Colonels get much-needed win
November 15, 2017
Colonels want progression in year 2 under Riley
November 15, 2017
There won’t be a local state champion in prep football this year.
Every local team lost on Friday night in the opening round of the state playoffs, effectively ending the 2017 football season in terms of local rooting interests.
Most of the losses were somewhat expected, as most of the local teams were on the road on Friday. But some were upsets that sent tremors around Louisiana’s postseason brackets.
CLASS 5A
Both Thibodaux and Terrebonne faced long odds on Friday – each against state powerhouses.
But both battled to four-quarter games before falling on the sword of their foes.
Thibodaux was the biggest underdog, earning the No. 31 seed in Class 5A, which earned them a game with No. 2 Covington on Friday.
The Tigers planned heavily for Covington’s power running game, led by halfback Devin Brumfield. But before long, Thibodaux had a new concern – Lions quarterback Joshua Alfaro.
Alfaro completed 13-of-15 passes for 278 yards and four scores, which kept the state powerhouse in front on the scoreboard and pushing toward the second round of the playoffs.
“We spent all week expecting a heavy dose of the running game,” Thibodaux coach Chris Dugas said. “And I thought we did a pretty good job defending their running game. What got us is their quarterback did a nice job making some great throws and some big plays that put them on the scoreboard. We battled back and competed, but we just fell behind a little bit too much.”
Covington scored a couple of early touchdowns to go up 14-0, then hit a controversial Hail Mary on the last play of the first half to go up 21-0 – a play aided by the officials adding time to the clock after a completed pass.
But in the second half, Thibodaux competed.
The Tigers scored three times to Covington’s two in the half, which made it a two-score game before the final whistle.
Quarterback DeMarcus Mitchell was big in the rally, making plays with both his arm and legs to push the comeback.
Dugas said he’s proud of the way his team fought against one of the top teams in the state. Thibodaux started 1-6, then won three-straight to get to the playoffs.
“We never stopped fighting,” Dugas said. “I told them after the game I was proud of their effort. They left it out on the field and they never stopped fighting.”
For Terrebonne, their game took them to North Louisiana and a contest against Ouachita Parish.
Like Thibodaux, Terrebonne fell behind early, surrendering a 29-0 halftime lead before falling 35-17 to Ouachita Parish, which earned the No. 15 seed in Class 5A, but is probably better than that seed, thanks to a brutally tough district.
Terrebonne fought back in the later stages of the game with a field goal, then two touchdowns by Chaz Ward, which sent the game to its final margin.
Ouachita Parish and Covington will now face one another in the second round.
CLASS 4A/DIVISION II
In Class 4A and Division II, locals seemed to have opportunities to get to the second round of the playoffs, but all of those chances fell flat in close, hard-fought games.
In Class 4A, Tioga used big plays on special teams to beat South Lafouche 31-16 in Galliano – ending the Tarpons’ season with a 6-5 record.
Tioga jumped ahead 14-0 early, thanks to a muffed punt and a blocked punt for a touchdown – a rut that proved too much to overcome.
In the second half, South Lafourche trimmed the deficit down to just eight points at one time, but Tioga made several big plays late to seal the win.
South Lafourche coach Blake Forsythe said he was happy with his team’s effort, but not their execution on Friday. He said the team will start its offseason program in the coming weeks to get ready for next season.
“We want to keep getting back here,” Forsythe said.
In Division II, both Vandebilt and E.D. White fell in hard-fought games.
The Cardinals lost 22-21 to St Louis, squandering an early lead to fall out of the playoffs.
E.D. White led early, but surrendered passing yards late to the Saints, which rallied back to take the lead, then hold onto it for the win.
On the other side of the bracket, Vandebilt also fell, losing 35-20 against Hannan, ending the Terriers’ season with a 7-4 record.
DIVISION IV
In Division IV, CCA knew it had to play its absolute best to upset Lafayette Christian.
They did for a half, taking a 12-7 lead to the locker room, thanks to stingy defense and long, sustained offensive drives.
But LCA stormed back in the second half, scoring 27-straight points in the second half to rally to a 34-12 victory.
LCA improved to 10-1 in the win, while CCA had its season end with a 6-4 record.
Lions coach Randy Boquet said last week that he was proud of this year’s team – no matter how the playoffs went.
“These kids are a special bunch,” Boquet said. “They had a lot of expectations put on them before the season and they really never flinched or backed down. They are a group that our program will remember for a long, long time.”
Before the playoffs got rolling on Friday, Houma Christian traveled to take on Ascension Catholic on Thursday.
That game was lopsided. Ascension Catholic controlled play throughout and rolled to a 63-7 win.
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