ran in from 12 yards out to make
it 24-14 with 6:10 remaining in the third quarter.
After Louviere blocked an Assumption punt on the
Mustangs’ next possession, setting South
Terrebonne up at the 15-yard-line, Lirette had an
8-yard touchdown run to make it 31-14.
The
Mustangs appeared to strike back on their next
drive, only to have a would-be 72-yard touchdown
pass negated by a penalty for having an illegal
receiver down field.
After
the Gators’ defense forced an interception early
in the fourth quarter, Boyd added a 10-yard
touchdown run to make it 38-14 with 8:47 left in the
game. After that score, the Gators successfully
attempted an onside kick, and two plays later,
Dardar scored on a 29-yard run to bring it to 45-14
with 8:05 left.
South
Terrebonne added two more touchdowns. After Brock
Hebert intercepted a pass that gave the
Gators a first-and-goal at the Mustangs’ 3-yard
line, Boyd scored on a touchdown with 7:05 left to
make it 52-14.
The
Gators later capped their scoring with a 3-yard
touchdown run by Bobby
Lirette to make it 59-14 with 5:09
remaining in the game.
Gators
coach Richard Curlin called Friday’s game a
statement game.
“We
made a statement (Friday night),” Curlin said.
“We took advantage of little turnovers and scored.
Their power running game bent us, but didn’t break
us.”
Dardar
had 12 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns in
the victory, while Boyd carried 15 times for 62
yards and scored three touchdowns. Lirette passed
for 109 yards and a score, and Gators receiver Mike
Barba hauled in three catches for 65
yards.
Assumption’s
Chris Johnson had a 12-yard touchdown run,
accounting for the Mustangs’ final score with 2:14
remaining in the game, making it 59-21.
Mustangs
coach Shawn Preston said the third quarter ended up
being the turning point in the game for his team,
much as it has been all year.
“In
the third quarter, defensively we haven’t been
good all year,” Preston said. “We had the
touchdown called back and that could have changed
the momentum. But after that, we fell part.”
.
Tigers
to play for 7-5A title, get by STHS
Kelly McElroy
Staff Writer
Published:
Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.
BOURG
-- On the biggest play in recent memory for
the Terrebonne High School football team,
linebacker Cody Charles was the man on the
spot for the Tigers on Friday night.
Charles
stopped South Terrebonne quarterback Quinton
Lirette 2 yards shy on the end zone on a
fourth-and-goal play with just over a minute left to
preserve a 41-36 District 7-5A victory for the
Tigers at South Terrebonne Memorial Stadium.
The
win means Terrebonne (6-1 overall, 5-0 in district)
will face Thibodaux (7-0, 5-0 in district) at home
next Friday night for the outright District 7-5A
title.
Lirette
ran a bootleg to the left side of his offense on
fourth-and-goal from the Terrebonne 7, but Charles
read the play and made the tackle along with safety
Jordan Anderson around the 2-yard line.
"It
was the whole defense," Charles said. "It
took the whole defense to stop them. We stepped up
and made it happen. I was kind of lost on the play
at first, but I slow played it and saw him scrapping
down the line. When I saw him tuck it, I went for
him. It was as simple as that."
Terrebonne
took over on downs and kneeled the ball to run out
the clock.
"We
just kept fighting and scrapping," Terrebonne
coach Gary Hill said. "They made us find a way
to win, but we are playing for the district
championship. Thibodaux is a great team. They are
undefeated. They have a great defense and their
offense woke up this week. Nobody expected us to be
here. Nobody gave us a chance. These guys earned
this opportunity."
Terrebonne
got 158 yards on 19 carries and three touchdowns
from running back Darrious Neville.
Many
of his yards came on a play that sent him through
the middle of the South Terrebonne defense and
allowed
him
to use his vision and cut back skills to gain big
yardage.
His
6-yard run gave Terrebonne an early 7-0 lead.
"We
didn’t have an answer for that little counter-zone
play," South Terrebonne coach Richard
Curlin said. "We said all week we
had to keep them under 40 points. It didn’t
happen, but our defense forced that stop at the end
and gave us a chance."
