Twice stung

NEW ROADS -- On a rain soaked field, the Sacred Heart Trojans committed four turnovers and eight penalties as they fell to the Catholic of Pointe Coupee Hornets 42-6 in the Division IV playoffs Friday night.
The loss ended Sacred Heart’s season with an overall record of 4-2.
Catholic will advance to the next round of the post-season and will take on Calvary Baptist this coming Friday.
This marks the second time the Trojans have fallen at the hands of the Hornets this year. Sacred Heart lost in a close 28-22 contest to Catholic just six weeks ago.
“We just could not get out of our own way tonight,” stated Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper after the game. “Every time we would get it going, a penalty or something would bring us back. Against a solid team like Catholic, you cannot afford to do that. We just shot ourselves in the foot.”
“But, I was proud of the players and the way they handled the season and all of the adversity we had to go through,” Harper continued. “We got to get into the playoffs once again. This is the fifth year in a row for these guys. I thought they never quit out there tonight. It was just one of those games.”
Despite the final score, it was Sacred Heart who produced the first points of the game. After receiving the opening kickoff and bringing it up to their 22-yard line, the Trojans went right to work.
On the second play of the game, quarterback Ethan Karonika found a wide open Spencer Darbonne down the middle of the field. Darbonne hauled in the pass and took it down to the Catholic nine-yard line to set Sacred Heart up in a first and goal situation.
Three plays later, senior running back Alex McElwee sliced his way over the left side of the line for the seven yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked, however the Trojans found themselves up 6-0 with 9:28 to go in the first quarter.
The Hornets did not waste any time answering the Sacred Heart score. LSU commit Matthew Langlois secured the ensuing kickoff and rumbled 75 yards for the score. The extra point by Cameron Decoteau was good, giving Catholic a 7-6 lead just 15 seconds after the Trojan touchdown.
The two teams exchanged fumbles, with Sacred Heart coughing up the ball on the kickoff return and Catholic giving up the pigskin on the follow up possession.
After the Hornet fumble, the Trojans took over at their 33-yard line. Sacred Heart moved the ball to the Catholic 39-yard line on the first play of scrimmage, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty dropped the Trojans back to their 49-yard line two plays later.
Because of the penalty, Sacred Heart was forced to punt the ball back to the Hornets. A short kick set Catholic up at its 39-yard line.
Utilizing a grinding run game, the Hornets drove the ball down to the Trojan three-yard line in eight plays. On first and goal from the Sacred Heart one-yard line, Catholic fullback Hunter Beard powered his way into the end zone.
The extra point was good by Decoteau, and the Hornets now led 14-6 with 2:51 to go in the opening quarter.
On their ensuing drive, the Trojans found themselves in a first and 20 situation after a pair of illegal shift penalties. The very first play following the penalties, Langlois stepped in front of a Karonika pass and raced 40 yards for his second touchdown of the game.
Decoteau was true on his extra point and with 1:44 to go in the first quarter, Catholic held a 21-6 lead.
Another miscue by Sacred Heart on the subsequent drive led to another Hornet score. With a promising drive gaining a head of steam, the Trojans were able to move the ball down to the Catholic 18-yard line in eight plays.
On second and 10, the Hornets stripped the ball out of the hands of running back Gabe Fontenot and brought it to the 27-yard line. The play was a controversial one in that it seemed Fontenot’s forward progress had been stopped, but the whistle did not blow.
Taking advantage of another Trojan turnover, Catholic methodically marched down the field, reaching the Sacred Heart five-yard line, with the help of two Trojan 15 yard penalties, in nine plays. On the tenth play of the drive, Beard found pay dirt once again, this time from five yards out.
The extra point failed, but the Hornets now led 27-6 with 5:16 to go in the first half.
Sacred Heart almost gave up another score on a miscue during its very next possession. On the first play of that drive, Karonika was intercepted for the second time giving Catholic the ball at their 49-yard line.
The Hornets mounted a drive, but the Trojan defense held tough, forcing Catholic to turn the ball over on downs when on the final play of the half, Sacred Heart made a defensive stop.
The third quarter opened with the Hornets having to punt the football to the Trojans after a failed possession. Unfortunately, Sacred Heart could not do much with their first drive of the second half and was forced to kick the ball back to Catholic.
Taking over at their 42-yard line following the kick, the Hornets needed only two plays to hit pay dirt once more. On the second play from scrimmage, Langlois sprinted over the right side of the line for a 34-yard touchdown run.
The Decoteau kick was good, putting the Hornets up 34-6 with 7:54 to go in the third quarter.
Catholic picked up two more scores before the clock would expire, one on the defensive side of the ball and one on offense.
The first score came at the 3:47 mark of the third quarter when the Hornets sacked Trojan quarterback Sam Ardoin in the end zone for the safety. The second score came on an eight yard run by Andrew Jewell with 9:34 left to go in the contest.
McElwee led all Trojan runners with 43 yards on seven carries. Karonika finished the night completing six of 14 passes for 111 yards, while Spencer Darbonne caught one pass for 66 yards.
Harper spoke warmly about the senior football players and their contribution to the program.
“These seniors have laid the foundation for future teams,” said Harper. “I have been here six years and got these seniors as babies. To see them grow and mature has been a tremendous honor. The leadership from these guys was always there. I am super proud to have had a chance to coach these guys and watch them grow into young men.”