Berwick falls to 0-2 with loss at Rayne

The Berwick Panthers made some strides from week 1 to week 2 of the high school football season but also made some of the same mistakes in week 2 in their 42-21 loss to Rayne Wednesday as the initial week of play.
While the Panthers scored 21 points and totaled nearly 400 yards of offense, the squad also was plagued by turnovers and missed tackles, Berwick coach Mike Walker said.
Although he said it wasn’t an excuse, Walker said it was tough only having two days of practice to prepare.
“It was difficult,” he said. “If we had those other days of practice, does it make a difference? I don’t know, but two days is tough for anybody.”
Rayne (2-0) led 14-7 after a quarter, took a 28-14 lead into halftime and extended its lead to 35-14 after three quarters.
Berwick (0-2) totaled 391 yards of offense (278 rushing and 113 passing).
The Panthers’ offense was led by Jayden Milton, who had 25 carries for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
Andre Engleton added six carries for 67 yards.
Quarterback Cru Bella completed 10 of 25 passes for 113 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions.
Zach Gonzales was his leading receiver with five catches for 63 yards and one score, while Kaeden Thomas had three receptions for 44 yards.
“I thought the pass protection still wasn’t quite where we needed it to be, but it was better,” Walker said. “We just have to do a better job of protecting the football.”
As for Rayne, the Wolves had two ball carriers gain over 100 yards as Ron Charles had 23 carries for 139 yards and two scores, while Darian Chevalier had 12 rushes for 105 yards and one score.
Quarterback Colin LaCombe threw for 76 yards and one score, to Devion Francis. Francis finished the game with two receptions for 26 yards, while Reid Dupont had a 44-yard catch.
Berwick will return to action Friday when it hosts Cohen for homecoming, while Rayne will travel to Geismar to face Dutchtown Friday.
Additional reporting by www.crowleypostsignal.com.