South
Terrebonne made it 7-7 with 1:54 left in the first
quarter after B.J. Dardar ran
in from 24 yards out with 1:54 left.
But
Terrebonne came right back and answered with an
18-yard score by Neville for a 14-7 lead on the
first play of the second quarter.
South
Terrebonne (404 yards, 214 rushing yards, 13 first
downs) tied it at 14 when Scotty
St. Julien went 95 yards for a score on
the ensuing kickoff.
Mike
Barba (six catches, 178 yards) gave South
Terrebonne a 20-14 lead around the four minute mark
of the second quarter with a one-handed, 20-yard
touchdown catch, but the point after failed, and the
Gators held a six-point halftime advantage.
Terrebonne
took the opening kickoff of the second half, and
after a 30-yard return by Dominique "Little
Reggie" Matthews and 15-yard personal foul on
the Gators, scored on a 15-yard run by Mark Lawson
to take a 21-20 lead with 11:19 left in the third
quarter.
After
a South Terrebonne punt, the Tigers (346 yards, 289
yards rushing, 14 first downs) went 67 yards on
seven plays and scored when Neville sliced through
the Gators defense for a 37-yard score.
The
Matt Adams point after gave Terrebonne a 28-20 lead
with 6:40 to play, then came another huge play.
Terrebonne
hit an onsides kick that it recovered, and four
plays later, quarterback Neil Robertson (5-of-9, 58
yards, TD, INT) hit Darion Jones (three catches, 42
yards) for a 28-yard touchdown. The point after was
blocked and Terrebonne led, 34-20.
"That
was a huge play for us," Hill said of the
onsides kick. "It allowed us to keep the
momentum. We could be a little more relaxed and kept
the clock running. We knew this would be tough
because they were fighting for their playoff
lives."
A
45-yard catch and run by Barba on fourth down then
led to a 30-yard field goal by South Terrebonne’s Justin
Pitre that cut Terrebonne’s lead to
34-23 with 2:47 to go in the third quarter.
A
Brock Hebert
interception for the Gators then later setup a
3-yard touchdown run by Lirette (7-of-16, 190 yards,
TD, INT), but the two-point conversion failed and
South Terrebonne trailed 34-29 with 11:19 to play.
Again,
Terrebonne answered when Robertson scored on a
10-yard run that pushed Terrebonne’s lead to 41-29
with 9:18 left.
The
Gators then went on a 14-play drive that covered 58
yards and ended with a 3-yard touchdown run by
Dardar that cut the Terrebonne lead to 41-36 with
4:22 left.
The
South Terrebonne defense then forced Terrebonne to
punt, and the Gators got a 42-yard pass play to
Barba that setup a first-and-goal from the
Terrebonne 4 with just under 2 minutes to go.
"(Barba)
kept us in it," Curlin said. "He gave us a
shot at the end."
After
a fumble on first down, South Terrebonne picked up
short yardage on second down and threw incomplete on
third down, before Charles made the stop on Lirette
on fourth down.
"Both
teams played hard," Curlin said. "You have
to give their kids and coaches credit. They did a
good job. We knew we had to keep them under 40
points, and we didn’t do it."
.
Gators
coast by Trojans
Published:
Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 1:26
a.m.
MATHEWS
-- Earlier in the week, South Terrebonne coach
Richard Curlin said he hoped his team
could get off to a quick start against Central
Lafourche.
And,
while there was a little help from the Trojans,
South Terrebonne did just that, taking a 34-point
halftime lead before coasting to a 41-21 win in
Friday night’s District 7-5A game.
The
Gators led 41-7 at halftime, scoring on every
first-half possession and taking advantage of four
Central Lafourche turnovers.
Including
muffed kickoffs, the Trojans fumbled eight times in
the first half.
"They
hadn’t been doing what they did in that first half
all year long," Curlin said of the turnovers.
"What we did, is we did a good job of just
taking advantage of every turnover in that first
half. It was just one of those kinds of games. They
were coughing it up, we were taking advantage of it
and it just gets out of hand."
