By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
MONROE - Nothing about the No. 3-seeded Ouachita Christian Eagles surprised head coach Josh Harper and the No. 14-seeded Sacred Heart Trojans Friday night.
They were just as big, just as fast and just as strong as expected. The Eagles used those physical advantages to end the Trojans’ season on Friday night, bursting out to a 42-0 halftime lead on its way to a 49-0 win to advance in the Division IV select playoff bracket.
OCS moves on to play the unbeaten six-seed Glenbrook Apaches next Friday in the quarterfinals. The Apaches disposed of Sacred Heart district rival Catholic-Pointe Coupee 42-21 to advance.
OCS displayed its athletic superiority early on, taking a 28-0 lead after the opening quarter.
The Eagles took full advantage of fantastic field possession on three of its four first quarter possessions, starting inside the Trojan 25-yard line for most of its first quarter possessions.
Each of those possessions were capped by rushing touchdowns by OCS running back Zach White. White’s first came from two yards out with 8:35 left in the opening quarter and he added a second less than two minutes later, giving the Eagles a 14-0 lead with 6:52 left in the opening frame.
A 22-yard touchdown from Landon Graves to Drew Dougan added to the lead before White punched it in from a yard out to add to OCS’s big first quarter.
Much of OCS’s success came due to a big size advantage they held in the trenches. The Eagles featured a pair of 300-pound offensive linemen.
“We knew what they were,” Harper said. “It’s OCS. You play teams like this, we got what we got. We come from a small community and you look at them, and it is what it is. They’ve got different kids playing every year.
“You come to a place like this and they play like this. They’re a team that has won a lot in the past 10 years. We practiced this week with 30 kids. You play with your back against the wall and you play your heart out. I thought our kids did that.”
In the second quarter Graves scored from three yards out to add to the lead before connecting with Broc Hogan on a 12-yard passing touchdown, his second of the half, to move to a running clock with seven minutes left in the first half.
It was 42-0 at halftime, but it didn’t stop Sacred Heart from battling whistle-to-whistle. The Trojans moved into the red zone on its final possession of the game and came short of breaking the shutout after driving down to the OCS eight-yard line.
Nonetheless, Sacred Heart has moved into rare air for the football program by winning a playoff game for the second-consecutive season and exceeding some expectations with an 8-4 season.
Doing that with the adversity the team faced, namely injuries throughout the year, speaks to the standard being set within Sacred Heart’s football program.
“I’m super proud of this team,” Harper said. “With the adversity we faced all season to go 8-4 and win a playoff game. Back-to-back years with playoff wins doesn’t come often at Sacred Heart, so it’s something to build upon and continue to build on.
“We’ve got that foundation set. It was an injury-plagued year. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”
June 20, 2026
