Trojans travel to face Hurricanes

The Sacred Heart Trojans come into the district 5-1A opening game off of a disappointing overtime loss at the hands of Pine Prairie by a score of 12-6. The Trojans had a number of opportunities to extend the lead against the Panthers this past Friday. However, penalties in key situations stopped good offensive momentum, even taking away two touchdowns. The Trojans will try to get back on track this Friday as they travel to North Central. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“We had opportunities to put the game away and did not capitalize,” said Trojan Head Coach Gary Adkins. “We had two touchdowns called back on penalties. All the things that we talk about hurt us. Penalties, special teams and turnovers all contributed to the loss. I really did not have to say a whole lot after the game. I did tell them that I thought the effort was great. The kids were disappointed and it showed. I just told them that life is tough and we will need to come back this week and get back on track.”
Offensively, Sacred Heart did enough to warrant the victory against the Panthers. Driving the football was not the problem for Sacred Heart, it was the penalties; especially the offensive penalties. The Trojans had nine offensive penalties for a total of 75 yards. The Trojans compiled 214 yards of total offense against the Panthers. Once again, the running game was responsible for most of those yards, as Sacred Heart ran the ball 53 times for 171 yards. Dylan Scully led all rushers, accounting for 116 yards on 20 carries. Garrick Fontenot added 79 yards on 22 carries. Joshua Lahaye wound up completing four of 11 passes for 43 yards. Leading the receiving corpse was Seth Shipp, who caught two passes for 19 yards. The Trojans were able to penetrate Panther territory five times in regulation, but only managed to score six points.
“If we could have scored when we had the opportunity, it would have been a different ballgame,” commented Adkins. “We moved the football all night. We just could not get it into the end zone.”
The Trojan defense was on point for most of the game, with the exception of two plays. Sacred Heart held the Panthers to 121 yards of total offense. Pine Prairie managed to cross into Trojan territory five times, but two of those times came on bad punts. The Panther athletes were held in check almost all night and the Trojan defense continued to give the offense opportunities to put points on the board.
“Defensively, I thought we played well,” stated Adkins. “It is hard to hold down a team all game long, especially one that has the athletes that Pine did. The touchdown in overtime is just one of those things that happen. We had stopped them on the first two plays. The ball just bounced their way on that last play.”
Sacred Heart must now put the last game in the back of their minds and get ready for the challenge that is district. The Trojans face a familiar foe in the North Central Hurricanes. The Hurricanes come into the game with a 1-4 record. North Central’s only win came in week four as they defeated the Gueydan Bears 20-18, a team that Sacred Heart soundly beat in week three. The Hurricanes have another common opponent in Pine Prairie. The Panthers took an overtime victory over North Central in week one by a score of 12-6.
“I went and watched North Central play on Friday,” said Adkins. “They only have about 26 players but they are tough. They have some good athletes that are very quick. A win would put us back into the mix of the playoffs with the power points. We are still in the hunt for the playoffs. This being our first district game allows us a chance to win the district. Our focus this week has to be on fighting to get ourselves better.”
Power points are now at a premium for the Trojans. Only 16 teams will be selected to participate in the LHSAA Division IV playoffs. A win on Friday would give Sacred Heart a much-needed 10 power points and put them at 1-0 to open district. The Trojans will need to put this loss in the back of their minds and find a new gear for the rest of the season if they are to be part of that select group of 16 teams.