Bobcats run past Bears

CHURCH POINT – The No. 7 Eunice High Bobcats scored 27 points in the second half to break open a tight game on their way to a 37-6 district 5-3A victory over the No. 5 Church Point High Bears here Friday night.
The Bobcats improved their overall record to 7-1 and their district mark to 3-0 with the win. The Bears fell to 6-2 overall and to 2-1 in district play.
The Bobcats played the game without their head coach on the sideline. Coach Paul Trosclair was recovering from surgery from a blodd clot and was unable to attend the game.
Offensive coordinator Andre Vige felt the team was very focused, wanting to win one for their head coach.
The Bears received the opening kickoff and drove 72 yards in 14 plays to take a 6-0 lead. Trey Babineaux scored the touchdown with a 4-yard run with 4:51 left in the first quarter. The Bears missed the PAT.
Key plays on the time-consuming march came on Babineaux receptions of 19 and 15 yards from quarterback Troy Matte.
Wesley Hebert’s 15-yard kickoff return gave the Bobcats decent field position at their own 37. The Bobcats would embark on a 63-yard scoring drive, taking 11 plays before Nick Powell scored on a 14-yard run to cap the drive. Hebert kicked the PAT for a 7-6 lead with just 35 seconds left in the quarter.
“I thought that the response to the Church Point opening drive by our offense was key in the early going”, said Vige. “We drove the ball down the field for the touchdown and then recovered the fumble on the kickoff and got the field goal.”
Big plays on the drive included a 20-yard run by Travis Godfrey and a 13-yard keeper by quarterback Alex Richard.
The Bobcats got a break on the ensuing kickoff when Lester Martinez recovered a fumbled kickoff which gave the Bobcats the football at the 28-yard line of the Bears.
The Cats picked up a first down on a 9-yard pass from Richard to Dashawn Vigers and a three-yard run by Richard. The Cats had to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Hebert to go on top 10-6 with 9:22 left in the half.
Both defenses controlled the action for the remainder of the first half. A 47-yard punt by Matte kept the Bobcats pinned deep in their territory and the Bears were unable to put together a real threat.
Eunice High received the kickoff to start the second half, with Hebert’s return giving the Cats possession at their own 36. A 17-yard run by Darin Serie gave the Cats an important first down, setting up a touchdown at the 10:20 mark of the third quarter.
The touchdown came when Godfrey received the snap in the Wildcat formation, faked a run, then found Terryl Poullard open down the sidelines on a pass play covering 56 yards. Hebert added the PAT kick to give the Bobcats a 17-6 lead.
The Bears tried to respond, driving from their own 30 to the 49 of the Bobcats before being forced to punt.
The Cats would start at their own 13-yard line and proceeded to drive 87 yards in eight plays for another touchdown. This one came with 2:17 left in the third quarter when Richard tossed a lateral to Godfrey, who then found Vigers for a 28-yard touchdown. The PAT pass failed, but the Cats held a 23-6 lead.
Key plays on the drive included a 33-yard run by Hebert, an 11-yard run by Serie, and a 16-yard run by Richard.
The Bobcats’ defensive unit created a possible scoring opportunity when Cade Richard intercepted a tipped pass at his own 42. But the drive ended when the Bears forced a punt.
But the Cats got another opportunity when Aiyh Johnson recovered a Bears’ fumble at the Church Point 23 with 11:32 left in the game. Serie had a 15-yard run to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Richard.
“The turnovers changed the momentum in the second half,” commented Vige.
The Cats would add another touchdown late in the game on a 33-yard run by Georrein Dupre. Hebert kicked both of the PATs.