Running to victory

VILLE PLATTE -- Sacred Heart’s Julien Vidrine had a career night, as he carried the ball four times for 208 yards and scored four touchdowns in the Trojan’s 53-21 win over Houma Christian here Friday night.
The Trojans totaled 438 yards on the night. But the most electrifying number for Sacred Heart was the 294 yards rushing on just 18 carries; an average of 16.3 yards per rush.
“It was an amazing night for us offensively,” said Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper. “Our running backs have so much confidence behind the offensive line right now. We were able to run the ball not just out of our single wing but also out of the spread, which is going to be a big plus for us down the road.”
With the win, Sacred Heart improves to 3-0 on the year, while Houma Christian falls to 1-2. The Trojans will travel to Jeanerette next week, as they open District 5-2A play.
Houma Christian started the game with a solid opening drive, as they took the ball 39 yards to the Sacred Heart 12-yard line. However, the Trojan defense stiffened forcing the Warriors to attempt a 30-yard field goal. The kick was wide right and Houma Christian found themselves with no points to show for the offensive effort.
“We began the game in a four-man front on defense because of the athleticism of their quarterback,” stated Harper. “But, after that first drive, we went back to our traditional five-man front and I think that stopped their running game completely. When that happened it forced them to make some throws I don’t think they wanted to make.”
Sacred Heart took over on their 20-yard line and wasted no time in putting points on the board. After an 11 yard gain on first down, Vidrine took a sweep over the left side and scampered 69 yards to paydirt. Alec Gotro tacked on the extra point and with 5:50 left to go in the first quarter the Trojans led 7-0.
After an exchange in possession, the Warriors took over at their own 49-yard line and drove the ball down to the Trojan 10-yard line in 10 plays, as the first quarter ended and the second quarter began.
On first and goal a flat pass from Damien Pennison to Je’Coire Ward was stripped by Vidrine and scooped up by Cade Manuel, who sprinted 90 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was no good, but Sacred Heart now had a 13-0 lead with 8:39 to go in the half.
“We have drills built in at practice for stripping the football,” commented Harper. “Our players take pride in taking the football away from the opposing team. Right now we are winning the turnover battle in every game and that has made a big difference in our play this season.”
The Trojans added another score just 1:03 later. On the ensuing kickoff, Ward fumbled again, giving Sacred Heart the ball at the Warrior 32-yard line. Two plays later, Vidrine rumbled in from 15 yards out to add to the Trojan lead. Gotro was true with the point after and Sacred Heart now had a 20-0 lead.
Houma Christian was finally able to get on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter. The Warriors secured a fumbled punt return at the Sacred Heart 45-yard line. Six plays later, Pennison hit Tyler Voisin on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 left in the half. The extra point was no good and the Trojan lead was cut to 20-6.
Sacred Heart put the game out of reach toward the end of the second quarter, scoring two more times before the halftime whistle. Vidrine raced for 62 yards for a score and Wesley Launey hit Gotro on 39-yard passing strike with only 1:00 left before half. Gotro hit on one extra point and a two-point run failed giving the Trojans a 33-6 lead going into the locker room.
The second half had some sloppy play from both clubs, as Sacred Heart tacked on three more touchdowns in the third quarter. Two of those scores came courtesy of JT Harper, as he had a scoring run of nine yards and a 36-yard pass reception from Launey. Vidrine completed the Trojan triad of touchdowns with a 62-yard gallup at the 2:35 mark of the quarter.
Houma Christian’s only score in the third quarter came on a 60-yard jaunt by running back Efferem Moore with 3:44 left in the third, making the score 53-13 Sacred Heart.
The final points of the game came via bad snaps from Sacred Heart’s second unit. Pinned deep inside the 10-yard line twice, the Trojans had the ball sail over the quarterback’s head on two occasions, one leading to a Warrior touchdown and a safety.
“We knew coming in we were going to struggle running the ball,” said Houma Christian head coach Chuck Battaglia. “Our quarterback made some good throws, but our receivers just did not hang on and make the plays. We are going to have to clean that up going forward. Defensively, we had a few guys align wrong and by the time we made the adjustment it was just too late.”
Harper was definitely pleased with his team’s fast start so far this season.
“Being undefeated going into district is so big for us,” said an elated Sacred Heart head football coach Josh Harper. “The momentum is on our side right now. The kids are starting to believe in the system, even if they weren’t at first. When you win like we are now they buy into it even more.”
“We break down the season into phases,” continued Harper. “We have won phase one, the non-district schedule and now it is on to phase two as we enter into district play. ”