After
Central Lafourche (4-2 overall, 3-2 district) scored
on the game’s opening possession -- an 80-yard
drive capped by Jordan LeBoeuf’s 1-yard run --
things immediately turned sour for the Trojans.
South
Terrebonne (3-3, 3-1) first answered with an
11-play, 73-yard drive, scoring on quarterback Quinton
Lirette’s 6-yard run. Justin
Pitre’s extra point failed, leaving
Central Lafourche ahead, 7-6, with 2:54 left in the
first quarter
After
a Trojans’ three-and-out, South Terrebonne quickly
increased its lead.
Kiley
Louviere (10 carries, 69 rushing yards)
started the drive with a 37-yard run to the
Trojans’ 18. Mike Barba
ended the drive with an 18-yard catch from Lirette
(8-of-10, 116 yards, two touchdowns). The extra
point made it 13-7 with 18 seconds left in the first
quarter.
Then
the turnovers started.
Central
Lafourche fumbled away its next three possessions,
along with a lost fumble on a South Terrebonne
kickoff.
The
Gators took advantage, scoring 28 points off the
four turnovers.
"I
think coming into the game, if we had one (lost
fumble), then that’s all we had all year,"
Trojans coach Chad Callais said. "I think we
made it all up tonight. You can’t give anybody
four turnovers and expect to win the game. That’s
the tale right there. Four turnovers."
The
first lost fumble was on a snap, giving South
Terrebonne possession at the Trojans’ 23.
Five
plays into the drive, Louviere scored on a 3-yard
run, and the extra point made it 20-7 with 9:14 left
in the half.
The
Trojans then drove to the Gators’ 39, but another
fumbled snap killed the possession.
The
Gators drove 63 yards in 11 plays and scored on Demetrius
Boyd’s 10-yard run, making it 27-7.
The
ensuing kickoff bounced off the hands of Central
Lafourche’s Brandon Smith and South Terrebonne
recovered at the Trojans’ 23.
After
a 15-yard penalty, Lirette found Barba (four
catches, 70 yards, two touchdowns) on a
third-and-25, 38-yard touchdown pass to go up 34-7
with 1:31 until halftime.
The
Trojans fumbled again two plays into their next
possession, and B.J. Dardar
(13 carries, 89 yards) scored on the
one-play drive on a 10-yard run. The extra point
made it 41-7 with 21 seconds left in the half.
South
Terrebonne often moved the ball with ease,
outgaining Central Lafourche 356-322.
"When
you don’t tackle, you’re not going to defend
anything," Callais said. "We had them
schemed up right, we just didn’t make plays when
we needed to."
Central
Lafourche added two fourth-quarter touchdowns, a
Cobie Savoie (13 carries, 114 yards) 36-yard run,
and a Savoie to Byron Thomas 44-yard pass, for the
41-21 final.
With
the win, South Terrebonne remained in the district
race. Still, at 3-3 overall, another loss could
knock the Gators out of the playoff picture.
"This
is just one (win)," Curlin said. "We just
told them, we’ve got two more to go, and we’ve
got a tough one next week (against Terrebonne). If
we play like we’re capable of playing, we can do
what you saw tonight."
For
the Trojans, the loss adds importance to next
week’s game at Thibodaux.
"They’re
probably the No. 1 team in the district,"
Callais said. "It’s going to be a great
challenge for us, but we’ve got to shake this one
off and get ready to go."
Thibodaux
overcomes halftime deficit
Published:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
at 8:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 1:11
a.m.
Thibodaux’s
Carmichael Pharagood (10) outruns South
Terrebonne’s Brock Hebert on a 69-yard
touchdown reception in the third quarter of
Friday’s District 7-5A game in Bourg.
Pharagood’s touchdown was the game winner for
the Tigers.
BOURG
-- The Thibodaux Tigers were in an unfamiliar
position during Friday night’s District 7-5A
game against South Terrebonne.
For
the first time this season, the Tigers found
themselves trailing on the scoreboard when the
Gators took a 7-0 lead into halftime.
But
the Tigers responded in the second half, scoring two
touchdowns in the third quarter that gave them a
13-7 win over the Gators at South Terrebonne
Memorial Stadium.
