Openers were a festival for Tigers, Patterson, CCHS

A statewide burn ban canceled the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival pyrotechnic display. But Morgan City and Berwick came up with some prep football fireworks in Friday’s opener.

Kyron Dugas caught his third touchdown pass from Thomas Mancuso with 9 seconds left to lift Morgan City over Berwick 27-22.

In another parish clash Friday, Elijah Johnson rushed for two touchdowns and Hayven Keller threw for two more as Patterson beat West St. Mary 27-14.

And on Thursday, Central Catholic running backs Tate Fontenot and Cash Baker combined for 320 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a 41-6 home win over Central Private.

In other parish action Friday, Centerville blanked Delcambre 34-0; Breaux Bridge downed Franklin 31-12; and Hanson Memorial defeated St. John 41-27.

Morgan City 27,
Berwick 22

Berwick, trailing 21-14 deep in the fourth quarter, got a massive break when a punt snap sailed over Morgan City punter Jairo Gomez’ head, setting the Panthers up at Morgan City’s 14-yard line.
Namon Bennett, the Berwick back who rushed for 214 yards on 24 carries, crashed into the end zone from the 4 with 1:57 left in the game.

Coach Mike Walker rolled the dice by going for the 2-point conversion. Bennett’s carry made it work for a 22-14 Panther lead.
Morgan City’s Matthew Nugier returned the kickoff 15 yards to the Tiger 44. Mancuso, a second-year junior starter, hit Dugas with a 14-yard pass and Anthony Bourgeois for 13 yards to put Morgan City at Berwick’s 30.

That’s when Mancuso threw his third TD strike to Dugas. The extra point failed, but Morgan City was ahead for good.

Morgan City managed 85 rushing yards, led by Bourgeois’ 26. Mancuso rushed 13 times for 22 yards and a 3-yard TD.

Mancuso threw for 233 yards and the three scores in a 10-for-22 performance. Bourgeois caught three passes for 56 yards, and Jamyre Bias caught two for 56 more. Dugas finished with four receptions for 92 yards and the three scores.

For Berwick, Bennett ran or passed on 29 of the Panthers’ 54 non-punt snaps and scored all three of his team’s touchdowns on runs of 32, 51 and 4 yards.

Cole Morris shared the rushing load, carrying 18 times for 79 yards.

Bennett threw five times, completing one for 2 yards to Gage Toups. Bennett threw one interception.

Evan Crappell, who came in at quarterback in passing situations, hit Bennett once for 18 yards in three attempts.

Berwick will be at Kaplan on Thursday. Morgan City will be at home Friday to play Jeanerette.

Patterson 27,
West St. Mary 14

It’s that time of year, time for hydration timeouts, mental error penalties, leg cramps and wild shotgun snaps.

The latter was a nagging problem in this game Friday, especially for West St. Mary. In the second half, trailing Patterson only 21-14, the Wolfpack recovered a total of five of their own fumbles during three consecutive series.

The major culprit was the errant snap.

Patterson, trying to rebuild an offense after losing key parts of last year’s high-flying aerial attack, sputtered in the first half. The Lumberjacks led 2-0 at halftime after recovering a bad snap — on a punt this time — in the end zone at the end of West St. Mary’s first series.

But the Jacks put things together in the second half.

Two-way standout Demond Davis caught an 11-yard scoring pass from quarterback Keller on the first Patterson series of the third quarter. Cam Davis grabbed a 44-yard pass from Keller on the next series and added a 2-point conversion run.

Johnson completed the third straight Patterson scoring drive in the second half with an 11-yard run for a 21-14 lead.

Johnson led Patterson rushers with 66 yards on 10 carries, including a fourth-quarter TD run that covered 22 yards.

Keller threw for 129 yards on 12-for-20 passing. Cam Davis grabbed six of the passes for 46 yards, while Demond Davis had two receptions for 43 yards.

Patterson’s defense gave up some yards, but not many points. West St. Mary’s offensive set accounted for only two points on a conversion run by Charles Robertson.

Robertson returned a Patterson fumble 18 yards for one West St. Mary touchdown, and an 81-yard kickoff return accounted for the other.

Wolfpack quarterback Cameron Moore rushed 10 times for 56 yards. Jose Martinez added another 58 yards on 15 carries.

Moore was 3-for-8 for 39 yards as a passer. Tayshon Jackson had the longest reception, a 22-yarder.

On Sept. 8, West St. Mary will be at Haynes Academy. Patterson will be at Bunkie.

Central Catholic 41,
Central Private 6

Central Catholic needed just one snap Thursday to demonstrate that the Eagles will have some offensive punch this year.

Central Private fumbled away the first snap of the game. On the second, Central Catholic quarterback Benjamin Case hit Drake Rock with a 31-yard touchdown pass just 25 seconds into the first quarter.

And they were off.

Running back Tate Fontenot opened the season with 192 yards on 12 carries with three touchdowns. His colleague in the backfield, Cash Baker, ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 10 trips.

Case was 10-of-18 for 136 yards passing with the Rock TD.

Landon Ramagos caught three passes for 26 yards. Jack Lipari caught one for 27, Fontenot two for 21, Collin Duval one for 16, and Tylon Hollins two for 15.

Hollins also had a 54-yard touchdown reception called back on a penalty.

Those flags were the weak point in Central Catholic’s game Thursday, not uncommon for a young team in a season opener.

But Central Catholic sometimes looked to be in mid-season form. Ramagos showed a knack for timing blitzes. Kicker Lucas Pickens was one mishandled snap away from perfect in six extra-point kicks.

And Case hit Fontenot with a perfectly executed screen pass for 19 yards on a first-quarter fourth down.

The conversion set up Fontenot’s first TD, a 2-yard run. He also had an 82-yard touchdown.

For Central Private, quarterback Hunter Pourchiau carried the offense, rushing for a team-best 79 yards and throwing for 78 more.

In one 10-play drive in the third quarter, Pourchiau ran five times and completed a 22-yard pass to set up Aiden Pomerleau’s 2-yard touchdown run.

The 2-point attempt failed, and Central Catholic still had a 28-6 lead.

Central Catholic will be at Abbeville Friday.