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OHS Survives In Thriller

BOBBY ARDOIN

Editor/Consulting Writer

There were enough crucial mistakes committed by Opelousas High and Cecilia Friday night to disqualify either team as a District 5-4A football champion.

And afterward that thought wasn’t lost on Opelousas High head coach Jimmy Zachery, Jr., especially when it came to both criticizing and complimenting the overall performance of his team.

For Zachery it ultimately came down to saluting the tenacity of his players.

“We had a lot of bad plays, but I give our guys a lot of credit. They fought through it, what they did wrong, along with other adversities and getting some bad calls. In the end though, they pulled it off,” Zachery said after congratulating his players after the Tigers’ 28-27 win at Donald Gardner Stadium.

Opelousas used a pair of Cecilia fumbles to score two of the Tigers’ four touchdowns and then capitalized on a safety with 5:59 remaining in the game when a snap sailed over the head of the Bulldogs’ punter and landed in the back of the end zone.

Cecilia quarterback Diesel Solari tortured the Tigers’ secondary for three long touchdown passes, while running for another with 2:31 remaining, as the Bulldogs pulled within a point of a tie.

However, after the Solari rushing touchdown, the Tigers’ defense sacked Solari on a two-point conversion attempt that denied Cecilia with its first lead.

It was also the final scoring opportunity for Cecilia.

The victory for Opelousas (4-3, 2-0) was significant, as it provided the Tigers with a clearer pathway to a district title.

Cecilia (5-3, 2-1) will perhaps finish as the district runner up to Opelousas, a team they defeated to win the 2023 league title.

Opelousas also defeated Cecilia last year in the Division II non-select championship game.

“This win (Friday night) was huge. It will probably secure for us the district title.,” Zachery added.

While Cecilia effectively used the passing of Solari (13-of-17, 170 yards), the Tigers featured a punishing running game that accounted for 55 snaps and 415 yards.

De’Shaun Ford ran for 207 on 24 attempts, while Opelousas quarterback Zack Malveaux rushed for 155 on 20 carries. Corey Major gained 53 on 11 attempts.

That offensive tandem drew praise from Zachery.

“I really can’t say enough about (Ford). He shows up everytime and we are planning to ride him again to the Superdome,” said Zachery.

Ford and Malveaux each provided dynamic second half touchdown runs that were similar in nature.

Malveaux gave the Tigers a 20-14 advantage on a 49-yard scoring run with 6:04 left in the third. Then Ford followed on the next Opelousas possession with a 66-yard TD as the Tigers pulled in front, 26-14.

The Cecilia running game was negligible.

Cecilia gained 10 net yards on 13 attempts, while Opelousas averaged 7.5 yards per carry.

Using a second TD throw to wide receiver Ellis Stewart, Solari guided Cecilia to within five points with 18 seconds left in the third period, but Solari managed only one completion after that catch.

Zachery didn’t hide his displeasure with the performance of the Tigers’ secondary.

“We’ve been good back there all season. (Friday night) we showed the worst of our worst,” Zachery said.

The teams avoided the traditional handshaking at midfield following the game.

Zachery said the programs decided to do that in order to circumvent any potential incident.

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