John Burson
It was catfight as the Bobcats battled the Panthers before No. 2 Eunice earned a 34-20 win over No. 31 Brusly in the first round of the Class 3-A playoffs.
Brusly (5-6) opened the first quarter by scoring on their first possession thanks to a 62-yard touchdown run by Tra Snearl and a successful PAT point to take a 7-0 lead.
But Eunice (9-2) would answer with an eight-play drive to tie the game at 7-7 with 7:39 left in the opening quarter.
Coach Paul Trosclair’s Bobcats advanced down the field with a 22-yard and a five-yard run by Avery Lee and a 7-yard pass from Simeon Ardoin to Jordan Ledet.
Deon Ardoin’s 8-yard run produced a touchdown and Austin Phillips converted the PAT to tie the game.
The Bobcat defense responded by forcing the Panthers to punt on their next drive.
The Cats went on another long drive, taking the ball on their own 30-yard line and driving down the field behind the running of Deon Ardoin, Avery Lee, and Jeoul Hill.
The Cats finished the drive with a 13-yard run by Hill and a 3-yard touchdown run by Lee.
The PAT kick by Phillips gave the Cats a 14-7 lead with 11:41 remaining in the second quarter.
After receiving the kickoff, the Panthers were unable to advance after turning the ball over on a fumble.
The Bobcats took advantage of the miscue, advancing into Panther territory on back-to-back passes from Simeon Ardoin to Tyler Darbonne for 9 yards and a pass to Ledet which covered 23 yards.
Lee finished off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. A poor snap kept the score at 20-7 with the Bobcats on top.
The Panthers responded to the Eunice touchdown with a five-play drive that featured runs by Snearl of 9, 11, and 16 yards.
Snearl topped off the drive with a 17-yard touchdown run. Nathan Landry kicked the PAT to cut the lead to 20-14.
The Bobcats maintained control of the football over the final 2:34 of the first half.
The Panthers kicked off to start the second half and kept the Bobcats in check by forcing a 40-yard punt by Eunice’s Avery Lee.
But a penalty by the Panthers forced them to give the ball back to the Bobcats.
The Cats kept the ball for six plays, but they were forced to punt. Lee hit a 33-yard punt, but the Panthers were unable to move the ball and a dropped punt snap turned the ball over to the Bobcats. That set up a seven-play drive for the Cats, with Lee carrying four times for 29 yards.
Lee completed the drive with a two-yard run. Phillips nailed the PAT to give the Bobcats a 27-20 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The Bobcats held back the Panthers on the next possession and were forced to punt. That set up a drive by the Bobcats, with Deon Ardoin topping off the short drive with runs of 21, 15, and 14, the final 14 yards resulting in a touchdown.
Phillips kicked the PAT to give the Bobcats a 34-20 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Panthers received the kickoff and attempted to put together a drive, but a strong stand by the Eunice defense and two penalties by Brusly kept the Panthers from making any headway.
The Cats ate up the final minutes of play with a 7-play drive to end the game.