Sacred Heart obliterates Lafayette Christian

Going into the first round of the Division IV playoff bracket, the question that was on the mind of Sacred Heart Head Coach Doug Guillory was, “which team will show up.” The Trojans had an embarrassing show against St. Edmund’s the week before, but had also taken one of the best teams in Class 1A, Point Coupee Central, into overtime the week before that. So which team would he see? Guillory saw his group of resilient warriors stand up and show their fortitude as they blew out the Knights of Lafayette Christian Academy 35-0.
The Trojans knew they would have to stop the talented LCA running back, Dylan Hargrave, and they did that immediately. The SHHS defense stood firm and forced LCA off the field quickly. On the punt snap, the ball sailed over the head of the LCA punter. That gave the Trojans great field position.
The Trojans did not waste much time. Guillory’s platoon revealed their strategy right away. Back-to-back handoffs to Grant Manuel pretty much told LCA the Trojans were not going to go to Ellis Parrott all night. Instead, they were going to line up and punch LCA in the mouth, playing smash mouth football. Manuel punched the football in from two yards out, making it 6-0. The SHHS special teams got in the game early as well. They used a trick play on the extra point play to make the two-point conversion.
The 8-0 lead would be extended after the SHHS defense stood firm again. The drive also saw a key injury to LCA’s quarterback, which limited the Knights’ ability to throw the ball. Sacred Heart showed another aspect of their offense when Wesley Fontenot hit Dylan Scully on a 39-yard strike. Fontenot called his own number from seven yards away to make it a 14-0 contest. The extra point was made by Bevan Dupre, turning it into a 15-0 contest.
LCA attempted to throw the ball a bit on their third possession. They actually moved the ball into the SHHS red zone, before a series of odd penalties moved the ball backward. That was when Mikey Laughlin intercepted a pass and ended LCA’s only threat of the night. A penalty gave the ball back to LCA, but the threat and the momentum were gone. Hayden Estilette sacked the LCA quarterback and the ball was turned over.
The Trojans started on their own 15-yard line. Fontenot hit Ellis Parrott on a seam up the middle, moving the ball into LCA territory. Guillory continued to show their other weapons on the SHHS offense. Evan Mire got the call on a straight dive play. Mire sprinted for 26 yards and a touchdown. After the extra point, it was 22-0 in favor of SHHS.
“We knew going in they (LCA) were going to try and take Ellis (Parrott) out of the game,” Guillory said. “That is fine with us. We have other people to go to. Grant (Manuel), Evan (Mire), Dylan (Scully) and Mikey (Laughlin) are all capable of doing good things for us.”
The 22-0 halftime lead was not enough to end LCA’s threat and Guillory knew that.
“We told the boys at the half that we had not accomplished anything yet,” he explained. “We told them we needed to put them (LCA) away because they were not going to give up.”
Guillory was right in his comments. The Knights battled back and forced the Trojans to punt. Then the home team got a break and took advantage of it. Bevan Dupre, who played all night with a knee injury, jumped a fumble. The recovery gave the Trojans amazing field position.
With the ball on the LCA 28-yard line, Fontenot and company went to work. The senior quarterback ran for 20 yards and into the LCA red zone. Manuel punched the football in from a yard out,, making it a 28-0 score.
In the final quarter, a series of sacks from Estilette and Dupre gave the Trojans the ball back. With the game all but over, Parrott made his presence known.. The speedy, shifty running back broke three would-be tacklers and sprinted for 42 yards. The kick was good, making it a 35-0 contest.
“I give this win to our seniors,” Guillory commented. “They knew this could have been their last game and they didn’t want that. We didn’t want that. We want to play at least four more games. After last week, they had a point to prove. It’s the playoffs and there is no tomorrow.”
The playoff win is the first for SHHS since 2005 when the Trojans beat Lake Arthur. Now the Trojans go back to Ouachita Christian to take on the second-seeded Eagles. Last season, the Trojans went to OCHS in the opening round of the Class 1A playoffs and fell hard.
“This program is ongoing,” Guillory said. “We knew all along where wanted to be and it’s only been two years. It’s a work in progress for us.”
The Eagles had a bye Friday night and did not have to play.