WCA Remains Undefeated
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com editor
For the next couple of days the Westminster Christian Academy football team will remain positioned as the only undefeated team in St. Landry Parish as well as the undisputed leader of District 5-1A..
However long the euphoria lasts is still uncertain as Westminster head coach Byron Porter plots the Crusaders’ approach for the remainder of the season.
It’s good to be 5-0 at this point, Porter concedes, but Westminster still has more district teams to encounter as the 2025 moves towards a defined championship focus.
Westminster took another step towards a possible title Friday night, as the Crusaders defeated previously unbeaten Sacred Heart 14-7 in a key 5-1A contest.
The Crusaders used two Stephen George touchdown passes totaling 120 yards for both touchdowns, while WCA stopped Scared Heart in the second half on two attempted fourth down conversions inside the Crusaders’ 10-yard line during the late second half.
“We like where we are right now and we control our destiny. There are five more games that we have left to play and we’ve got (Opelousas Catholic) coming up on Thursday,” Porter said following the Sacred Heart win.
That game with OCS is currently scheduled for newly-renovated Donald Gardner Stadium, but Porter said other plans will be made if the facility is not ready Thursday night.
Porter attributed the Sacred Heart win to successful preparation by the Crusaders’ coaching staff as well as the players.
“Our players came in during the week and (on Friday night) they made the plays that we thought would work. It’s been a total contribution by the staff and our players,” said Porter.
The Crusaders scored once in each half.
George found wide receiver Damien Thomas isolated in man coverage on the Crusaders’ first offensive snap and placed the ball in Thomas’ hands for the 70-yard TD.
“I saw (Thomas) and I put it up there. I made the throw and he made the catch,” George said about the pass that enabled WCA to take the 7-0 lead with 8:47 remaining in the first period.
That advantage held until late in the second when the Trojans ended a 79-yard possession with a 2-yard Seth Guillory sweep with 2:55 left before halftime.
The second WCA touchdown came on another quick touchdown pass from George.
Running back Kyle Horde gathered in a toss on a wheel route and turned that play into a 50-yard TD with 4:22 remaining in the third.
“I just got the ball and then I threw off a couple of guys and got into the end zone,” Horde said.
The George-to-Horde touchdown throw came after the Trojans consumed nearly eight minutes of the third quarter with a 13-play drive that ended on fourth down at the WCA 35.
Sacred Heart also failed to convert a fourth down at the Crusaders’ 6-yard line midway through the fourth after being stopped again on the WCA 7-yard line with 1:55 left in the third.
“We made plays, but we couldn’t finish,” said Sacred Heart head coach Jacob Aguillard.
Aguillard said the Trojans’ preparations were aimed all week at preventing potential big-play gains by Crusaders.
The Thomas touchdown pass in the first quarter, Aguillard said, perhaps shocked his team into an uncomfortable reality.
“Before that (touchdown) we hadn’t played from behind all year and I thought that maybe our team might have panicked a little bit,” said Aguillard.
Aguillard thought his team (4-1, 1-1) might have started the game a little too relaxed..
George passed for 179 yards on seven completions, while Horde ran for 42 yards.
Thomas caught four passes for 95 and ended the game with the second interception thrown by Trojans’ quarterback Ellis Fuselier.
Gavin Patin gained 51 on 20 carries before he was injured midway through the fourth.
Trojans’ wide receiver Aaron LeJeune had six receptions for 96 yards. Fuselier completed 10 other passes for 165.
