VC cruises into semifinal round

The No. 1 Vermilion Catholic Eagles crushed the No. 8 St. Edmund Blue Jays 60-20 in the quarterfinals of the Select Division IV playoffs Friday night in Eagle Stadium.
It is the first time VC scored 60 points in a game since 2020, when it scored 64. 
The Eagles (12-0) fell behind early but answered with a 34-point second quarter to put the game out of reach.  Quarterback Jonathan Dartez accounted for 307 total yards of offense and six touchdowns.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that if you’re going to beat us, you’re going to have to beat him first,” said VC head coach Broc Prejean.  “We have answers for when that happens, but tonight he had a great game.”
St. Ed’s took the opening kickoff and marched 78 yards in 16 plays.  The drive ate 8:51 of the clock and ended when quarterback Kane West connected with receiver Blake Moran for a six-yard touchdown pass to give the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead with 3:09 remaining in the first quarter.
“They had a great first drive,” Prejean said.  “What was encouraging for us was how hard it was for them to get in the end zone.  That let our defense know they were going to be okay once they got their feet wet and settled in.”
VC took all of 19 seconds to answer.  
On the first play of the ensuing drive, quarterback Jonathan Dartez scooted left, cut back right, and raced 58 yards for the touchdown.  The extra point made it 7-6 with 2:50 left in the first.
“That was the difference between the teams,” Dartez said.  “It took them nine minutes to score a touchdown.  We scored on the first play.  It opened their eyes to who they were playing.  It was a statement run by our team.”
The Eagles’ defense responded as they forced a three-and-out.  Junior defensive lineman Seth Boudreaux had a big sack on third down that forced the Blue Jays to punt from their end zone.
After the punt, the VC offense went right back to work.  This time, Dartez punched it in from nine yards out to make it 14-6 with 9:42 left in the first half.
After a quick three-and-out, Dartez found the end zone for the third time.  This time, he scored from 17 yards out, carrying two Blue Jay defenders across the goal line with him to make it 20-6 with 7:02 remaining in the half.
On the ensuing St. Ed’s drive, cornerback Trevin Hebert jumped the route and intercepted West’s pass.  The freshman raced 38-yards to the end zone.  The pick-six scored 27-6 with 5:26 to go in the half.
On the second play of their next drive, the Blue Jays fumbled, and VC recovered.  The Eagles took over at the St. Ed’s 35-yard-line.  On the first play, Dartez dropped back to pass and found Allen McLain III running up the seam for the touchdown and the 34-6 lead with 4:33 still to go in the half.
St. Ed’s tried to go deep on its next drive after picking up a first down.  Defensive back Jyrin Bessard intercepted the pass and returned it 76 yards.  Prejean praised the play of his secondary and their preparation by defensive coordinator Brett Blakey and secondary coach Shannon Cormier.
“That’s a product of Brett Blakey and Shannon Cormier having those guys ready,” Prejean said.  “There were moments tonight where the guys were very confident in what they were about to see.  When you can do that, you can make breaks on balls and make big plays.  We took advantage of those opportunities tonight.”

On third down, Dartez scored his fourth rushing touchdown from two yards out to put VC ahead 41-6 with 15 seconds left in the half.
The Eagles scored three more times in the second half.  Luke McLain had a four-yard touchdown run to open the second-half scoring.  Also in the third, Dartez hit Matthew Mollere in stride for a 32-yard touchdown pass.  Senior Joe Langlinais scored the Eagles final touchdown of the night when he plunged in from the four-yard-line with 6:45 to go in the game.
Dartez finished with 176 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 22 attempts. He also went five of seven through the air for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Langlinais added 10 yards and a touchdown on two carries, while Luke McLain had eight yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Bessard caught two passes for 59 yards to lead the receiving corps.  Allen McLain III caught one pass for 35 yards and a touchdown.  Mollere also had one reception for 32 yards and a touchdown, while Hudson Hebert caught one pass for five yards.
VC will play Kentwood in the semifinals on Friday.
While Kentwood is most famous for being Britney Spears’s hometown, it’s also a football powerhouse, having won nine state championships and finished runner-up seven times. 
“I have to get some film on Kentwood,” Prejean said after Friday night’s football game.  “I don’t know anything about the Kangaroos. 
“I know they’re a traditional powerhouse, and I’m thankful we’re playing here and not under the water tower.  It’s going to be a challenge.  We’ll get to work on it tomorrow (Saturday) morning.”