OPELOUSAS – Sacred Heart’s defense held the number two team in Division IV, the Opelousas Catholic Vikings, to only 21 points. However, the Trojan offense could only muster one score in a 21-6 loss Friday night.
Despite the loss, Trojan head coach Josh Harper was pleased with his team’s tenacity.
“These boys came out here, and they fought hard,” Harper said. “There’s nothing negative I can say. These boys played their butts off tonight. This is the team that I know we’re capable of being.”
He continued, “We fought tooth and nail and went toe-to-toe with the number two team in the state, and I could not be more proud of these boys right now.”
Sacred Heart had good field position to open the game after Peyton Feucht returned the opening kickoff 23 yards to the Trojan 45-yard line. The Trojans ventured into Viking territory but were forced to punt.
On the ensuing Viking possession, Sacred Heart recovered a fumble setting up a 1st-and-10 from the Trojan 33-yard line. The Trojans could only advance 5 yards and again were forced to punt.
After the punt, Opelousas Catholic began its next possession on the Trojan 44 yard line. On the second play from scrimmage, Jesse Roy completed a 41-yard pass to Keon Coleman for a touchdown. The point after try was good at the 3:06 mark of the first quarter to give the Vikings a 7-0 lead.
Both teams dug into the trenches for the remained of the first half, and the Vikings maintained its 7-0 lead going into the half.
A holding penalty against the Vikings on the second play from scrimmage began the second half. Still, Opelousas Catholic was able to convert on a 3rd-and-1 from the Sacred Heart 43-yard line. After the conversion, Caleb Rubin rushed 17 yards. Later in the drive, a Trojan offsides penalty on 3rd-and-1 gave the Vikings a 1st-and-goal situation from the Trojan 7-yard line. Two plays later, Rubin ran for a 4-yard touchdown at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter. The extra point try was again good to give the Vikings a 14-0 lead.
Sacred Heart, after the kickoff, regained possession on its 31-yard line. On 3rd-and-12 from his 29-yard line, Ethan Karonika completed a pass through the Viking defenses to Alex McElwee for 24 yards. McElwee then rushed for 5 yards as a timeout was called on the field with 4:14 on the third quarter clock. Eight seconds later, Karonika connected with Feucht for a 42-yard pitch and catch in the end zone. However, the extra point try was blocked. With the score, the Trojans trailed 14-6.
The Vikings mounted a drive deep into Trojan territory on the following drive until McElwee intercepted a pass on the 1-yard line.
Sacred Heart, after the change in possession, picked up 5 yards on an offsides call on the Vikings. Two plays later, from his 10-yard line, McElwee took a direct snap for 14 yards. The Trojans continued to march downfield, but momentum was lost as Karonika was sacked to set up a 4th-and-22 and a punt.
Opelousas Catholic then began the next drive on the Trojan 39-yard line and capped it off on a quarterback keeper from 4 yards out for a touchdown. With 2:58 remaining on the clock, the point after try was again good to give the Vikings a 21-6 lead.
The Trojans still had fight in them as they again moved into Viking territory. Aiding the drive were a 14-yard completion and a 15-yard completion from Karonika to Tyler Perron to set up a 1st-and-10 from the Viking 16-yard line. After a 2-yard loss, though, Karonika’s pass was intercepted in the end zone with 22 seconds remaining in the game.
The Trojans are now 4-5 on the season and 1-3 in district play. The regular season ends next Friday night with a homecoming contest against the Hurricanes of North Central.
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TONY MARKS Sports Editor