Jays down WCA, 32-20

BELLEVUE – When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
With their starting quarterback Drake Brunet sidelined and the Jays needing a win to stay alive in the District 5-1A race, St. Edmund rolled to a 32-20 win over rival Westminster Christian Acadmey.
“It was a big win for us,” St. Edmund head coach Thomas David said. “It was good to see the seniors step and shoulder the load.”
Blue Jay senior Gibson LaFleur, who was leading the state with 844 yards receiving, carried the ball 31 times for 224 yards.
LaFleur also completed 4-of-8 passes for 109 yards, while Cole Bergeron hauled in three receptions for 96 yards.
“We thought we had a chance to run the ball,” David said as the Jays finished with 269 yards on the ground.
After forcing the Crusaders to punt on the their opening possession, the Blue Jays went 77 yards in six plays for the game’s first points.
After four straight runs, LaFleur then connected with William Chachere to move the Jays to the WCA 26.
LaFleur broke loose to score on the next play and found Chachere open in the end zone for the two-point conversion to push the Jays ahead, 8-0 with 5:57 left in the first period.
Chachere then recovered St. Ed’s onside’s kick at the WCA 46 and the Jays quickly responded.
On third down, LaFleur connected with Bergeron for a 41-yard touchdown.
The two-point conversion failed, but the Blue Jays led 14-0 with 5:10 left in the period.
WCA responded with a six-play, 50 yard drive, aided by four runs from Noah Launey.
Ken Jones capped the drive with a four-yard run and John Thibodeaux’s PAT closed the gap to 14-7 with 3:00 remaining in the first period.
The Jays moved ahead 16-7 when the ball sailed over Crusader punter Thibodeaux’s head at the 14 and bounced out of the end zone for a safety with 11:00 left before intermission.
After the Jays were forced to punt, WCA mounted its best drive of the night moving 95 yards in 12 plays.
With 11 running plays that included strong carries by Jones and Launey and Brandon Vidrine, the Crusaders used a pass to score the touchdown.
Kaleb Prudhomme found Vidrine open for a 10-yard touchdown.
Thibodeaux’s kick closed the margin to 16-14 with 3:04 left in the half.
The St. Edmund offense answered as the Jays moved 73 yards in just four plays to extend their lead before the break.
A strong run by LaFleur pushed the Jays to the WCA 15 and two plays later, he scored on a 12-yard rumble.
LaFleur then connected with Bergeron for the two-point conversion as the Jays moved ahead, 24-14 with 1:23 left in the second quarter.
Peter Miller recovered the onsides kick at midfield as the Jays attempted to put the game away before the break.
The Jays appeared to have done just that when LaFleur connected with Chachere for an apparent 50-yard touchdown but it was called by a holding penalty.
St. Edmund almost scored again on the last play of the half as LaFleur and Bergeron hooked up for a 40-yard pass but the Blue Jay receiver was stopped short of the goal line as time expired.
After a scoreless third period, St. Ed’s was poised to add another touchdown, but the Jays was stopped on fourth down at the WCA 18.
After forcing the Crusaders to punt from their own 25, the Jays then used the ground attack to take 6:32 off the clock on a 12-play, 54 yard drive.
With Chachere and LaFleur exchanging runs, the Jays moved deep into WCA territory.
On fourth-and-2, LaFleur gained three yards to keep the drive going at the Crusader 20.
Three plays later, LaFleur ran the final seven yards and was flipped into the endzone for the score.
Chachere ran in the two-point conversion to give the Jays a 32-14 lead with 3:58 left in the contest.
WCA responded with one final drive as the Crusaders moved 55 yards, sparked by crucial third-down pass from Prudhomme to Jonah Manuel and a Blue Jay personal foul penalty.
Prudhomme finished the final five yards but the PAT failed as the Crusaders closed the gap to 32-20 with 1:59 left.
Jacque Richard recovered the Crusaders’ onside kick attempt and the Jays then ran out the clock to seal the win.