UPDATED WITH GAME STORY: CCHS comeback falls short in playoffs

Central Catholic made a comeback bid with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Caleb O’Con to Drew Rock on Friday. But Ascension Catholic countered with three TD strikes from Bryce Leonard to Calvin Delone to secure a 41-36 victory in the first round of the Division IV high school football playoffs.
Central Catholic finishes its season with a 7-4 record. The Eagles lost two games to start the season, rolled off seven straight wins and then dropped games to Vermilion Catholic and Ascension Catholic.
Ascension Catholic is 10-1 and will play at Ouachita Christian in the state quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Friday.
In Morgan City, a wild fourth quarter in which the teams combined for 37 points broke open a game that was tied 20-20 at halftime after three lead changes.
Central Catholic relied on the rushing of Damondrick Blackburn, who topped 100 yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns in the first half, and receptions by Calvin Singleton. Blackburn has been fighting a late-season injury, and Singleton was slowed by leg cramps Friday.
For Ascension Catholic, Leonard went 13-for-15 and threw for five touchdowns, four of them to Delone, and rushed for another score to lead his team.
In the first half, Blackburn scored on runs of 70, 3 and 6 yards. Offensive linemen Drayton Keller and Angelo Viscardi pulled to the right for the blocks that sprang Blackburn for the 70-yard score.
And O’Con set up the 3-yard TD by hitting Singleton with a 34-yard pass into the red zone. Jack Lipari caught a 2-point conversion pass.
Leonard tossed TD passes of 22 yards to Delone and 38 yards to Brooks Leonard. The quarterback added a 13-yard run for a TD on a drive sustained by a pass interference call.
After a scoreless third quarter, Leonard threw touchdown passes of 59 and 30 yards to Delone to pull ahead 34-20.
O’Con hit Singleton for 44 yards to set up his 10-yard scoring pass to Rock, but Leonard struck again. He hit Delone with a 48-yard TD pass and a 41-28 lead with 2:30 left.
Central Catholic drove 63 yards and had a Blackburn touchdown called back on a penalty before O’Con hit Rock with a 25-yard scoring pass followed by a Blackburn 2-point run.
But that final touchdown came with only 30 seconds left. Ascension Catholic recovered an onside kick attempt to clinch the win.
Ascension Catholic had a first-half interception to set up the touchdown reception by Brooks Leonard.
A sack forced Central Catholic to turn the ball over on downs in the fourth quarter, leading to the 30-yard Leonard-to-Delone scoring pass.