Tigers get TD, PAT with 9 seconds left for 2nd win
Breaux Bridge – The Breaux Bridge Tigers continue fighting injuries and illness, losing more offensive linemen to the flu that’s been going through the team the past few weeks.
But the Tigers got a confidence-boosting win over Beau Chene on Friday at Tiger Stadium after rallying late with a touchdown in the closing seconds to tie the score and the point-after to claim the victory.
“Beau Chene’s been playing hard,” BBHS coach Tyler Pierce said. “They’ve had a good year even though the record doesn’t indicate it.”
Pierce said a freshman started on the offensive line because one of the starters, who also plays on the defensive front, was out with the flu.
“Knock on wood, I think everyone’s had it now,” Pierce said of the flu. “I think we’re immune to it (now). Everybody knows we have to have all hands on deck the next two weeks, but especially this week with Opelousas. We have to be a hundred percent healthy and we have to play our best game of the season to try to knock them off.”
The Tigers relied on their running game with Baylon Champagne carrying 18 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns and Noah Solomon adding 97 yards and two TDs on 12 carries. As a team, Breaux Bridge ran for 255 yards on 41 carries.
“Baylon was the workhorse and then Noah Solomon, our little junior running back, has only really been a running back for about four weeks now,” Pierce said. “All he’s doing is getting better and better.
Champagne led the defense with 5.5 tackles and Lewis had 4.5 stops.
“Baylon played pretty much every snap (on defense) besides maybe a series or two, and then Noah can’t come off the field because he’s our best corner,” Pierce said. “That little tandem did a really good job keeping the ball moving and making some plays.”
Shawnee Lewis added 32 yards on seven runs, Tyson Broussard had eight yards on three carries and quarterback Caynon Ardoin added a one-yard rushing TD.
While the running backs carried the team to the win, the Tigers were sparked by a pass play in the second half that led to a touchdown.
“There was a huge third-and-18, I can’t remember if that was the fourth quarter or towards the end of the third, but Caynon threw one to Dakowen Celestine and that extended a drive that we went on to score on,”” Pierce said. “You could feel the energy shifting our way for sure. And Dakowen’s just a sophomore, so it’s good to count on some of these young guys.”
Ardoin completed six of nine pass attempts including the big 18-yarder to Celestine and a 29-yard completion to Isaiah LeBlanc. Solomon (16 yards), Nelson Borel (12 yards) and Champagne (12 yards) each had a catch.
The last scoring play started with about 25 seconds remaining with Borel, a junior tight end, making the catch. Myles Renard kicked the PAT for the win.
“For Caynon it was just a little quick tight end pop pass,” Pierce said. “It was real easy, something that we knew we set up because they were coming downhill to play our run so fast, it was the perfect play where ‘if they’re doing this, then we’re doing this.’” BBHS had blocked a couple of extra points by the Gators, and Beau Chene blocked one of Breaux Bridge’s PATs. The Tigers called a time out before the pointafter just to set everything up and make sure everyone knew their assignments, knowing that a miss wouldn’t lose the game for the Tigers but a make would likely win it.
The snap was a little high, the coach said, but the Tigers handled the play well.
“I was really proud of the guys for being able to handle the pressure,” Pierce said. “When we went out there, there were no heads down, it was just ‘let’s just go snap it.’ I think they were just ready to go snap it and celebrate.”
Both teams were pretty tired by that point.
“We were gassed,” Pierce said. “We were tired. Both teams looked like two heavyweights in the middle of a ring throwing right hooks and left hooks to see who would go down. I feel they were just as tired as we were, but luckily we were one point better Friday.”
The Tigers were ahead 21-13 not long before halftime and were moving toward the BC goal line again but a holding penalty caused the drive to stall and the Gators got a good return on the ensuing punt to set up a late score in the half with a 2-point conversion to tie the game at the break.
“We were driving pretty good and that turned it into a 14-point swing because we would’ve scored right there, I think, and we were going to get the ball at the beginning of the second half,” Pierce said. “At that point you’re talking about having all the momentum, and instead we gave Beau Chene all the momentum going into the second half. We’re still learning how to try to win as well.”
The Tigers travel to Opelousas (2-6 overall, 1-1 district) on Friday and close the season at home against Livonia (4-4, 1-1 on Nov. 7.
