WCA Reaches Semis
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
There are four Division IV-Select teams remaining with a shot at a state football championship and for the first time in school history Westminster Christian Academy is among them.
Undefeated and top-seeded Westminster easily advanced into the semifinal round on Friday night, with a convincing 52-22 victory over St. Edmund in a game played before a sold out crowd at chilly Crusaders Stadium.
WCA will host No.5 Ascension Catholic in the semifinal round in a home game this Friday night. Ascension Catholic defeated No. 4 Catholic Pointe Coupee 50-42 in a quarterfinal played in New Roads.
Second-seeded Riverside Academy and No. 6 Ascension Episcopal are the other D-IV Select semifinalists.
The milestone victory over No. 9 St. Edmund (10-3) was the second this season, as the Crusaders defeated the Blue Jays 37-22 in a Nov.6 district game also played on the Westminster school campus.
As the Crusaders did last week in the second-round postseason win over Opelousas Catholic, Westminster scored touchdowns in all three phases against St. Edmund.
In addition to the running and passing by WCA quarterback Steven George, the Crusaders also scored on an Evan Lemon 32-yard punt return in the second quarter and a 75-yard Caden Brown interception later during the second.
The punt return touchdown for Lemon was the second in consecutive weeks. Lemon provided a key, 38-yard punt return in the 48-35 win over OCS.
George, who has started at quarterback during all four years of his high school career, was perhaps at his career best against St. Edmund.
In addition to rushing 14 times for two touchdowns and 148 yards, George completed 6-of-8 passes for 185 and a 46-yard touchdown to wide receiver Damien Thomas on the opening drive of the game.
Then in the third quarter George found an open Bandon Ray for another 51-yard scoring pass before running for an 87-yard score in the final period.
WCA running back Kyle Horde ran 15 times for 87 yards, while Thomas caught four passes for 94.
St. Edmund was hurt by turnover problems. The Jays lost two of five fumbles in addition to the pick six by Brown.
Running back Nathan Driggs was the offensive highlight for the Jays, as he ran 23 times for 132 yards.
The Crusaders established a substantial 35-8 halftime lead against the Jays, and St. Edmund never quite recovered.
St. Edmund squandered a first period scoring opportunity following the Thomas touchdown receptions as the Blue Jays moved from their 33 to the Crusaders’ four-yard line.
However the Jays didn’t score, as WCA stopped St. Edmund from inside the three on three consecutive plays.
It didn’t get much better for St. Edmund during the final two quarters.
St. Edmund went three-and-out on the first series of the third period and the Crusaders followed up on the next possession with a 71-yard drive that took only three plays and ended with the Ray touchdown catch.
The Jays then used much of the third quarter clock by running 12 plays, but failed to score off the lengthy offensive endeavor.
WCA responded a couple of snaps later and the George touchdown run that helped build the lead to 49-16.
St. Edmund rushed 35 times for 184 yards and quarterback Nathan Zaunbrecher passed for 91 yards off six completions.
One of the Zaunbrecher completions came on a 34-yard second quarter pass to Max Smith.
The remaining touchdowns for the Jays occurred when Hudson Smith returned a fourth quarter kickoff 92 yards and running back Wyatt Dubois scored on a 1-yard run.
