Bulldogs rally in second half but fall just short
– Fastpaced football games where both teams run up and down the field are often referred to by coaches and fans as track meets because of the speed at which players race both ways.
Friday’s game between Cecilia and St. Amant could have been one of those games, but the score made it seem more like a basketball game as the Class 5A Gators held off a late rally by Cecilia to claim a 60-56 non-district home win for SAHS.
The Gators (2-0) built a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before 2024 Division II Non-Select champion Cecilia finally broke the scoring ice in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs (0-2) outscored St. Amant 5639 over the final three periods to make it a close game.
“We moved the ball on offense in the first quarter, we just didn’t score,” Cecilia head coach Cody Champagne said. “Our first drive I think we went three-and-out. The second drive we started to move the ball. We got inside the red zone but on fourth-and-one we didn’t get it. We pushed the ball down the field and we finally broke through in the second quarter. We basically had explosive play after explosive play on both sides of the ball after that.
“We had a couple of mistakes. We muffed a punt (in the third quarter) but then after that we returned the kickoff (for a touchdown). Our kids started to fight and they didn’t give up.”
“We played a bigger team, a really good 5A team in St. Amant who took it to us early,” Champagne said. “I think our kids just kept playing. It was kind of the mentality we had last year. They kind of found it again. Hopefully we can be consistent with it from now on.”
St. Amant quarterback Cooper Babin scored on 27- and 36-yard runs and Jourden Hickerson added a three-yard TD in the first quarter.
Babin added a 55-yard touchdown carry and a 36-yard touchdown throw to Jermichael Millien in the second period, but the Bulldogs scratched back into the game with three TD runs by quarterback Collin Dore, going 16, nine and 23 yards, to make it a 3320 halftime score.
The Dawgs got three more big plays in the third quarter, a 78-yard run by Jermaine Davis Jr., and 67-yard pass from Dore to Jaylon Lewis and an 83-yard kick return from Davis to counter Babin’s two-yard scoring run and 78-yard scoring pass.
Dore connected with Malik Joseph for a 42yard TD and Braylon Calais scored from three yards out for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, while Babin hooked up with Johnson for a 4-yard TD in the period.
Dore ran for 63 yards and three touchdowns and completed 10 of 19 pass attempts for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
Calais had a teamhigh 112 yards and a touchdown and Davis ran for 79 yards and a TD on two carries. Lewis led the Bulldogs with three catches for 131 yards and a touchdown and Joseph had three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. Calais also had four catches for 34 yards.
“We still need to get healthy,” Champagne said. “We haven’t been healthy since the scrimmage. We’re getting some kids back here and there, especially on the D-line. We’re very thin there. We had a couple of guys get hurt. We actually started a freshman. We won’t get our kicker back until October. If we can get healthy and keep playing like we’re playing, we’ll be okay.”
Babin was spectacular for the Gators as well, going 23-of-36 for 401 passing yards and four touchdowns and running for 149 yards on 14 carries with four touchdowns according to St. Amant stats.
“The quarterback’s been playing a long time,” Champagne said. “I think he’s the offensive coordinator’s son. He’s played some big time games. That’s a really, really good 5A team we played and hung with.”
The Bulldogs play another Thursday road game this week, traveling to Northside High (2-0).
“Northside’s a good team,” Champagne said. “They’re very athletic. They’re big on both sides of the ball. Their quarterback’s really good. He can throw it and run. Defensively, they fly to the ball, so it’s going to be another good test for us.”
The Bulldogs will continue to keep their foot on the accelerator on offense while the defense looks to get healthy, he said.
“We’re going to do what we do,” he said. “We’re going to try to score as many points as we can. That’s always been our goal. Our defense is okay. They’re going to get healthy. Those guys are playing their butts off. If they clean up some technique, they’ll be fine.
