Tie Game Ends 5-Hour Jamboree
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
A smothering Northwest High defense and a methodical Eunice High offense helped provide victories in the first two St. Landry Parish Football Jamboree games Friday night, while North Central and Port Barre created an entertaining end for the three-contest, preseason marathon played at Donald Gardner Stadium,
Northwest staged its comeback victory by limiting Beau Chene to four total offensive yards and scoring on three straight possessions to defeat the Gators 17-7.
Eunice, which was playing with a full parish jamboree roster for the first time in several years, scored two first half touchdowns and then held off Opelousas during the final 31 seconds for a 14-8 win in the second contest,
North Central scored inside the final minute on an exciting Tayshaun Mirville 71-yard pass reception that tied Port Barre at 14 for the final score in a game that featured 90 accepted penalty yards between the teams.
Northwest-Beau Chene
The Gators used defense to move in front 7-0 as Cameron Simmons stepped into a Justin Chavis pass and returned the throw 86 yards with 3:11 remaining in the first half.
Things changed for Northwest after that.
Chavis moved the Raiders into scoring possession during the next offensive series.
A Markez Davis reception on a Chavis pass inside the final minute gave Gavin Fontenot the opportunity to kick a 36-yard field goal on the final snap of the first half.
Northwest turned to the running game during the last 10 minutes, as the Raiders devoured yardage, the clock and scored twice.
With Chaise Dupre at quarterback, the Raiders scored on a 50-yard, eight-play drive that ended with a Jayden Lazard 10-yard touchdown.
A similar drive of 51-yards on the final possession of the game allowed Lazard to score again on a 58-yard run.
Opelousas-Eunice
The Bobcats’ offense was the dominant feature of the first half.
Eunice ended a precise, seven-minute, 68-yard possession with a Devontre Williams six-yard touchdown run. The 12-play drive included 11 runs that netted 66 yards.
A Eunice-recovered fumble by Ryan Guillory at the Opelousas 27 during the next series provided the second Bobcats’ touchdown.
EHS quarterback Beau Brown later found wide receiver Brighton Leday in the end zone on a 23-yard pass for the Bobcats’ final score. Brown added his second extra point to give Eunice the 14-0 lead on the final play of the half.
Opelousas tightened its defensive response to the Eunice offense during the final 10 minutes.
After stopping the Bobcats on four plays to open the second half, Opelousas scored on a 40-yard run by Brandon Gradnigo.
Quarterback Collin Rideau ran-in the two-point conversion to cut the Eunice lead to 14-8 with five minutes left.
The Tigers stopped Eunice again on four plays and used the opportunity to move into scoring possession a second straight time.
Beginning at their own 40-yard line, the Tigers used the running game sparked by Joseph Clues and Rideau to reach the Eunice 18.
That threat ended when a low snap that Rideau couldn’t grasp, was recovered by Nicholas Decuir with 31 seconds remaining.
North Central-Port Barre
Quarterback Deontrae Jackson and wide receiver Khalil Dixon connected on a 40-yard throw on the first possession of the game as the Hurricanes moved in front 8-0.
Jackson kept for the two-point conversion play.
Port Barre immediately responded with a TD by driving 67 yards.
Red Devils’ quarterback Owen Willis and Khalyn Green used the quick dive-designed running attack as Port Barre moved through the Hurricanes’ defense.
Green scored on an eight-yard run with 4:36 left to cut the lead to 8-6.
The Devils launched a nine-play scoring drive that consumed nearly half of the second half game clock, but Port Barre was stopped at the NCHS 33-yard line on fourth down.
Port Barre however scored on a 41 yard possession as the Devils used the running game to reach the ‘Canes eight-yard line in six plays.
The Devils ended the drive on an eight-yard, Zane Brinkhaus run with 42 seconds left in the game.
It took the Hurricanes only one snap to tie the game as Jackson found Mirvil on a screen pass.
Officials ruled the two-point conversion attempt failed as Jadyn Harrison was stopped short of the goal line.