After
being held scoreless on offense in the first half,
Thibodaux coach Dennis Lorio said the Tigers (5-0
overall, 4-0 in district) made the necessary
adjustments at halftime, which allowed it to come
back and win the game.
"Our
kids knew that they didn’t take care of business
in the first half. That’s a credit to South
Terrebonne’s kids," Lorio said. "They
played hard. They were well prepared and did a few
things. But even when we were down, our kids
believed they can win. If somebody says this was an
ugly win, I don’t think so. Any kind of win in
this district is a win that we will cherish and
we’re very thankful for it."
South
Terrebonne (2-3, 2-1) dominated the opening half of
the game, outgaining the Tigers, 158-46, at
halftime.
But
Gators coach Richard Curlin
said his team just didn’t finish the job in the
second half. They finished the game with three
costly turnovers.
"That’s
what it came down to in the second half,"
Curlin said. "They made the plays, and we
didn’t make the plays. It was as simple as that.
Thibodaux is just a really good football team."
On
their opening drive of the game, the Gators offense
(208 total yards) wasted little time to get going.
They
used an 11-yard pass from
Quinton Lirette (8-for-15, 102 yards,
three INTs) to Mike Barba (six
catches, 89 yards) and a 13-yard run from B.J.
Dardar, which set up first-and-10 at the Tigers’
27.
A
play later, Lirette connected with Barba on a
27-yard touchdown pass, capping a seven-play,
70-yard drive, which gave South Terrebonne a 7-0
lead with 8:47 left in the first quarter.
South
Terrebonne’s offense continued to shine in the
first half as it had two possessions inside
Thibodaux territory.
But
the Tigers escaped each time as cornerback Chad
Fletcher and nose tackle Anthony Dunn came away with
interceptions.
Curlin
said those two turnovers were huge.
"You’d
like to go up at least 14 at the half right there,
but you’ve got to get the job done," Curlin
said. "We’re playing hard. It’s just that
we’re not making the plays when we need too. Until
we start doing that, we’re going to be in a battle
in every game for the rest of the season."
After
being shut down for most of the first half,
Thibodaux’s offense (278 total yards, 17 first
downs) finally came alive on the last drive before
halftime.
Starting
with first-and-10 at their own 40, quarterback
Carmichael Pharagood hooked up runner Demon Bolt on
pass plays of 11 and 20 yards to set up first-and-10
at the Gators’ 16.
Three
plays later, Thibodaux faced fourth-and-2 at
Gators’ 8 with 13 seconds left. Running back
Jasmine Williams converted the first down, but
without any timeouts left, the Tigers were forced to
rush and get the snap off, which they did.
But
unfortunately for Thibodaux, quarterback Trovon Reed
was sacked on the play by South Terrebonne’s Scotty
St. Julien, which ran the clock out and
helped the Gators take a 7-0 lead into halftime.
In
the third quarter, Thibodaux stormed back on its
first drive. The Tigers capped a 10-play, 64-yard
drive with a 1-yard touchdown run from fullback
Brandon Duncan. Kicker Drew Williamson’s extra
point was good, which tied the score at 7 with 7:42
left in the third quarter.
After
the defense forced a three-and-out on the next
drive, it took Thibodaux just two plays to strike
again and take over the game for good.
Facing
third-and-6 at their own 31, Reed (4-for-10, 100
yards) found a wide-open Pharagood (three catches,
80 yards) running along the sideline and connected
for a 69-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the
third quarter. The extra point failed, but Thibodaux
had a 13-7 lead.
Reed
said the scoring play was a surprise because it
wasn’t supposed to go to Pharagood.
"The
designed play was supposed to go to the A back
(Bolt), but they had a linebacker blitz, so I looked
on that side and Carmichael was down there by
himself and I just threw it," Reed said.
"That was a big play. That play won the
game."
In
the fourth quarter, the Gators defense stopped the
Tigers twice on a fourth-and-1 from their 1 and a
fumble recovery, but their offense couldn’t get
going as Thibodaux’s defense sealed the deal.
