Sacred Heart looks to re-group with district game against Vikings

Despite their tough 13-0 loss to long time rival St. Ed’s this past Friday, the Sacred Heart Trojans are still in the hunt for a home playoff game.
No doubt the defeat to the Blue Jays set Sacred Heart (4-4, 1-2) back a step in their bid to host a post-season game, but a win over Division IV power ranking leader Opelousas Catholic tomorrow night on the road would go a long way into making a season goal happen.
“This is a huge game for us if we want to feel the home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs,” stated Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper. “Our players are anxious to bounce back from last week’s loss and get back on track. With the exception of last year, we have always played Opelousas Catholic tough. I just hope we can go out and play as hard as we have been playing all season long.”
One of the biggest issues for Sacred Heart this season has been the inability at times to put the ball in the end zone once they have reached inside their opponents 20-yard line. This past week against St. Ed’s, the Trojans reached the Blue Jay red zone twice, once inside the five, and came away with zero points.
“It seems like we have had some really good drives all year long and are just not finishing those drives with a score,” said Harper. “It is hard to put a finger on exactly why that is happening. I don’t know if it is because we are relaxing too much once we reach the red zone or what.”
“All I know is that if we want to win tomorrow night, we have to be able score points when we have the opportunity,” Harper continued. “We are still tweaking the offense a little and adding a few wrinkles. I think we will come in with a good game plan. It will be just a matter of making sure that we execute that plan.”
Opelousas Catholic comes into the game with an overall record of 7-1 and a district record of 2-1. The Vikings’ only loss this season came in week seven when their undefeated campaign was derailed by Catholic of Point Coupee in a 44-10 district contest.
Even though Opelousas Catholic has a blemish on their record, as of last Tuesday, the Vikings were still the No. 1 team in terms of power ranking in Division IV; a fact that is not lost on Harper.
“They are a solid football team,” commented Harper. “They have a high-powered offense that puts up a ton of points. Our defense will have to step up and try and neutralize their offense. It will be a tough task, but I think the team will be ready to play.”
Case in point, Opelousas Catholic averages 38.3 points per game on offense. The Vikings have scored 40 points or more on four different occasions this season, including a 69 point performance against North Central last week.
In contrast to that, the Sacred Heart defense surrenders 19.3 points per game. The Trojans have held four of their eight opponents to two touchdowns or less.
The Opelousas Catholic defense is a tough group to put points on. The Vikings give up a meager 12 points per game and have shut out two opposing teams this year and have held four teams to six points or less.
After a slow start offensively, Sacred Heart has found a way to grind out points, scoring 94 points in five of their last six games. The Trojans will need their running game to control the ball.