It was a battle to the end as Sacred Heart of Ville Platte scored with 2:07 left in the game to lift the Trojans to a 29-21 win over rival St. Edmund.
Trailing 21-15 as the game moved to the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays moved deep into Trojan territory aided by a pass interference call and several runs by Luke Doucet.
St. Ed’s quarterback Brad Miller capped the 12-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
The two-point conversion was stopped but the Jays tied the game 21-21 with 5:7 left.
The kick off went out of bounds and the Trojans began the decisive drive at their own 35.
A personal foul against the Jays helped Sacred Heart but a holding call and quarterback sack seemed to put the Trojans out of reach near midfield.
SHVP quarterback Wesley Launey gained nine yards and then on fourth down connected with Nicholas Perry fpr a 31 yard touchdown.
An excessive celebration flag put the Trojans out of kicking range but Launey found Gotro open in the end zone for the two-point conversion as Sacred Heart led 29-21 with 2:07 left.
The Trojan defense snared interception from Launey and Drew Bordelon in the Jays two final possessions to seal the win.
St. Edmund punted on its opening possession, but Sacred Heart went 52-yards in eight plays to grab an early lead.
On third-and-goal, J.T. Harper scored from two yards out and Gotro’s PAT gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead with 6:50 left in the first period.
The Blue Jays threatened on their second drive but the 26-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Sacred Heart then drove 90 yards in 11 plays, including a key 23-yard pass fourth-down play from Launey to Harper to keep the drive alive.
Harper scored on a 28-yard run and Gotro’s PAT gave the Trojans a 14-0 advantage with 9:42 left before intermission.
A strong kick return by Peyton Marcantel gave the Jays the ball at the SHVP 34.
A horse collar penalty on a run by Marcantel moved the Jays inside the Trojan 10.
Three plays later, Brad Miller scored on a 1-yard run and Marcantel’s PAT closed the gap to 14-7 with 7:16 remaining in the half.
Kaden Fontenot snared an interception for the Jays, but St. Edmund was forced to punt with 3:18 left in the half.
It took Sacred Heart just five plays to score, aided by a 21-yard run from Harper.
On third-and-goal, Launey connected with Perry in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown.
Gotro’s kick pushed the Trojans ahead, 21-7 with 1:27 left in the half.
A good run by Brad Miller and a pass interference call against the Trojans gave the Jays a chance to add points in the closing minute.
Brad Miller scored on a 7-yard run but a 12th man on the field penalty erased the points and Sacred Heart held onto a 14-point advantage at the break.
After forcing the Trojans to punt to open the third quarter, the Blue Jays moved into great scoring position on a good return by Jack Miller.
Doucet had several strong runs on the 31-yard, eight-play drive incuding a 8-yard touchdown run,
The PAT snap was bobbled, but Murphy Richard ran in the two-point conversion as the Jays closed the gap to 21-15 with 3:00 left in the third period to set up the thrilling fourth quarter.
“They fought and showed intensity the whole game,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said after the game. “But we still have too many penalties and made too many mistakes.
“We have eight games left and a long way through the season,” he said. “But we need to find guys who really want to play – we have some guys who are giving every thing we need.”
St. Edmund (1-1) entertains Mamou (0-2), while Sacred Heart (2-0) hosts Basile (1-1).