Bobcats blast past Tigers

ST. MARTINVILLE –For the second week in a row, the Eunice High Bobcats scored three touchdowns in their first three possessions.
Coach Paul Trosclair’s Bobcats jumped to a 20-0 lead here Thursday night before the St. Martinville High Tigers knew what hit them.
The Bobcats received the opening kickoff and drove 60 yards in six plays to take a 7-0 lead. Nick Powell did the scoring honors as he broke up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run. Wesley Hebert was successful on the PAT kick for a 7-0 lead at (:37 of the opening quarter.
The Tigers picked a first down on the ensuing possession, but a fumble two plays later turned the ball back over to the Bobcats at the Eunice 36 yard line.
The Cats proceeded to drive 60 yards in 13 plays to add to their lead. Biggest play of the drive came on a Alex Richard pass to Georrein Dupre for a 28-yard gain. Later, Richard connected with Terryl Poullard on a 10-yard pass play down to the Tigers’ 2-yard line. Powell finished the drive with a two-yard scoring run. Hebert again hit the PAT kick to put the Cats up 14-0 with 3:05 left in the opening quarter.
After the Bobcat defense forced a punt from the Tigers, the Cats would increase their lead to 20-0 as Richard teamed with Travis Godfrey for a 44-yard touchdown with just 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
St. Martinville opened the second quarter with a 56-yard scoring drive. Kain Pitrie highlighted the scoring drive with runs of 12 and 20 yards. The touchdown came on a pass from Jared Davis to Jeromie Simon covering 18 yards. The PAT kick failed, but the Tigers had cut the lead to 20-6 with 9:27 left in the second quarter.
The Tiger defense forced the Bobcats to punt on the ensuing possession and it gave their offense a chance to pull closer to the Cats. This time it was Davis on a 26-yard run for the touchdown. The PAT run failed, but the Eunice lead was trimmed to 20-12 with 6:53 left in the first half.
The Bobcat offense responded with a 62-yard, 9-play touchdown drive. Richard had a 20-yard run and completed a 13-yard pass to Godfrey on the drive. The senior quarterback would later find Hebert with a pass that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown. Hebert converted the PAT kick to put the Cats on top 27-12 with 3:35 left in the first half.
The Tigers received the second-half kickoff and would go 50 yards in 12 plays before being held by the Bobcat defense inside the five-yard line. Davis was sacked by Aiyh Johnson for a 4-yard loss to end the threat.
The Tigers would not go away, however, as a fumble recovery gave them the ball late in the third quarter. Davis teamed with James on an 11-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 27-18 with 2:56 left in the quarter. The PAT pass failed.
The Bobcats would take over the ball at their own 10 following the kickoff and go on a 10-play drive. Richard hit Dupre with a 19-yard pass and Poullard with three covering 22 yards on the drive. The touchdown came on a 45-yard pass to Godfrey down the right sidelines. The PAT kicked was blocked, but the Cats now held a 33-18 lead with just over nine minutes left in the game.
The Cats would add one more touchdown after Richard and Dashawn Vigers teamed on a 55-yard pass play. Richard would cap the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Cats a 40-18 lead.
In addition to his big play on the scoring drive, Vigers would add two interceptions in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Larry Rideau and Robert Dacus would each get a sack on Davis in the final minutes.
Eunice quarterback Alex Richard completed 15-of-18 passes for 272 yards, while Travis Godfrey had four catches for 105 yards with two touchdowns.
“Our passing game was huge,” Trosclair said. “We made the big plays when we needed them.”
Nick Powell led the running game with 80 yards on 16 carries.
Trosclair credited his defense in helping to seal the win.
“Our defensive linemen really got after their quarterback in the second half,” he said. “They stepped up when we needed them.
“It was big to get a win on the road against a good team,” Trosclair said.
The Bobcats will host Crowley this Friday in non-district play.