Blue Jays visit 2-5 Warriors

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St. Edmund moved one step closer to the District 4-1A title with a 29-7 homecoming win over Grand Lake.
The Blue Jays (7-1, 5-0) travel to Hamilton Christian (2-5, 2-3) with a chance to seal at least a share of the title.
“We set a goal that we wanted to win out after the loss to Sacred Heart,” St. Edmund head football coach Andy Hargroder said. “We knew the district championship would come if we reach our goal.
“The guys are really working hard to get to that nine-win plateau,” he said. “We weren’t picked in the preseason to be where we are right now, but we want to get better each week.”
After Hurricane Harvey washed out their first game, the Warriors opened the season with losses to East Iberville (20-6) and Covenant Christian (50-0).
Hamilton Christian grabbed a 36-22 win over South Cameron to open district play and then suffered back-to-back losses to Elton (47-6) and Oberlin (42-12).
The Warriors earned a 28-14 win over Grand Lake, but dropped a 22-20 heartbreaker to Merryville last week.
“Hamilton has a big front and they have a lot of speed,” the coach said. “We have to stop them at the line and not let them get outside.”
The Blue Jays rolled up 344 yards of total offense against Grand Lake, while holding the Hornets to 182 yards.
“I think our defense is playing a lot better than people give them credit,” the coach said. “Our offense is scoring points, but the defense put us in good situations to win games.”
St. Edmund is depending on a strong running game and a timely defense this season.
Luke Doucet gained 136 yards on 15 carries last week against Grand Lake as the Blue Jay running back now has 1,094 yards on the season.
Doucet is presently in sixth place in St. Edmund history with 2,034 yards in his career.
“He is very unselfish,” the coach said. “He has good vision and he runs low which makes it harder to tackle.
“He is still young and he has a lot of things to learn,” Hargroder said of the sophomore. “He is very coachable and will continue to improve.”
The Blue Jays, presently No. 6 in the LHSAA Division IV power rankings, have outscored its opponents 284-121 so far this season.
The last time the Jays won eight games was in 2013 when St. Edmund advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Division IV playoffs, falling at Cedar Creek (28-7).
“You can tell our guys are playing with confidence,” Hargroder said. “They are pushing in every practice and every game. We are playing physical – the Blue Jay tradition.”