For the second year in a row, the Blue Jays saw its season end against Ascension Catholic.
Last season, the No. 6 Bulldogs grabbed a 35-7 home win over St. Edmund.
Friday night at Blue Jay Field, No. 6 Ascension Catholic fought a scrappy No. 3 St. Ed’s team for a 21-0 victory.
“That was the best team we played all year by far,” St. Edmud head coach Andy Hargroder said of the Bulldogs. “This team could be going to the championship game.”
The Blue Jays opened the game with an 11-play drive that only went 37 yards but took 6:50 off the clock and kept the potent Bulldog offense off the field.
A strong kick by punter Peyton Marcantel pinned Ascension Catholic at its own 6.
The Bulldogs mounted a drive that moved 94 yards in 13 plays, sparked by a timely pass from John Mire to Rodney Blanchard on a second-and 25 play.
Four plays later, a personal foul flag against the Jays advanced Ascension Catholic to the SEH 5.
On the next play, Jai Williams scored and Blanchard’s PAT gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with four seconds left in the first quarter.
The Jays tried a fake punt early in the second period but was stopped at their own 41 yard line.
Ascension Catholic advanced to the Jay 17 on a conversional play when Mire connected with Blanchard who fumbled the catch but quickly recovered the ball.
Williams had a 16-yard run but a holding call pushed the Bulldogs back.
Later on fourth-and-goal, Williams scored from three yards out.
Blanchard’s kick gave Ascension Catholic a 14-0 lead with 8:09 left in the half.
Both teams exchanged punts late in the second period as the defenses took control of the game.
The Blue Jays stormed out of the locker room and pushed the Bulldogs back to a fourth-and 23 play to force a Bulldog punt.
St. Edmund moved the ball to midfield before being forced to punt.
Ascension Catholic moved the ball into the red zone with strongs runs by Jamar Barber and Williams.
But on fourth down at the Jay 20, Marcantel snared an interception in the end zone to stop the drive with 2:58 left in the third period.
St. Edmund gave the ball on the third play of its drive when Brock Acosta picked off a pass at the Blue Jay 29.
The St. Ed defense stiffened and stopped the Bulldogs on fourth down after forcing an incomplete pass.
After three first downs on runs by Blue Jays Luke Doucet and Jack Miller, an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to the Bulldogs near midfield.
After both teams exchanged punts, Ascension Catholic slammed the door on the Blue Jay season with a four-play, 39 yard drive.
A block-in-the back penalty erased a touchdown, but on the next play Williams scored on a 22-yard scamper.
Blanchard’s PAT increaed the Bulldogs’ lead to 21-0 with 1:12 left in the game.
The Jays were stopped short on fourth down on its final drive as the Bulldogs advanced to Division IV semifinals to face the No. 2 Cedar Creek/No. 10 St. Mary’s winner.
Barber led Ascension Catholic with 102 yards on 14 carries, while Williams added 70 yards on 15 carries.
Doucet led the Jays with 76 yards on 21 carries to finish the season with 1,606 yards rushing.
“We got better since last year,” Hargroder said of the 4-7 finish last season. “That is how you build a program – we will work hard in the off season to get ready for next year.
“I am proud of how the seniors stepped up and didn’t let people say ‘just wait to next year.’
“We won the district title as they made this year their year.”