Panthers defeat Trojans in overtime thriller

This time of year as the calendar turns to October it evokes different things for different people. Some think of the Major League Baseball postseason, others think of heading into the woods for the opening weekend of squirrel season, and still others think of harvesting cotton. But for the Pine Prairie Panthers and the Sacred Heart Trojans, the beginning of October means Thursday night football.
The contest at Soileau-Landry Field, from the start, was a game of cat and mouse. Both sides were plagued with miscues, penalties, and missed opportunities all night. In the end, though, it was Pine Prairie that capitalized, as Javon Ardoin caught a pass from Douglas Fontenot in the end zone for the go-ahead, game-winning score, as the Panthers prevailed in overtime 12-6.
Panther Head Coach Yves Prince called the game “one of the biggest wins in Pine Prairie history” and “a great win for our kids to go 3-2 for the first time.”
Prince went on to say, “I’m proud of these young men. They became men tonight. They played hard. We fell behind, we didn’t quit, and we came back to beat a good team. It was a job well done by the players and coaching staff.”
The game began with the Trojans going three-and-out on the opening drive. The subsequent punt was shanked off of the foot of Sam Tuminaro.
The ensuing Panther drive began inside Trojan territory on the 42 yard line. Douglas Fontenot ran a quarterback keeper for a gain of nine yards. Javon Ardoin then moved the chains to the Trojan 22-yard line for a first down. The Trojan defense then stepped up, led by Wacen Fontenot and Phillip Vidrine. The Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
The next couple of possessions saw many of the same missed opportunities. The Trojans would go three-and-out, and the punt rolled just shy of midfield. The Panthers again began their drive inside Trojan territory and again turned the ball over on downs.
The Trojans turned on the jets as the tandem of Dylan Scully and Garrick Fontenot took care of business, closing out the first 15 minutes of play. Scully opened the second quarter with a huge gain around the right side down to the Panther 15 yard line. Fontenot picked up eight yards on the next play. Scully took the next handoff for a seven-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good off of the foot of Bevan Dupre and the Trojans led 6-0.
The Panthers got the ball back on their own 33 yard line down by six points. Allen Myles converted on third down before the Trojan defense stepped up again. Wacen Fontenot brought down Douglas Fontenot behind the line of scrimmage, and Jacob Lafleur stopped a reverse by Pine Prairie. The Panthers missed more opportunities and were forced to punt.
The miscues and penalties crept up on the Trojans as the first half came to a close. The Scully and Fontenot tandem drove the Trojans down to the shadows of the goal line. A holding penalty backed Sacred Heart up 10 yards. Scully ran down the left side for a first down. Two snaps later the Trojans were penalized five yards for a false start. Javon Ardoin intercepted the pass, but fumbled the run back and Sam Tuminaro recovered the football. Scully ran again as a penalty flag flew for another Trojan holding penalty. Keenan Roy then sacked the quarterback, backing up the Trojans to the midfield stripe. Sacred Heart was forced to punt.
Wacen Fontenot, Brandon Hudspeth, and Caleb Soileau combined to stop Pine Prairie on its opening possession of the second half. The Trojans took over on their own 45 yard line.
Joshua LaHaye on a quarterback keeper joined in on the Scully and Fontenot rushing party as the three rushed for about 20 yards. Scully scurried into the end zone like a squirrel with a nut in its mouth. The scoring play; however, was negated on a personal foul penalty. This penalty backed the Trojans up 15 yards. On the next play, Dustin McDaniel sacked Joshua LaHaye to set up fourth down. The Trojans botched the fake punt attempt, and the ball eventually landed in the hands of Javon Ardoin at midfield.
The Panthers tied the game two possessions later on a 47-yard carry by Douglas Fontenot. The two-point try failed and the game was tied 6-6. The final 10 minutes of the game had more of the same miscues and missed opportunities, and regulation ended with a tied score of 6-6.
Overtime began with Sacred Heart having the football first. Scully and Fontenot carried the ball the first three downs. On fourth and goal, Scully went around the right side but was stopped just inches shy of the west end zone.
Pine Prairie now had its turn on offense in overtime. The first play by the Panthers was a two-yard run by Douglas Fontenot. The very next play Doucet dropped back to pass and threw it to a streaking Panther in the end zone. The ball was tipped by several players and fell into the waiting arms of Javon Ardoin for the win.
After the game Sacred Heart Head Coach Gary Adkins had only four words. “Too many penalties. Period.”
On the night for the Panthers, Fontenot carried the ball 11 times for 88 yards and one touchdown. Doucet connected on five of 13 passes for 21 yards and one touchdown. Javon Ardoin had three receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown.
The Trojans were led on offense by Dylan Scully. Scully rushed for 116 yards on 20 attempts and one touchdown. Joshua LaHaye was four of 11 passing with 43 yards and one interception. Seth Shipp caught two passes for 16 yards.
The Panthers are now 3-2 on the season and will travel to face the undefeated Church Point Bears Friday night. This is the first district 5-3A game for both squads.
The Trojans will take their 2-3 record on the road to North Central who is 1-4 on the season. This will be the district 5-1A opener for both teams.