An “A” for effort

If the game against Opelousas Catholic was a test to see how far Sacred Heart has come over the last season and a half, then give the Trojans an “A” for their effort.
Despite losing 41-21 here Thursday night, Sacred Heart played every play full tilt and even held a two-point advantage at the end of the first half. According to Trojan head coach Josh Harper, the valiant Sacred Heart effort was what he was looking for.
With the loss, Sacred Heart falls to 4-1 on the year and 1-1 in district. The Trojans will travel to Crowley on Friday to take on the defending Division III state champion Notre Dame Pioneers.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our players,” stated Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper. “I think we have improved vastly from the same point this year as compared to last year. We did want we wanted in the first half, but I knew that they were going to come right at us in the second half and they are just so physical up front we could not match-up. Now we know we can play with anybody and tonight proved it.”
Opelousas Catholic head coach Thomas David was very impressed with the effort Sacred Heart gave.
“You can really tell they are vastly improved from last season,” commented David. “They really played better than us in the first half. The game could have gotten away from us if we had not scored on defense and special teams. But, they get after you and are a pretty physical bunch.”
The Trojans showed everyone that attended the game at Soileau/Landry field they came ready for a fight, as they totally dominated time of possession in the first half. In fact, Sacred Heart ran 40 offensive plays in the first half, compared to only 20 for Opelousas Catholic.
Sacred Heart’s very first offensive series did not live up to expectations, as they lost yards and was forced to punt. The Vikings took over at the Trojan 46-yard line and mounted an eight play drive that ended on a tremendous fourth down stop from Sacred Heart at the Trojan 30-yard line.
It was from this point forward that Sacred Heart took control of the game, at least from an offensive standpoint. The Trojans took their next drive and methodically pushed the ball up the field, scoring on a two-yard plunge from JT Harper. The drive lasted for 17 plays and after the made extra point from Alec Gotro, Sacred Heart led 7-0 with 49 seconds left in the opening quarter.
But, the lead was short lived. On the ensuing kickoff, Opelousas Catholic’s Nick Mouret hauled in the ball and raced 85-yards for the touchdown. The extra point was good off of the foot of Richard Hollier and only 11 seconds later the score was tied at 7-7.
Sacred Heart took over on their next possession at their 30-yard line and marched to the Viking 19-yard line in six plays. On play seven of the drive, an option to the right was mishandled and the ball was fumbled allowing Opelousas Catholic’s Gaige St. Cyr to scope it up and gallup 78 yards to pay dirt. The extra point was no good, but the Vikings now led 13-7 with 10:30 left in the second quarter.
Sacred Heart was undeterred by the sudden Viking surge. The Trojans took control of the ball and once again began to run the ball at will. Ten plays later, Harper broke free and rambled 30 yards down the right sideline and reached the end zone for another Trojan score. Gotro was true again and Sacred Heart was once again on top 14-13 with 5:25 left in the half.
The Vikings did manage to get some offense going in the first half. Opelousas Catholic took over at their 42-yard line after the kickoff and drove 58 yards in six plays to go up for the second time in the game. This time it was a 13-yard run by quarterback Sam Jarrell that put the Vikings up 19-13 with 3:44 left in the half, after the two-point pass attempt failed.
However, Sacred Heart was not through scoring; although their final points of the half came from the defensive side of the ball. After being forced to punt, the Trojans gave the ball back to Opelousas Catholic. Facing a second and ten at their 39-yard line, the Vikings attempted a quick slant that was picked off by Sacred Heart’s Nick Perry, who raced 40 yards for the score. The extra point was once again true and the Trojans led 21-19 as the first half came to a close.
The second half was not as kind to the Trojans. Opelousas Catholic scored three more times, including touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter to pull away from Sacred Heart and seal the win. The final Viking score came with 10:29 left in the fourth quarter.
Harper finished the game with 111 yards on 27 carries. Wesley Launey ended the night 8-of-11 passing for 100 yards. Harper and Garrett Fontenot each had three receptions apiece.