Berwick, Patterson win first-round playoff games

Passers turned rushers in Friday’s bi-regional prep football playoff games, and in one case, a rusher turned big-strike passer.

While Berwick’s Jayden Milton powered his way to 188 rushing yards and three touchdowns, quarterback Cru Bella rushed for two scores in a 38-26 Panther win at Jewel Sumner of Kentwood in Non-Select Division III.

In Patterson, meanwhile, Caylon Davis, the state’s top passer with more than 3,000 yards this season, outran his own passing total, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Josiah Jennings threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to help
Patterson down Port Allen 44-28, also in Division III.

Central Catholic had a first-round bye in Select Division IV and on Friday will host Opelousas Catholic, which beat St. Edmund 54-20 in that bi-regional game.

Patterson will play at Winnfield, and Bogalusa will host Berwick on Friday in the regional round.

In other games involving St. Mary teams, Oakdale beat Franklin 30-20 and Oak Grove defeated Centerville 52-8 in Non-Select Division IV bi-regionals.

Hanson Memorial edged Delta Charter 48-46 in a Select Division IV and will play Friday at St. Mary’s, which had a first-round bye.

The Nov. 18-19 winners will play in the state quarterfinals Thanksgiving weekend.

Patterson 44,
Port Allen 28

Davis rushed for two touchdowns and went 13-for-21 passing for 97 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown went to Howard Kinchen, who, with the 52-yard TD pass from Jennings, had five catches for 100 yards and two scores.
Jennings rushed 12 times for 112 yards and a TD and caught four passes for 23 yards.

Defensively, Demond Davis and Akai Keys were the leaders. Davis and Courtney Williams set up a score by blocking a punt, and Keys recovered a fumble to set up another. They helped keep in check a Port Allen offense that had lots of size on the line and lots of speed in the backfield.

Patterson slugged away for nearly 18 minutes to start the game with only a 31-yard Jasper Russell field goal to show for it before rolling off 28 straight points.

Port Allen had surged ahead on a 34-yard run by speedy sophomore Brennan Gibson and a 38-yard pass to Gibson from B. White.

But on the first play after Port Allen took its 14-3 lead with 6:56 left in the first half, quarterback Davis flipped the ball to Jennings. He found Davis’ favorite target, Jennings, with the 52 yard score. Davis threw the 2-point pass to Kylin Brooks to make it 14-11.

Carlos Brooks intercepted a pass by Port Allen’s Jarius Wright to end the last Pelican threat in the first half and set up a 16-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Kinchen. A Russell kick put Patterson on top 18-14 at halftime.

Caylon Davis threw an 18-yard scoring pass to his brother, Camron, and broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run to put Patterson ahead 31-14 after three quarters.

TD runs of 15 yards by Davis and 6 yards by Jennings kept the Lumberjacks comfortably in front.

Gibson finished with 169 yards on 13 carries and two rushing touchdowns to go with the TD reception for Port Allen, which ends the year at 5-6. Patterson is 7-4.

Berwick 38,
Jewel Sumner 26

While Milton was hammering Sumner with 27 rushing attempts, Bella was hitting Zack Gonzales with three passes for 84 yards. All three set up Berwick touchdowns.

With a 19-12 lead as the third quarter came to a close, Bella threw to Gonzales for 53 yards to the Sumner 12. One play later, Bella ran in from the 7, and Evan Crappell’s kick made it 26-12.

Sumner’s Darren Thomas, who finished with 148 yards on 25 rushes, opened the fourth quarter with an 18-yard TD to make it 26-20.

But a 12-yard Bella pass to Gonzales set up Milton’s 12-yard TD run. And after Luc Leleux recovered a fumble, a 19-yard pass to Gonzales was followed by a 1-yard Milton TD run to put Berwick in front for good.

For Berwick, Bella overcame two interceptions and went 7-for-11 and a touchdown. Luke Tarver caught two passes for 18 yards, and Nisiah Bennett had two for 16 yards and a second-quarter touchdown.

Before losing 15 yards when he dropped to a knee three times at the game’s end, Bella had six rushes for 43 yards.

For Sumner, 7-4, quarterback Wyatt Clark was 3-for-14 for 64 yards and two touchdowns.

Berwick is also 7-4.