Bearcats clip Blue Jays

The Blue Jays scored the first and last touchdowns of the game, but the Bearcats scored three times in between as ninth-ranked Basile grabbed a 20-14 win over St. Edmund.
With the win, the Bearcats (9-1, 5-0) captured the District 5-1A title, while the Blue Jays drop to 4-6 overall and 3-2 in district.
“Too many mistakes on offense proved to be the difference,” St. Edmund head coach Thomas David said. “We moved the ball at times well but we kept going backward.”
The LHSAA will release the playoff brackets this morning as the Bearcats should remain in the top three of the Class 1-A bracket, but the Blue Jays are looking to stay in the top 16 of the Division IV teams.
“I hope we stay in the top 16 and we should travel in the first round.”
St. Edmund took the opening kickoff and drove 65 yards in 10 plays to grab the early lead.
Aided by several strong runs by Gibson LaFleur, the Blue Jays scored when Cullen Brown grabbed a nine-yard tipped pass from Drake Brunet in the end zone.
The two-point conversion failed, but the Jays led 6-0 with 8:46 left in the first period.
After St. Edmund forced the Bearcats to punt on their first possession, a Blue Jay fumble gave the ball back to Basile as Devin Bazinet pounced on the loose ball at the SEH 38.
On the third play of the drive, Tray David connected with Jarred Belle for a 34-yard touchdown.
David’s kick gave the Bearcats a 7-0 advantage with 3:59 left in the first quarter.
The Blue Jays’ next drive stalled but a 43-yard punt by LaFleur stopped at the Bearcat 2.
Basile then mounted the drive of the game as the Bearcats moved 98 yards in only five plays.
Gabe Fontenot broke through the middle of the Blue Jay defense for a 66-yard run before William Chachere caught him at the St. Edmund 28.
Two plays later, Fontenot scored on a 28-yard run. David’s PAT pushed the Bearcats ahead 14-6 with 10:40 left before intermission.
After both teams exchanged punts, the Bearcats seemed poised to add to its lead when Stormy Cormier intercepted a pass near midfield.
Belle then raced 45 yards for an apparent score but a holding penalty erased the points and Basile was later forced to punt.
The Blue Jays moved the ball down the field in the closing 3:18 of the half, sparked by several runs by LaFleur and a 32-yard pass from Drake Brunet to Brown.
Brunet attempted to connect with Brown again on a 31-yarder on fourth down in the closing seconds, but the pass was tipped away in the end zone.
The two defenses dominated the third period, but the Bearcats finally broke through when Fontenot rumbled 71 yards to the end zone.
The PAT failed, but Basile had a 20-6 lead with 10:49 left in the game.
Cormier then picked off his second pass of the game for the Bearcats, but St. Edmund’s William Chachere snared an interception to give the Blue Jays the ball back.
The St. Edmund offense was stopped when David picked off a pass near midfield.
The Blue Jays forced a Basile punt, but the St. Edmund offense stalled on fourth down when LaFleur was stopped just short of a first down.
After another Bearcat punt, the Blue Jays moved 84 yards in eight plays in the closing three minutes of the game.
A roughing the quarterback call moved the ball inside Bearcat territory and then Brunet connected with LaFleur for a 17-yarder and another first down.
Brunet found Brown open for a 22-yard touchdown pass and Chachere followed with a catch of a tipped ball for the two-point conversion as the Jays closed the gap to 20-14 with 53 seconds left.
An onsides kick attempt was recovered by the Bearcats and Basile then ran out the clock.
LaFleur gained 122 yards on 28 carries for the Blue Jays, while Brunet completed 13-of-28 passes for 158 yards.
LaFleur had four catches for 60 yards, while Brown had four for 45 yards and Cole Bergeron added three catches for 31 yards. Chachere had two catches for 22 yards, but was impressive on special teams.
Fontenot finished with 181 yards on 20 carries for the Bearcats, while David completed 3-of-6 passes for 87 yards.