Tom Dodge
OPELOUSAS – The Vikings proved worthy of their rankings as Opelousas Catholic rolled to a 35-6 win over St. Edmund Thursday in the District 5-1A opener for both teams.
OC (6-0, 1-0) entered the game No. 8 in the LSWA Class 1-A polls and the second best in the LHSAA Division IV power rankings.
St. Ed’s (3-3, 0-1) is presently ranked seventh in the Division IV power rankings.
“I am proud of our effort,” St. Edmund head coach James Shiver said. “We gave our best shot against the best team in the district – we just couldn’t stop the big plays.”
The Blue Jays opened the game with great field position after Kieran Davis returned the kickoff near midfield.
A third-down pass from Henry Brown to Gus Brown kept the drive alive, but four plays later Peyton Marcantel’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by Drew Sebastien.
After a personal foul penalty pushed OC back, the Vikings quickly went 93 yards when quarterback Jesse Roy found Keon Coleman open for a 81-yard touchdown.
Sebastien’s kick gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead with 4:26 left in the first quarter.
Marcantel’s kickoff return to near midfield was erased by a holding penalty.
But the Jays still managed to move the ball back to the 46 before having to punt on the first play of the second quarter.
OC ran 5:22 off the clock in a 11-play 91-yard drive, capped by a 24-yard pass to Ronal Patin in the end zone.
Sebastian’s kick increased the Vikings’ lead to 14-0 with 6:38 left in the period.
The Blue Jays’ next drive was halted by a fumble recovered by OC near midfield.
It took just one play for the Vikings to take advantage of the miscue as Caleb Rubin ran down the OC sideline 48 yards for the touchdown.
The PAT gave the Vikings a 2-10 margin with 4:02 left in the first half.
St. Edmund attempted to catch the OC defense off guard when Henry Brown tossed the ball to Marcantel but Marcantel’s pass was picked off by Jacob Bellard.
The Vikings quickly moved 63 yards on four plays, but time expired after an incomplete pass which drew a unsportsmanlike penalty as the OC coaches argued that one second should be on the clock.
After the Vikings were forced to punt on the first drive of the second half, St. Edmund went 51 yards in eight plays, aided by strong runs by Henry Brown, Davis and Marcantel.
On fourth down at the OC 18, Henry Brown found Gus Brown open in the end zone for the score.
The PAT failed as SEH closed the gap to 21-6 with 7:21 left in the third period.
OC responded with a seven-play, 76 yard drive , aided by a 42-yard pass from Roy to Adam Dupre.
On the next play, Roy scored on a three-yard run and Sebastien’s kick increased the Vikings’ ;lead to 28-6 with 4:39 remaining in the quarter.
The Blue Jays were forced to punt on their next drive, and the Vikings then put the game out of reach with a 62-yard drive that took nine plays and over five minutes off the clock.
A key play of the drive came on third-and-18 when Roy threw a screen pass to Coleman who gained 17 yards.
The Blue Jays jumped off sides on the next play to give OC a first down near midfield.
After a holding call pushed the Vikings back, Roy connected with Dupre for a 16-yard pass.
Four plays later, Roy found Coleman open for a 27-yard touchdown.
The PAT gave the Viking a 35-6 margin with 8:58 left in the contest.
St. Edmund finished the game with its longest drive – aided by two OC penalties – but the Blue Jays could not score as Henry Brown was sacked on fourth down at the Viking 5 in the closing minute.
David finished with 90 yards on 21 carries, while Marcantel added 71 yards on 15 carries.
OC quarterback Roy completed 13-of-17 passes for 315 yards, while Coleman had five catches for 161 yards and now has 14 touchdown catches this season.
St. Edmund entertains North Central for homecoming Friday, while OC travels to Catholic High of Pointe Coupee.