"Our
kids played their hearts out, but I got to give a
lot of credit to South Terrebonne because they
played their hearts out too," Lorio said.
"It was a game that anybody could have won, and
I’m just happy for our kids. They just didn’t
give up."
.
Big
second half sparks West Jeff past South Terrebonne
Perry Pitre
Sports Correspondent
Published:
Friday, October 10, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, October 10, 2008 at 10:11
a.m.
HARVEY–
It was a defensive struggle and an offensive
explosion all in the same game.
After
averaging 13 points a game in its first four
contests, West Jefferson’s offense exploded in the
second half taking a 47-28 nondistrict homecoming
victory over South Terrebonne Thursday at Hoss
Memtsas Stadium.
After
taking a 12-7 first half lead, West Jefferson (2-3)
scored on five of six-second half possessions, and
the Gators simply could not keep up with the scoring
onslaught.
“We’ve
been sputtering on offense,” West Jefferson coach
Marcus Scott said. “We’ve installed a new
offense this year, and it hasn’t been working.
We’ve been waiting for it to explode, and it
finally did.”
South
Terrebonne (2-2), on the other hand, was plagued by
critical mistakes and turnovers that both stopped
its own drives and helped the Bucs continue theirs.
“Obviously,
we were inconsistent in all three phases of the
game,” Gators coach Richard
Curlin said. “We gave up too many big
plays. We’d look great for two plays, then give up
a big pass. We couldn’t keep anything going.”
The
pattern was set early in the second half. South
Terrebonne took the kickoff, and promptly lost the
ball when quarterback Quinton
Lirette (8-for-17, 74 yards, 2 INTS) was
picked off by West Jeff’s Kenneth Proctor, setting
the Bucs up on the Gators’ 37. Two plays later,
Terrell Marco (12-for-15, 252 yards, 4 TD) hit Kevin
Shief on the right side for a 37 yard touchdown,
putting West Jeff up 20-7.
Following
a Gators punt, South Terrebonne’s defense held the
Bucs offense in check, forcing a punt. However, a
personal foul penalty on the punt allowed West Jeff
to retain possession, leading to a 63-yard touchdown
pass from Marco to Glen Coleman and a 26-7 lead.
The
Gators struck back on a freak play when Kiley
Louviere, after gaining 16 yards on a run
up the middle, fumbled into the arms of Mike
Barba, who took the ball 40 yards for a
Gators touchdown, cutting the deficit to 26-14.
That
score stood for 14 seconds as Sheif took the ensuing
kickoff 82 yards down the left side, putting West
Jefferson up, 33-14.
South
Terrebonne answered with its best drive of the
night, a 9-play 64-yard march culminating in
Lirette’s 1-yard plunge, cutting the deficit to
33-21.
The
Bucs, however, answered right back, going 78 yards
in seven plays, with Marco hitting Coleman on a
36-yard scoring strike, putting West Jeff up 40-21.
The
Gators scored again following their only defensive
stop of the second half when Jamal
Stewart capped a 7-play drive with a
3-yard sweep into the end zone, making the score
40-28 with two and a half minutes left.
West
Jeff put a stake into the heart of any chance of a
Gators comeback on its next possession when Shief
took a handoff 62 yards for the game’s final
score.
“We
waited too long to establish the run,” Curlin
said. “We didn’t throw well. We could not get
into a rhythm.”
When
asked if there was anything from the game that he
liked, Curlin paused for a few seconds and then
said, “No. To be perfectly honest with you, not a
thing.”
South
Terrebonne quarterback Quinton Lirette (15)
scrambles behind Kiley Louviere (10) and Demetrius
Boyd (30) during the first half of Friday’s
District 7-5A game at Tom B. Smith Stadium in
Houma.
H.L.
Bourgeois committed four turnovers (all fumbles) in
the game, which the Gators converted to 28 points in
their 44-28 victory over the Braves in Tom B. Smith
Stadium.
The
Braves (1-2, 0-1 in district) outgained South
Terrebonne, 404-327, in total yards, but the turnovers
ended several key drives in the game.
“I
thought we gave the football game away,” H.L.
