LAKE CHARLES – The Blue Jays sealed at least a share of the District 4-1A title Friday night as St. Edmund grabbed a 280-12 win over Hamilton Christian.
After facing a delayed start because of a weather delay, the Jays (8-1, 6-0) punted on their first possession but then stopped the Warriors (2-6, 2-4) on a fourth down run near midfield.
St. Edmund went 52 yards on nine plays, capped by a 9-yard scoring run by quarterback Brad Miller.
Peyton Marcantel’s PAT gave the Jays a 7-0 lead with 5:34 left in the first period.
It took just two plays for the Warriors to respond as quarterback Deonta Wheeler called his own number and raced 70 yard for the score.
The two-point conversion pass attempt failed and the Jays held onto a 7-6 margin with 4:45 remaining in the quarter.
After both teams twice exchanged punts, the Blue Jays took just two snaps to add to its lead as Miller connected with a wide-open Marcantel for a 53-yard scoring strike.
Marcantel added the extra point as SEH held a 14-6 advantage with 4:42 left before intermission.
The Blue Jays blocked a punt on the Warriors’s first drive of the second half to take over near midfield.
St. Edmund then moved the ball 46 yards on six plays, including a crucial fourth-down run by Miller.
A personal foul on the Warriors advanced the ball to the HC 8, where Miller raced to the end zone on the next play.
Marcantel’s kick gave the Jays a 21-6 lead with 8:14 left in the third period.
After forcing another Warrior punt, the Jays took six plays to move 69 yards aided by a face mask penalty before Marcantel sped 53 yards to the end zone.
Marcantel’s kick increased the Blue Jays’ lead to 28-6 with 2:58 left in the period.
The St Edmund defense stopped the Warriors on fourth down to halt a nine-play drive early in the fourth quarter.
After St. Edmund gave the ball back on its next possession, Hamilton Christian mounted a late 10-play, 60-yard drive aided by a roughing the punter penalty.
Seven straight running plays was capped by a 6-yard scoring run by Chris Semien with seven seconds remaining in the game.
The two-point conversion failed as the Jays earned the 28-12 victory.
In a game impacted by the wet turf, the Blue Jays outgained the Warriors, 236 to 143 yards.
Luke Doucet gained 71 yards on 19 carries for Jays, while Marcantel had two catches for 57 yards.
St. Edmund closes the regular season at Merryville Thursday night.
“It was a big win for us,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said. “We overcame a slow start and made some adjustments to get the win.”
Blue Jays run past Warriors
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