Tom Dodge
Notre Dame jumped out to a 28-7 first half lead over Eunice as the Pioneers cruised to a 42-14 win over the Bobcats in the regular season finale.
Notre Dame (7-1) entered the game as the fourth-ranked in Division III.
Eunice (4-2) had moved up to No. 6 in the Class 4-A power rankings and the Bobcats will still earn a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
The LHSAA will released the complete brackets today.
“I knew going in we had a steep challenge,” EHS head coach Andre Vige said after the game. “I thought we could have competed better against them if we hadn’t turned the ball over – we had three turnovers that put them up 21-0.”
The Bobcats opened the game with three plays and punt and Notre Dame took over near midfield.
Several strong runs by Dominic Thibodeaux helped the Pioneers move inside the Bobcat 20.
Runs by Notre Dame quarterback Parker Seilhan and Ethan Menard advanced the Pios to the Bobcat 1.
Seilhan capped the nine-play, 53-yard drive with a one-yard run and Lucas Simon’s PAT gave the Pioneers a 7-0 lead.
The Bobcats fumbled the ball back to Notre Dame deep in EHS territory and the Pios quickly responded with an impressive pass from Seilhan to Sam Houston transfer Luke Yuhasz.
After a run by Thibodeaux, a face mask penalty against EHS moved the ball to the Bobcat 5.
Thibodeaux scored on the next play and Simon’s PAT pushed the Pioneers ahead, 14-0 with 3:42 left in the period.
Another fumble by the Bobcats led to points for the Pioneers, capped by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Seilhan to Christian McNees.
Simon’s PAT gave Notre Dame to a 21-0 advantage with 1:20 left in the opening period.
After a Bobcat punt, the Pioneers moved 75 yards on their next drive, sparked by receptions by Yuhasz and Simon.
A quarterback run by Seilhan moved the ball inside the EHS 10.
Thibodeaux ended the nine-play drive with a seven-yard touchdown run.
Simon’s kick increased the Pioneers lead to 28-0 with 5:59 left in the second period.
Eunice responded with a 85-yard drive, aided by an impressive pass from Simeon Ardoin to Dylan Guillory.
Two runs by Deon Ardoin moved the Bobcats to the Pio 20.
Simeon Ardoin then found Guillory open for a 20-yard score.
Braden Rider’s kick closed the gap to 28-7 with 3:05 remaining in the first half.
Notre Dame threatened late in the period, but the Bobcat defense held on fourth down at the EHS 37.
“I wanted to keep the game close and have a chance in the fourth quarter,” Vige said. “That just didn’t happen.
The Pioneers took the second half kickoff and moved to the Bobcat 11 before Hayden Darbonne and Bryson Poullard sacked Seilhan to end the drive at the EHS 18.
But three plays later, Gabe Leonards recovered a Bobcat fumbled and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
Simon’s kick increased Notre Dame’s lead to 37-7 with 6:10 left in the third frame.
The Bobcats quickly responded, sparked by a long pass from Simeon Ardoin to Hayden Darbonne who tackled at the Notre Dame 3.
Hill scored on the next play and Rider’s kick closed the gap to 35-14 with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter.
After both teams exchanged punts, the Pioneers took over with great field position at the EHS 31 late in the third period.
After six running plays moved Notre Dame to the Bobcat 2, Simon scored on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Cameron Fuselier’s kick pushed Notre Dame ahead, 42-14 with 11:22 left in the game.
Both teams swapped punts before the Pioneers snared an interception and moved deeper into EHS territory on a face mask penalty.
Notre Dame ran out the final 5:08 on the clock to seal its seventh win of the season.
The Pioneers finished with 332 yards of total offense, including 189 yard rushing.
Seilhan completed 7-of-13 passes for 143 yards and added 60 yards on 12 carries.
Yuhasz led Notre Dame with four catches for 95 yards.
Eunice closed the game with 215 yards of total offense, but the Bobcats were limited to 71 yards rushing on 24 plays.
Simeon Ardoin completed 7-of-17 passes for 144 yards.
Ardoin added 40 yards on 12 carries.
Hill finished with three catches for 85 yards, while Guillory had four catches for 59 yards.
“I am glad to see we battled and never quit,” Vige said.
“Our guys battled and our defense played lights out,” the coach said. “We were down, but our guys never gave up.
“I liked the way we responded, we just put ourselves into such a big hole, we couldn’t get out of it.
“They are the kind of team that makes you pay for your mistakes.
“We had four turnovers and they had 28 points off those turnovers,” Vige said. “And they beat us by 28 points.”