Great seasons come to an end for Berwick, Patterson

The high school football season ended Friday for Berwick and Patterson, two teams that went deep into the playoffs despite low to middling seeds in Non-Select Division III.

In a rare alignment that allowed both east St. Mary teams to host state quarterfinals, Berwick fell 42-14 to Amite, and Patterson dropped a 38-14 decision to Union Parish.

Despite their seedings in Non-Select Division III — Patterson was rated No. 11, and Berwick was 18th — they earned their places in the quarterfinals with two postseason victories each. Both St. Mary teams finished at 8-5.

Union Parish 38,
Patterson 14

The day may come when Patterson’s LSU fans enjoy watching Union Parish product Trey Holly flash through the line for big yards.

But that day wasn’t Friday.

In a game that pitted Holly, the all-time state leader in rushing yardage who made a May commitment to LSU, against the state’s top 3A passer and receiver in Patterson’s Caylon Davis and Howard Kinchen, Union Parish came out on top.

Holly ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns for Union Parish, gunning for another shot at a state title after finishing second last year.

He was far from Union Parish’s only weapon. Fullback Jy’marion Island rushed for 98 yards on only 10 carries, one of them a 50-yard touchdown.

And on defense, 170-pound sophomore defense end Tyquereis Wilson was a standout. He knocked down one of the three Davis passes that Union Parish batted away in the first half.

The visitors held Davis to 97 yards on 10-for-15 passing. Cam Davis caught four of his brother’s passes for 20 yards. Kinchen caught two for 42 yards, and Khylin Brooks had two for 19.

Caylon Davis ran for two touchdowns on his way to 74 rushing yards on 18 carries. The big Lumberjack weapon was Josiah Jennings, who rushed 19 times for 105 yards.

While Patterson was struggling to break through on offense, Union Parish scored on six of its first seven possessions. On the one drive that stalled, the Farmers were at the Patterson 6-yard line when time ran out in the first half.

Union Parish opened the game with a 67-yard, 10-play drive topped by a 6-yard Holly TD. After Patterson turned the ball over on downs at the 50, Island took the first subsequent snap all the way to the end zone.

Patterson put together a 12-play, 68-yard drive featuring 17- and 10-yard runs by Jennings and a 10-yard pass to Demond Davis. Caylon Davis rushed the last 8 yards for a score, and Jasper Russell’s kick drew the Jacks to within 12-7.

But D’Antwone Hopkins returned Russell’s kickoff 58 yards to the Patterson 25-yard line, where Holly got Union Parish’s second straight one-snap score with a touchdown run for a 19-7 lead.

That was the first of four straight touchdowns for Union Parish, while Patterson struggled with a fumbled lateral, a bad punt snap for a 17-yard loss, and three failures to convert fourth downs.

Caylon Davis got Patterson’s second score on a 20-yard run with 4:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The game was marred when four Patterson players and a Union Parish player were ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct after Holly scored on a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Union Parish, seeded No. 2 in the division, is now 11-1 and will play Amite next weekend in the Ceasars Superdome.

Amite 42,
Berwick 14
The Panthers used the weapons that got them into the quarterfinals. Running back Jayden Milton was his workmanlike self, powering for 82 yards on 24 rushes. Quarterback Cru Bella was 10-for-20 for 143 yards.

Zack Gonzales caught three passes for 63 yards, and Nisiah Bennett grabbed three more for 11 yards.

But Amite managed to give up yards without breaking. And on offense, the Warriors had plenty of weapons of their own.

Quarterback Jalen Robinson, who has the knack of throwing on the run to either his right or his left, went 10-for-14 for 224 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back Christian Smith rushed six times for 75 yards and a score, while D. Martin had 51 yards on 10 carries.

Jeremy Robertson came in for two red-zone rushes and scored both times, on runs of 4 and 8 yards.

Milton opened the game by carrying seven times for 25 yards during a 77-yard drive, assisted by passes of 18 yards to Namon Bennett and 12 yards to Nisiah Bennett. Milton scored on an 8-yard run that, with Evan Crappell’s kick, put Berwick on top 7-0.

Robinson answered with a 46-yard pass to Lemar Harrison. The kick was blocked, but that TD was the first of seven straight by Amite.

Berwick missed out on three fourth-down conversions, including a fake punt broken up by Smith in his defensive role. Amite’s Jalen Vernon also intercepted a pass.

Gonzales grabbed a Bella pass for the last Berwick touchdown of the season, a 41-yarder.

Also for Berwick, Andre Engleton rushed three times for 4 yards.

Namon Bennett finished with two catches for 40 yards, and Milton had two more for 29 yards.