Sacred Heart faces major district test against Loreauville

The only thing that a team can do after a loss the magnitude of which Sacred Heart experienced this past Friday night is to completely erase it. Simply put, the Trojans’ 62-6 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame was an event that every team on the Pioneers schedule has had to endure.
Sometimes you just have to mentally flush everything that occurred and get on the next task at hand.
“It is just one of those games that you have to put behind you,” said Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper. “The only thing is that I wish we would have competed better. I think we were intimidated from the start. We just have to play hard no matter who we face.”
Even with the loss, Sacred Heart still has the opportunity to attain a goal that has been on their collective minds all year; making the Division III playoffs.
In order for the Trojans to reach that goal, they first must attack their next challenge, as Sacred Heart will travel to Loreauville to take on the ever talented Tigers. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Although Loreauville appears to be not as explosive as they have in the past five years, the Tigers are still a team to contend with. Loreauville sports a 3-2 record (which includes an open date) and a 1-2 record in District 5-2A.
The Tigers average 25.6 points per game on offense and give up an average of 25 points per game on defense.
One reason for the high amount of points given up on defense is that Loreauville has already played Catholic of New Iberia and Notre Dame in the last two games and has allowed 76 total points in those two games.
“Loreauville is one of those teams that field a well-coached ball club every year,” stated Harper. “They are a team that can move the ball in the run and pass game. They have really good receivers. They play a lot of players both ways like us. I compare them a lot to Opelousas Catholic. I really believe we have a chance to compete.”
As things stand right now, Sacred Heart is the No. 13 ranked team in Division III in terms of power points. The Trojans need to be in the Top 16 at the end of the season to reach the playoffs. Sacred Heart is seeking to get into the playoffs for the first time since 2013 when they made it to the regional round of play before losing.
“Getting a win against Loreauville would almost guarantee us a spot in the playoffs,” commented Harper. “I would really love to get this win, especially when you are a heavy underdog. A win against them would be a springboard for the rest of the season and for the program.”