Bourgeois coach Joe Riley said. “Nothing taken away
from (South Terrebonne coach Richard)
Curlin and his kids, but without a couple
balls on the ground here and there, I think the
outcome would have been a little different.”
Curlin
said the fumble recoveries by his defense helped his
team improve to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in district play.
“This
game was up in the air. We weren’t doing a good job
of stopping them,” Curlin
said. “If we don’t get those fumbles, then it
would have been a different ballgame.”
With
the win, the Gators snapped the Braves’ 10-game
winning streak against District 7-5A opponents. The
last district team to beat H.L. Bourgeois was South
Terrebonne back in 2006.
The
win was also Curlin’s 100th victory in 18 seasons at
South Terrebonne.
But
after the game, the team dedicated the win to teammate
Kurt Leblanc, who
collapsed after suffering a brain aneurysm on Monday.
“It’s
been on everyone’s minds all week long,” Curlin
said. “It’s been on the whole school’s mind and
the whole community. He’s such a great kid. To go
from perfectly healthy to something like that
happening, it really shocked us.”
Leblanc,
a starting sophomore linebacker, is currently at
Oschner Medical Center in New Orleans. Curlin said he
showed some response by raising his hand on Wednesday.
“He’s
a fighter. Kurt has always been a hard worker and
he’s always been a fighter,” Curlin said.
“You’ve got to believe that he’s going to make
it through this.”
The
Gators got off to a great start in the first quarter
when H.L. Bourgeois punter Vincent Stafford dropped
the snap in the end zone, which South Terrebonne’s Ronnie
Thormas recovered for a touchdown. Kicker Justin
Pitre added the extra point, giving the
Gators a 7-0 lead.
H.L.
Bourgeois answered back when South Terrebonne punt
retuner Kiley Louviere
muffed a punt, which Braves’ Darius Varnado
recovered at the Gators’ 29.
Following
a 24-yard run from Jereme Legarde (24 carries, 218
yards, two touchdowns) on second down, the Braves
senior fullback scrambled 2 yards for the touchdown on
the next play. Kicker Sean Harvey missed the extra
point, which preserved the Gators’ 7-6 lead with
3:19 left in the first.
After
the Braves turned the ball over on downs with 11:21
left in the second, the Gators’ offense put together
a four-play, 58-yard drive, which was capped on a
1-yard touchdown run from Jamal
Stewart with 9:38 left in the second
quarter. Pitre’s extra point gave South Terrebonne a
14-6 lead.
Following
a Braves’ turnover, South Terrebonne went on an
8-play, 52-yard drive, which B.J.
Dardar (15 carries, 101 yards, two
touchdowns) ended with a 6-yard touchdown run to make
it 21-6.
Right
before halftime, a 50-yard run from H.L. Bourgeois’
Sean Harvey (nine carries, 139 yards) set up a 10-yard
touchdown run from Lagarde, which made the score 21-13
at halftime.
South
Terrebonne went ahead 28-13 in the third quarter when
Dardar added a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:44 left.
H.L.
Bourgeois quickly responded when Harvey sprinted
70-yards untouched for the score. Legarde ran in the
two-point conversion, which cut the lead to 28-21.
After
the Braves’ defense forced a three-and-out and
forced the Gators to punt on the next drive, H.L.
Bourgeois had first-and-10 at its own 20, but a
fumbled handoff gave the ball right back to South
Terrebonne.
Two
plays later, Demetrius Boyd (12
carries, 59 yards) went in for the 2-yard touchdown
run. The extra point failed, but the Gators held a
34-21 lead.
The
Braves scored their final touchdown of the game on a
10-yard run from Caleb Williams with 1:33 left in the
third quarter.
South
Terrebonne added a 36-yard field goal from Pitre and a
12-yard touchdown run from Stewart in the fourth
quarter to seal the win for the Gators.
The
Gators finished with 272 rushing yards and 55 passing
yards.
H.L.
Bourgeois (five penalties, 80 yards) had no passing
yards in the game.
Riley
said he team must bounce back next week as they
prepare to face Thibodaux.
