With every win, the Blue Jays move closer to their goal of winning the District 4-1A championship.
St. Edmund (3-1, 1-0) earned a 28-7 win over rival Basile last week and visit winless South Cameron in another district battle Friday night.
“Even with three wins, the next win is the most important,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said. “We need to keep winning.”
The key to the Blue Jay offense so far this season has been the ground attack as St. Edmund has rushed for over 1,200 yards in the first four games.
Running back Luke Doucet has gained 619 yards on 74 carries with six touchdowns, followed by quarterback Brad Miller (68-460, 10 TD).
“If teams focus on one runner, we usually have an answer,” Hargroder said. “When our running game is successful it wears down other defenses and it takes time off the clock.”
In the win over Basile, the Blue Jays gained 325 yards on the ground, led by Doucet’s 218-yard performance.
“We don’t want to give the other team too many chances to score when they have the ball.”
Hargroder said he felt his Jays are getting better on defense as they have returned to the basics and should have less mistakes.
South Cameron (0-3, 0-1) had its first game against Delcambre cancelled because of Hurricane Harvey.
The Tarpons have suffered losses to Rosepine (37-9), Gueydan (45-23) and Hamilton Christian (36-22).
“I don’t think they have recovered since Hurricane Rita,” Hargroder said. “They used to have very good teams.”
South Cameron has their third head coach in as many seasons as former Johnson Bayou athletic director Darryl Lee replaced South Cameron high Stephen Wiggins.
“They throw the ball a lot more than I would like,” Hargroder said. “The quarterback has a good arm and the offensive line gives him a lot of time in the pocket to find his receivers.”
Hargroder said the lack of depth will impact the Tarpons with only 22 on the roster.
“We need to come out fast and keep it going,” the coach said. “If we can keep the ball, we can wear them out as they have to go both ways.”
In the district race, the Blue Jays are in the thick of the battle with Elton (3-0, 1-0), Oberlin (3-1, 1-0), and Hamilton Christian (1-2, 1-0).
Grand Lake (1-2, 0-1), Merryville (1-3, 0-1), Basile (1-3, 0-1) and South Cameron are searching for their first district win.