Protecting the house

MAMOU – The Sacred Heart Trojans intercepted a pass in their end zone with no time remaining on the clock to fend off a second half comeback attempt by the Mamou Demons and take a hard fought 14-12 win over their intra-parish opponents.
Not only did the Trojans come up with the big defensive play at the end of the game, but they were also able to protect their house by shutting down the Demons inside the five-yard line on two separate occasions in the second half.
With the win Sacred Heart moved to 3-2 on the season. The Trojans will host Catholic of Pointe Coupee Friday night in their first district action of the season.
Mamou dropped to 2-3 on the year with the loss. The Demons will travel to Ville Platte to take on the Bulldogs Friday night in the initial district contest for both teams.
After the game, Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper praised his defensive unit for holding off the Mamou comeback bid but also acknowledged the hard play of the Demons.
“The two goal line stands in the second half were huge,” stated Harper. “We had our quarterback go down, we lost our running back with a hip injury, and we lost our blocking back; but the players fought hard the entire time and showed their resiliency. We took their punches and bent, but we did not break. You have to tip your hat to Mamou. They came out swinging in the second half and bowed their neck. They played a hell of a game.”
Mamou head coach Dwight Collins talked about his team’s ability to make a run on the Trojans in the second half and the slow starts that his team has gone through the entire season.
“Going into halftime, we told the players we were not out of the game,” said Collins. “We were prepared for what they were doing defensively but just could not execute our game plan in the first half. We made a few adjustments in the locker room, and the players were able to execute those things in the second half. I can see continuous growth, but we just keep starting off in the hole. We just have to fight a little harder when we get the opportunities inside the red zone.”
If you look at the entirety of the game, it really was a tale of two halves with Sacred Heart dominating the first half from the opening kickoff. The Trojans won the toss and decided to receive the kick, putting themselves on offense to begin the game.
That strategy paid off in spades for Sacred Heart. Taking the ball up to the Mamou 40-yard line on the return, the Trojans began to bang away at the Demons, mixing in the run and the pass.
Sacred Heart moved the ball down to the Mamou nine-yard line in seven plays, setting up a second and two situation. On the ensuing play, running back Alex McElwee took the direct snap out of the single wing and rumbled into the end zone from nine yards out to give the Trojans the early lead. Sam Hollier knocked the extra point through and with 9:04 to go in the first quarter, Sacred Heart led 7-0.
The Trojans got the ball back right away. On the kickoff, Hollier pouched the ball to the left side of the Mamou kick return team that was mishandled. Sacred Heart pounced on the ball and took over possession right at the mid-field stripe.
On the drive that followed, the Trojans utilized the strength of their offensive line and pounded the ball up to the Demon 12-yard line in seven plays. Play number eight saw McElwee slice his way in from 12 yards out for his second touchdown of the game.
Hollier’s extra point was true, giving Sacred Heart a 14-0 lead with 5:52 to go in the first quarter.
The Trojans did manage to get the ball down inside the Mamou 10-yard line once more in the first half, but the Demon defense stuffed a fourth and two play to force a take over on downs. Meanwhile the Mamou offense floundered, picking up a total of negative three yards in the first two quarters and found themselves with four three and outs.
When the horn sounded to end the first half, the Trojans held on to their 14-0 lead and looked like they were going to run away with the game. However, Mamou came out in the third quarter with a new found sense of urgency and a commitment to get back into the game.
The opening possession of the second half saw the Demons drive the ball from their 20-yard line down to the Sacred Heart three-yard line in 15 plays. During the drive, the Mamou run game became the dominate force, collecting 62 of the 77 yards needed to reach that mark.
Facing a fourth and goal from the three, Demon quarterback Daylon Ardoin rolled to his left and tried to hit wide out Kyrian Green, but the ball was just a little too high for Green to make a play, causing a turnover on downs.
The Mamou defense, feeding off of the newly discovered momentum, shut down the Trojans and forced them to punt the ball away.
The Demons took over possession at their 48-yard line following the Sacred Heart punt and wasted no time taking advantage of the excellent field position. Mamou running back Jalon Bradley hammered out a 20-yard run on the first play from scrimmage and, four plays later, Ardoin found a wide open Payton Vidrine in the end zone for a 27-yard scoring pass.
The extra point was blocked, making it a 14-6 game in favor of the Trojans with 1:08 to go in the third quarter.
As the third quarter faded into the fourth quarter, Sacred Heart found itself facing a third and two at its 36-yard line. On the third down play, the first play from scrimmage in the fourth quarter, the Trojans fumbled the ball allowing the Demon defense to snatch up the loose ball at the Sacred Heart 33-yard line.
Mamou slowly marched toward the Trojan goal line and once again faced a fourth down situation inside the Sacred Heart five-yard line. Just as the previous time the Demons were that deep into Trojan territory, the Sacred Heart defense made their presence known, stopping Mamou and forcing another turnover on downs.
The Demons rose to the occasion once more, holding the Trojans to only four total yards on the ensuing drive and forcing Sacred Heart to punt the ball back.
Following a short return, Mamou took over at the Trojan 33-yard line for its first possession of the fourth quarter.
This time, the Demons did not waste the opportunity. Over the next six plays, Mamou was able to push the ball down to the Sacred Heart four-yard line. On first and goal, Ardoin slid his way into the end zone to cut the Trojan lead down to two points, 14-12.
The Demons decided to go for two, but the pass sailed just out of the reach of Kyrian Green, keeping it a two point game with 4:05 left on the clock.
The Demon defense and a holding call pushed the Trojans back 14 yards to their 12-yard line on the next Sacred Heart possession. The Trojans were forced to punt the ball back to Mamou, giving the Demons great field position at the Trojan 35-yard line to begin the final drive of the night.
An incomplete pass on first down, followed by huge losses on sacks, put Mamou in a precarious position. Facing fourth and 24 from the Sacred Heart 49-yard line, Ardoin found Green on a broken play for 35 yards and a first down.
With new life and less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Demons attempted three straight passes that fell incomplete. On fourth down and with only three seconds on the clock, Ardoin heaved a pass into the end zone that wound up in the hands of Sacred Heart’s Soileau, who fell down with the ball ending the game.
McElwee led all rushers, carrying the ball 24 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns. Mamou’s Bradley picked up 66 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown. Ardoin finished the night seven for 17 passing for 100 yards and one touchdown. Vidrine hauled in four catches for 56 yards and a score.