“A
lot of people expect and want me to fail, but I’m
not going to give up,” Riley said. “I’m going to
keep on pushing. We’re going to keep working, and
we’re going to go out and give Thibodaux our best
shot next week. It’s a long season. You never know
what’s going to happen, especially in this district.
If we put a few wins together, we’re right back at
the top of the race.”
South
Lafourche running back Simon Bruce (5) tries
to get away from a host of South Terrebonne
defenders – Josh LeBouef (5), Garrett
Falgout (42), Ethan Bascle (73) and Kiley
Louviere (10) – during the first half of
Friday’s District 7-5A opener in Bourg.
The
Gators took a three touchdown lead midway through
the third quarter on their way to beating South
Lafourche 35-13 in the District 7-5A opener for
both teams at South Terrebonne Memorial Stadium.
Holding
a 7-0 lead, the Gators (1-1, 1-0 in district)
scored 22 seconds before halftime after Mike
Barba,
who returned after injuring his back earlier,
caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Quinton
Lirette for the 14-0 advantage.
The
Gators kept that drive alive when B.J. Dardar (10
carries, 89 yards) received a direct snap on a
fake punt and rumbled 30 yards (his longest run of
the night) for a first down at the South Lafourche
(0-2, 0-1) 35-yard line.
“We
didn’t want to go in at 7-0,” South Terrebonne
coach Richard Curlin said. “We saw during the
week that we could possibly run that little fake
right there. It was the perfect time to do it. It
kept the drive alive. Going in (to halftime) at
14-0 was a lot better than going in 7-0.”
The
Gators, who took a 7-0 lead after a 5-yard scoring
run by Jamal Stewart and an extra point by Justin
Pitre (five extra points) in the first quarter,
took a 21-0 advantage with 6:42 to go in the third
quarter.
South
Terrebonne got the ball to start the half, went 11
plays and scored after a 21-yard run by Demetrius
Boyd (eight carries, 50 yards).
“We
talked about scoring on that first possession
after halftime,” Curlin said. “We played hard.
Both teams did, but you can tell we are behind
(after missing two games because of hurricanes).
We are halfway through the season, and we aren’t
where we should be.”
South
Lafourche coach Blyght Wunstell said he was
disappointed in his defense, which gave up 325
yards (249 rushing) and 16 first downs to the
Gators and that the team may have lost starting
linebacker Jesse Adams for the season after he
reinjured his left knee in the game.
“We
didn’t play as well defensively as we
anticipated,” Wunstell said. “I was
disappointed with how we came out in the second
half. We should come out in the second half and
set the tone, but we didn’t. We made some
mistakes, but I’m proud of the guys because they
never gave up. There are some positives.”
Two
plays after South Terrebonne defensive lineman
Victor Hernandez intercepted a screen pass and
returned it 33 yards to the Tarpons 13, and
following a personal foul on South Lafourche, the
Gators took a 28-0 lead on another Barba touchdown
catch.
Barba
(two catches, 54 yards, two touchdowns) hauled in
an 8-yard score from Lirette (6-of-12, two
touchdowns, 44 yards rushing).
The
Tarpons (164 yards, 137 rushing, nine first downs)
answered when Ryan Bagala took the ensuing kickoff
97 yards for a touchdown, and Erick Sorreno added
the extra point that cut the South Terrebonne lead
to 28-7 with 3:46 left in the third quarter.
To
start the fourth quarter, the Tarpons, who got 71
yards rushing on 14 carries from Simon Bruce, put
together their best drive of the night.
South
Lafourche, who got a fumble recovery from Logan
Harris early on and 27 yards passing on 5-of-6
attempts from quarterback Brenner Callais, went 50
yards in nine plays and scored on a 1-yard run by
Bruce. The extra point failed.
The
Gators, who got a fumble recovery from Justin
Smith in the game, scored the
final
points when Kiley Louviere rushed in from 20 yards
out with 4:04 to play.
“We
made some mistakes,” Wunstell said. “You
can’t do that against a good team like South
Terrebonne, but we are moving in the right
direction. It just takes time. We are much
improved from last year. We are a play or two away
from being right there. We just need to make that
turn.”