Check mate

Sacred Heart pounds Slaughter for key victory
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SLAUGHTER – Utilizing a tremendous game plan both offensively and defensively, the Sacred Heart Trojans dropped the Slaughter Community Charter Knights 35-6 Friday night to capture a key win in the hunt for playoff position.
With the win, Sacred Heart improved to 5-3 on the season and 2-2 in district play. The Trojans will travel to Franklin this Friday night for a non-district match-up with Hanson.
Going back to the single wing offense, Sacred Heart pounded out 295 rushing yards and 349 total yards to totally control the flow of the game and keep the ball out of the hands of the potent Knight offensive unit.
“Outstanding game,” stated Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper after the game. “They did not have an answer for the single wing. Just a great effort by the offensive line. They were able to open up some big holes for our running backs. Coming into the game, we wanted to control the football, and we did that tonight. This was a big win for us because it keeps us in the running to host a first round playoff game.”
The Sacred Heart offense was not the only unit that dominated the game. The Trojans, using a mix of coverages and pressure up front, held Slaughter to 118 yards of total offense and recorded four interceptions and two sacks.
“You have to tip your hat to the defense,” said Harper. “Holding this team to six points, after they were scoring an average of 30 points per game is a big accomplishment. I think we had their quarterback confused all night long because we were switching coverages all night long. Then we put some smaller, more athletic guys on the defensive ends and got some great pressure.”
Sacred Heart wasted no time getting on the board. After Slaughter won the toss and deferred to the second half, the Trojans took possession of the ball at their 41-yard line following the opening kickoff.
On the sixth play of the drive, Nick Perry busted loose for a 30-yard run down to the Slaughter four-yard line. One play later, Wesley Launey sliced his way into the end zone for the touchdown. Launey added the extra point and with 8:44 left in the first quarter, Sacred Heart led 7-0.
On their first drive of the game, the Knights picked up an initial first down at the 48-yard line. On the very next snap, Sacred Heart’s Tyler Perron went up and picked off a pass from Slaughter quarterback Shane Duncan at the Trojan 33-yard line.
The Trojans did not let the turnover go to waste. Sacred Heart methodically moved the football on the ground, chewing up yard after yard until they reached the Slaughter nine-yard line.
On second and goal, Launey punched it in, adding to the Sacred Heart lead. Launey tacked on the point after and with exactly one minute left in the opening period, the Trojans led 14-0.
Slaughter was able to get something going offensively on the ensuing possession. The Knights, starting from their 26-yard line, drove the ball down to the Sacred Heart 18-yard line in seven plays. However, on fourth-and-10, the Trojan defense stepped up and held Slaughter to only four yards, forcing a turnover on downs.
Now into the second quarter, Sacred Heart began their third drive of the night. Starting at their 14-yard line, the Trojans managed to reach the Knight 45-yard line, aided by two 15 yard penalties on Slaughter.
On first-and-ten, Launey connected with Drew Bordelon, who found himself behind all Knight defenders. Bordelon hauled in the pass and sprinted his way to pay dirt, extending the Trojan lead. Launey’s extra point was true, making the score 21-0 in favor of Sacred Heart with 7:54 to go in the second quarter.
The Trojan defense picked up from where they left off on the next Knight possession. After dropping Duncan twice for 29 total sack yards, Sacred Heart’s Jalen Deville picked off a pass at the Trojan 36-yard line on a go route, giving Sacred Heart good field position for their next drive.
Three runs in a row for a total of 34 yards put the ball at the Slaughter 32-yard line. However, the Trojan offense seemed to stall, losing five yards on the next three plays.
Facing fourth-and-15, Sacred Heart went to the air, but the ball fell incomplete. Fortunately for the Trojans, Slaughter was flagged for pass interference and when the Knight’s head coach argued the call, Slaughter was tagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as well.
Those two penalties placed the ball at the Slaughter 10-yard line and gave Sacred Heart a first-and-goal with a little over a minute left to go before half. After three running plays, the Trojans found themselves in a fourth-and-goal situation.
Harper decided to let the clock run down to three seconds, before calling time out and setting up a final play before the two teams headed into the locker room. When the Trojans came out of the huddle, Launey rolled to his left and found Bordelon streaking across the middle of the end zone for the perfect pitch and catch. The extra point was good off of Launey’s foot, allowing Sacred Heart to go up 28-0 as time expired in the first half.
Slaughter opened the second half with the football and was able to drive down to the Trojan 37-yard line in eight plays. On first-and-ten, Duncan tried to squeeze a ball in over the middle of the field, but Sacred Heart’s Alec Gotro stepped in front of the pass, intercepting the ball and taking it up to the Knight 43-yard line. However, the Trojans were not able to do much, turning the ball over on downs at the Slaughter 41-yard line.
The Knights finally were able to get some offensive production on their next drive. A pass interference penalty along with a personal foul call on Sacred Heart were added to 23 yards of passing by the Knights, placing the ball at the Trojan three-yard line.
On second-and-goal, Duncan drug several Sacred Heart defenders into the end zone for the first Slaughter touchdown of the game. The extra point sailed wide right, making it a 28-6 game in favor of the Trojans with 6:59 to go in the third quarter.
Undaunted, Sacred Heart responded on their next possession. Beginning at their 35-yard line, the Trojans drove the ball 65 yards in nine plays, capped off by a four yard touchdown run by Nick Perry. Launey added the extra point and with 1:49 left to go in the third quarter as Sacred Heart increased their lead to 35-6.
Slaughter put together one last drive late in the fourth quarter, reaching the Trojan 13-yard line. But, Sacred Heart was able to stop the Knights when Perron picked off his second pass of the night in the end zone.
Launey finished the night with 15 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Alex McElwee added 78 more yards on the ground on 14 carries.
Launey was two for two passing for 54 yards and a touchdown. Drew Bordelon caught both passes for 54 yards and two scores.