Big plays propel Eagles over Hanson

Central Catholic set up a clash atop a small school football district by unleashing big plays.

The Eagles went to 6-2 Friday by handling District 7-1A rival Hanson Memorial 29-8 in Franklin. Next up for Central Catholic is Vermilion Catholic, now 8-0, in a Thursday night game at Morgan City’s Tiger Stadium. Vermilion Catholic downed Centerville 57-14 Friday.

Otherwise, Friday was a night of thumpings for east St. Mary teams. Morgan City High slipped to 3-5 with a 44-0 loss at South Terrebonne. Berwick fell 56-14 to 8-3A opponent E.D. White 56-14, and Patterson dropped a 55-13 nondistrict game at Archbishop Shaw.

West St. Mary got its first win of the season, beating winless Delcambre 14-8. Franklin lost 49-12 to Catholic-New Iberia in a Thursday night game.

Morgan City’s season finale will be at home Friday against 7-4A opponent Lutcher. Patterson, 2-6, will be on the road again Friday for an 8-3A game at Donaldsonville. Berwick also fell to 2-6 and will take on 8-3A foe St. James at home.

Central Catholic 29,
Hanson 8

Looking back on the season, east St. Mary teams could be judged by how well they coped with the loss of a talented group of seniors from the 2022 season. For Central Catholic, those losses included record-setting running back Damondrick Blackburn and quarterback Caleb O’Con.

While Berwick and Patterson rebuilt, and Morgan City just built, Central Catholic dropped two of its first three games.

But, starting with a 34-33 win over Covenant Christian in the district opener, the Eagles rolled off five straight wins. They showed how Friday against Hanson.

Running back Cash Baker rushed 12 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Benjamin Case hit 10 of 17 passes for 223 yards and three scores.
And they were big-time scores.

After 21-1/2 minutes of the first half, when dropped passes and a hard-hitting Hanson defense kept the Eagles off the scoreboard, Justin Pickens booted a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 Central Catholic lead.

Suddenly, the points came like lightning. Twenty-four seconds before halftime, Case hit Tylon Hollins with a 68-yard pass-and-run for a touchdown. Then, on the second play of the second half, Landon Ramagos scooted 64 yards with a Case pass and a 16-0 Eagle lead.

Hanson quarterback Ethan Judice drew Hanson to within one score midway through the third quarter with a 6-yard run.

But in the fourth quarter, Landon Lipari grabbed Case’s third TD pass, a 57-yarder. Baker capped the scoring with a long rushing touchdown, this one from 30 yards out.

Hollins finished with five receptions for 84 yards. Ramagos (71 yards) and Lipari (58) had two catches each. The Eagles’ big defensive plays included an interception by Collin Duval and three stops inside Central Catholic’s 25. Evan Picou had a key third-and-1 tackle for a 3-yard loss by Hanson’s Loren Wells at the Eagle 16.

Hanson also hurt itself with penalties, including a hold that called back a 19-yard scoring pass to Dylan Inzina. Wells finished with 104 yards on 16 carries, and Judice rushed 17 times for 74 yards.

Judice was 6 for 19 passing for 23 yards. Wells had three of the receptions.
two.

Hanson will be at Beau Chene on Friday.

This story has been corrected to note that Landon Lipari caught Case's third touchdown pass, a 57-yard throw.