Bobcats down Tigers, 28-12

By John Burson
Sports Writer

ST. MARTINVILLE – The Eunice High Bobcats dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football as they downed the St. Martinville Tigers by a 28-12 margin here Friday night.
The Bobcats rolled up 387 yards of offense against the Tigers. The Cats rushed for 302 and passed for 87.
The Tigers got off to a fast start, taking the opening kickoff and driving 66 yards in seven plays for a score.
The touchdown came on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Jordan Papillion to Dylan Doucet. The kick failed but the Tigers led 6-0 at the 9:49 mark.
The Cats responded with a drive from their 26-yard line to the Tigers’ 28. But the drive stalled there.
The Bobcat defense took over at that point, forcing a punt after giving up just 11 yards in five plays.
The Cats’ offensive unit responded with a scoring drive covering 51 yards in eight plays. Ty Ceasar was the workhorse on the drive, rushing four times for 36 yards. Ceasar capped the drive with an 8-yard run and Wes Hebert kicked the PAT to put the Cats up 7-6.
The Tigers bounced right back, driving 72 yards in seven plays for a score. Key play on the drive was a 46-yard run by Kain Pitrie.
Papillion scored the touchdown on a two-yard run. The PAT failed but the Tigers led 12-7 with 9:37 left in the half.
Not to be outdone, the Cats retaliated with a 63-yard, six-play drive to regain the lead.
Junior quarterback Alex Richard’s pass found Wes Hebert down the right sideline for a touchdown. with 6:38 left before half. Hebert had a step on two defenders as he hauled in the pass. The PAT failed but the Cats held a 13-12 lead.
The Tigers managed just one first down on two possession prior to the half, while the Cats drove 57 yards in the final 2:38 of the half for a touchdown. Chris Johnson ran nine yards for the score and Hebert kicked the PAT to give the Cats a 20-13 halftime lead.
“I thought our offensive and defensive line just took over the game late in the first quarter”, commented Bobcat head coach Paul Trosclair.
The Cats kept the offensive going after receiving the second-half kickoff. Paul Zachary returned the kick 20 yards to his own 34 and the Cats promptly marched 66 yards in six plays for a touchdown.
The big play in the drive was a 47-yard pass completion from Richard to Triston Frye. On the next play, Ceasar scored on a 7-yard run to put the Cats up 26-12 at the 9:39 mark of the third quarter.
The Eunice defense shut down the Tiger offense over the remainder of the quarter, holding the Tigers to minus yardage on two possessions.
The Bobcat offense changed field position on their third possession of the third quarter, driving from their 11-yard line to the Tigers’ 11.
With 5:21 left in the game, the Tigers finally got a drive going. The Tigers drove from their 20 to the Eunice 30 led by Pitrie’s 17-yard run and Papillion’s 14-yard run.
But the Cats held at their 30, then ate up much of what remained on the clock for the victory.
Ceasar led the Cats in rushing with 120 yards on 16 carries. Frye added 58 on eight attempts and Johnson had 54 on eight rushes. Richard had 55 rushing yards on 17 attempts.