Sacred Heart seals 34-26 comeback win over Iota Friday

VILLE PLATTE--- After falling behind 20-7 midway through the third quarter, the Sacred Heart Trojans rallied for a 34-26 season-opening victory over the Iota Bulldogs.
The home-standing Trojans scored three times in the last stanza, including a 15-yard jaunt by JT Harper with just over a minute to play. Senior cornerback Julien Vidrine intercepted a Bulldog pass two plays later to seal the win.
Second-year head coach Josh Harper, JT’s father, was jubilant after the win.
“This victory is really a testament to the kids,” he said, “to their commitment during the off-season conditioning program and to their willingness to buy into the system.”
Coach Harper noted that, while Iota seemed to fade as the three-hour game ground on, his Trojan squad didn’t just endure: it got stronger.
“We started off getting punched in the mouth at the beginning of the game,” he said. “But we played through that, and we improved.
“By the middle of the third quarter, our offense was telling me on the sideline, ‘Coach, let’s pound it,’” he continued. “In the fourth quarter, we were continuing to pick up steam.
“It’s what we hammered all summer long: When you hit a wall physically and mentally, just keep pushing, break through it.”
While not dominant, Iota was in control before half time, and much of the third quarter. The Bulldogs scored twice in the first quarter. Quarterback Trae Rambin and tailback Kaleb Guillory both rushed for touchdowns for a 14-0 lead.
The Trojans put together a 76-yard drive midway through the second quarter, capped by the first of JT Harper’s three touchdowns. Alec Gotro made the point-after-try, cutting the lead to 14-7.
Iota almost scored again at the end of the first half, but Gotro made a great defensive play to knock down a Rambin pass inside the five-yard line as time expired.
When the Bulldogs got the ball back in the third quarter, they picked up right where they left off, scoring on a four-play, 91-yard drive. Guillory ran the ball every time, scoring on a 16-yard run.
Later in the third quarter, senior defensive back Jacques Fontenot intercepted a Rambin pass, giving the Trojans the ball on the Bulldog 12-yard line. Harper rushed twice, scoring on a four-yard run. Gotro’s PAT made it 20-14.
However, Iota extended the lead again on the next series, as Guillory scored on an 18-yard run. The Bulldog’s tried a two-point conversion, but it failed, putting Iota up, 26-14, at the end of the third quarter.
It would turn out to be Iota’s last score, and it was a costly drive. The turning point of the game may have come two plays before Guillory’s score. Rambin converted a crucial fourth-down pass, but he was hit hard on the play and had to leave the game with what appeared to be a broken collarbone.
Once Rambin went out, inexperienced back-up Kameron Aucoin had to step in as signal caller. This put even more pressure on a tiring Bulldog running attack. In the first three quarters, Guillory had 256 yards and three touchdowns. After Rambin went out, and Guillory became the only Bulldog weapon, he had -4 yards.
Although the Bulldog spirits were flagging, the Trojans could sense that the tide had turned. Sacred Heart players were playing with more energy and inspiration. Importantly, the Trojan passing game came to life.
For three quarters of the game, Sacred Heart had completed only three of fourteen passes, with two interceptions, for just 20 yards. In the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Wesley Launey completed four of six passes for 76 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s a gritty little kid,” Coach Harper smiled. “I’m as hard on him as I am on my own kid, but I know not only that he can handle it, but he’ll preserver and get better.
“We had our chances in the first half, but we just couldn’t connect. In the fourth quarter, though, it just started clicking.”
Sacred Heart scored three times in the last eight minutes of the game, plus the defense managed three turnovers.
Launey’s three completions to Vidrine, Harper, and Daniel Scully midway through the last quarter set up a two-yard score by Gotro.
The Trojans recovered a fumble to get the ball back in the Bulldog red zone. Three plays later, Launey found Scully wide open at the front corner of the end zone for the 20-yard go-ahead touchdown pass. Sacred Heart’s fake extra point attempt failed, but the Trojans had the lead, 27-26.
Scully intercepted a Aucoin pass on the next series with four-and-a-half minutes to play. Anxious to wind down the clock, the Trojans kept the ball on the ground, with Harper going over the goal line on the 15-yard scamper. Gotro’s extra point set the score, 34-26.
Vidrine’s interception let the Trojan offense run the victory formation and run out the clock for the win.
Next week, Sacred Heart travels to Port Barre, while Iota stays on the road, at St. Edmund in Eunice.