1A Central Catholic knocks off 3A Berwick

StAs the prep football season moves into the heart of district schedules, 1A Central Catholic knocked off 3A Berwick 21-6 Friday in a nondistrict game.

The Eagles downed 2-5 Berwick 21-6 to move to 5-2.

Elsewhere Friday, Morgan City slipped to 3-4 with a 35-14 loss to 7-4A opponent South Lafourche. In 8-3A, St. James overpowered 2-5 Patterson 48-0.

Franklin jumped to a 14-0 lead only to lose 31-28 to Loreauville, and Ascension Episcopal hammered West St. Mary 60-6. Both those games were in District 8-2A

And in District 7-1A, Hanson Memorial beat Centerville 21-8.

This Friday, Central Catholic will be at 6-1 Hanson Memorial for a clash in 7-1A, and Morgan City will be at 1-6 South Terrebonne.

Berwick, 2-5, will travel to play 8-3A leader E.D. White, 7-0. Patterson, 2-5, will be at 5-2 Archbishop Shaw in Marrero for a nondistrict game.

Centerville, 4-3, will be at 7-1A leader Vermilion Catholic, 6-1. West St. Mary will be at Delcambre in a clash of winless 7-2A teams.

Central Catholic 21,
Berwick 6

Central Catholic struck quickly for a 14-0 lead, Berwick made a game of it at the end. In between, the defenses dominated.

The quick lead came on a 24-yard scoring run by Cash Baker, who led the Eagles with 83 rushing yards, and Tate Fontenot, who scored from 3 yards out with 1:13 left in the first quarter. Justin Pickens kicks made it 14-0.

Berwick struggled to put anything together offensive despite a 76-yard rushing performance by Cole Morris and 129 passing yards from Evan Crappell.

The Panthers tried to convert eight fourth downs Friday and were successful only twice. Four of the misfires came inside Central Catholic’s 30, and one of those was at the 7.

Berwick, meanwhile, slowed down Baker, who had 75 of his 83 rushing yards in the first quarter. Quarterback Benjamin Case went 9-for-15 passing for 194 yards, but Berwick kept
Central Catholic off the scoreboard until Case hit Tylon Hollins with a 70-yard touchdown pass with 5:20 left in the game.

Down 21-0, Berwick mounted its first scoring drive on passes of 18 yards to Carter Whipple and Luke Tarver. With 3:15 to go, Crappell found Whipple again, this time for 21 yards and a score. The extra point kick failed, but Berwick kept its hopes alive by recovering an onside kick at Central Catholic’s 49.

But the last-gasp drive stalled on a holding penalty, and the Panthers’ last fourth-down attempt, a 7-yard pass to Morris, came up a yard short.

Berwick’s Namon Bennett had 44 rushing yards and caught four Crappell passes for 57 yards.

For Central Catholic, Hollins finished with three catches for 83 yards. Landon Lipari had two receptions for 57 yards, including a 33-yarder. Lipari starred on defense as well.

St. James 48,
Patterson 0

St. James demonstrated why the Wildcats are fighting it out with E.D. White atop District 8-3A.

Quarterback Brayden Williams guided an offense that scored on its first seven possessions, deftly mixing the pass and run and playing hurry-up to keep Patterson off balance.

The visitors piled up 235 ground yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries by eight different backs. Williams hit 10 of 18 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Patterson, meanwhile, didn’t get a first down until early in the second quarter, and that drive was spoiled by an interception.

Patterson, playing without two-way star Demond Davis, netted only 30 rushing yards on 20 carries and didn’t cross to the St. James side of the 50-yard line until late in the third quarter.

Elijah Johnson rushed six times for 17 yards to lead his team, and CJ Williams gained 15 yards on two trips.

Quarterback Cam Davis was 6 for 12 for 15 passing yards. Williams caught two passes for five yards.

For St. James, sophomore Kani King-Young rushed only three times, but he had first-quarter touchdown runs of 14 and 15 yards and finished with 42 yards.

He also kicked a 27-yard field goal.

Cameron LeBlanc led all rushers with 86 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.

Kobe Brown caught six of Brayden Williams’ 10 completions for 65 yards.