Tom Dodge
RAYNE – Rayne quarterback Bleyton Francis hit Darrell Weathersby for a 3-yard touchdown with three seconds left to lift the Wolves to a 20-16 win over the No. 6 Eunice Bobcats.
The game started poorly for the Bobcats as Traelyn Cooper returned the kickoff to midfield but holding call erased the play.
After five plays, the Bobcats were forced to punt and the Eunice defense stood tall and forced the Wolves to punt.
But a muffed punt gave the ball back to Rayne and three plays later, quarterback Collin Lacombe scrambled for a 35-yard touchdown. The PAT gave the Wolves a 7-0 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
On the next drive Eunice converted on a fourth down run by Simeon Ardoin, but were later forced to punt.
The Bobcat defense again held and Rayne punter Deuce Comeaux kicked the ball to the EHS 7 with 2:00 left in the period.
Penalties continued to slow down the EHS offense but the play of the first half was Zach Suire’s punt went out of bounds at the Rayne 1.
On the very next play, the quarterback was tackled in the end zone for a safety as the Bobcats closed the gap to 7-2 with 8:05 left in the second quarter.
Devin Richardson returned the free kick 14 yards to the Rayne 44.
Penalties again hurt the Bobcats as the drive stalled on a false start and an unsportsmanlike penalty forced an EHS punt.
A sack by Jordan Oglesby was the key defensive play of the next Rayne drive as the Bobcats forced another punt with just over three minutes left in the half.
The Eunice offense then moved quickly down the field as on the fifth play, Jeoul Hill broke loose for a 35-yard touchdown.
Simeon Ardoin ran in the two-point conversion to push the Bobcats ahead 10-7 with 1:41 remaining before intermission.
After an onside’s kick attempt was recovered by the Wolves, a roughing the quarterback penalty allowed Rayne to move the ball into Bobcat territory.
But the EHS defense stiffened and forced a punt with 35 seconds left in the half and the Bobcats took a 10-7 lead into the intermission.
Eunice had 10 penalties for 115 yards in the first half and the Bobcats were flagged for a personal foul on the kickoff to help Rayne start the drive at midfield.
The Wolves converted a third down play when Lacombe connected with Monroe for a screen pass that was stopped at the Bobcat 5.
The Eunice defense held but Comeaux drilled a 25-yard field goal as Rayne tied the game 10-10 with 8:20 left in the third period.
On the Bobcats’ next drive, Simeon Ardoin’s pass was picked off and the Wolves took over at the EHS 20 with 6:40 left in the quarter.
Francis connected with Ron Charles for a 26-yard score but a penalty erased the touchdown.
On fourth down, Comeaux missed a 34-yard field goal with 4:23 left in the period.
Eunice made a first down on a run by Devin Richardson, but the Bobcats were forced to punt.
Rayne took over at midfield and the Wolves used strong runs by Charles, Monroe and Lacombe to move inside the Bobcat 20 as the game moved to the fourth quarter.
The Bobcats held, but Comeaux hit a 34-yard field goal with 8:54 left as Rayne grabbed a 13-10 advantage.
Both teams exchanged punts and the Bobcats took over near midfield with 5:48 remaining.
Simeon Ardoin’s runs helped the Bobcats get a first down and Hill then capped the drive with 30-yard touchdown run.
The two-point conversion run was stopped short, but the Bobcats led 16-13 with 4:36 left on the clock.
After the kickoff went out of bounds at the Wolves’ 35, Rayne then moved the ball down the field into Bobcat territory on several key passes by Lacombe.
A fourth-down quarterback sneak by Lacombe and two pass interference calls against the Bobcats helped the Wolves move inside the EHS 5 with 17 seconds left.
On fourth down, it appeared Rayne would attempt a short field goal to send the game into overtime.
But instead, Francis’ touchdown toss won the game for the Wolves.
After Wolves fans stormed the field and the Rayne band was in the middle of a post-game performance, several gun shots were heard near the school buses which caused fans, coaches and players as well as the band to scramble to safety.