Trojans find their stride in rivalry game win
By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
EUNICE — After weeks of both winning and losing ugly, the Sacred Heart Trojans gave the kind of performance it has been waiting for Friday night in an annual district rivalry battle with the St. Ed’s Blue Jays.
Battling the injury bug, the Trojans outlasted St. Ed’s 30-17 Friday night to even up its district record.
It was a tale of two games.
For Sacred Heart, it was the cleanest and most efficient game it has played in a month.
St. Ed’s, on the other hand, struggled for the first time all season in establishing its run game through one of the state’s leading rushers in freshman Ke’Von Johnson.
It was a game won on the line of scrimmage.
While all teams love to pride themselves on their play in the trenches, it was Sacred Heart’s turn to win that battle Friday night.
“It’s a team effort,” Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper. “Playing the (non-district) schedule we played, we were ready up front for what they had. We ran the ball and controlled the line of scrimmage on defense and offense.”
Sacred Heart had to overcome special teams adversity at the beginning of each half Friday night.
Special teams mistakes plagued the Trojans in last Friday’s 42-14 loss to Catholic-Pointe Coupee, a game that was swung on a kickoff returned for a touchdown by the Hornets.
It happened again on the opening kickoff, when St. Ed’s recovered the opening kickoff slated to be received by the Trojans.
It set up a quick opening scoring drive, with Blue Jay quarterback connecting on a pair of 15-yard completions to Marcus Gradney and Taylor Daire to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Daire to give the Jays and early 7-0 advantage.
Sacred Heart, who has struggled establishing its running game most of this season, responded with a scoring drive of its own spun entirely from ground yardage.
Quarterback Hayden Droddy started it with a 28-yard scamper and it was capped by a Briggs Ardoin three-yard plunge that drew the Trojans with a point, 7-6, after the point after failed.
Sacred Heart took the lead with eight seconds left in the first half after a 13-play, 82-yard drive ended with Droddy connecting with wide receiver Boyce Schexnider on a six-yard scoring strike to put the Trojans up 12-7 heading into the locker room.
Down, but not out, Daire returned the opening kickoff of the second half 82 yards to help the Blue Jays regain a 14-12 lead.
Catholic’s kickoff return the previous week sparked a 28-unanswered point run that put the Trojans away.
Sacred Heart, rather than wild, thrived after the adversity and outscored St. Ed’s 18-3 through the rest of the second half.
Droddy’s 15-yard touchdown run capped another drive that lasted over five minutes and gave Sacred Heart an 18-14 lead
A Blake Summerlin 25-yard field goal cut the gap to 18-17 before Sacred Heart scored two more touchdowns to put the game out of reach.
The first, a seven-yard Kohen Joubert reception, extended the lead before Droddy closed the game with a 45-yard touchdown run that gave Sacred Heart its winning margin.
The difference between last and this week was a simple one for Harper.
“The adversity this team has been through prepared them. People going out, teams we’ve faced, the limited guys we’ve had. The practices we’ve had and what we’ve talked to them about. We talked to them about what it would take to get back on that winning side. They responded and did it.