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Kaplan running back Mac Thibeaux heads for the corner of the end zone. He had rushed for 147 yards by halftime.

Kaplan takes care of St. James

VACHERIE - Kaplan football coach Stephen “Tank” Lotief relished in his team’s 39-22 Class 3A state quarterfinal victory on Friday over St. James.
He enjoyed his team’s rather business-like postgame demeanor even more.
“I think we celebrated too much after the (2016) quarterfinals,” Lotief said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of celebrating going on tonight. Maybe that experience that will help us.”
A year after an eight-point loss derailed Kaplan’s dreams of a first trip to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the No. 8 Pirates will return home for another opportunity to reach such an elusive milestone.
Kaplan (10-3) – winners of eight straight games – hosts No. 8 Richwood, a 15-14 upset winner over No. 1 Sterlington, in next Friday’s semifinal at Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium.
“We’ve got to finish the job this year,” Lotief said. “We were eight minutes away last year (20-12 loss to Amite).”
Kaplan, which was making its third straight quarterfinal appearance, needed three series before unleashing its ground game to go along with solid defense and special teams play.
Senior running back Mac Thibeaux moved closer to a 2,000-yard season with 24 carries for 177 yards, 3 touchdowns and three 2-point conversions.
The Pirates generated 270 yards on the ground, including 183 in the first half in which they established a 24-6 halftime lead against a team that had outscored its opposition 89-0 in the playoffs.
“It’s a long game,” Thibeaux said. “Every series the defense may give you different looks. You’ve just got to be patient and eventually you’ll bust a long run.”
Kaplan’s 16-point first quarter included a 9-yard TD pass from quarterback Trae Case to a wide-open Matt Roden in the end zone for a 8-0 lead following Thibeaux’s two-point run.
Kaplan’s defense, which forced three turnovers that led to 23 points, contributed the first of two first-half interceptions when defensive end Quintlan Cobb dropped into coverage and tipped Shamar Smith’s pass into the air and secured the ball at the St. James’ 37.
Five plays later Thibeaux swept to his right, cut back at the 15 and completed a 34-yard scoring run that resulted in a 16-0 lead after Case’s two-point pass to Thibeaux.
“There are no excuses,” St. James coach Robert Valdez said. “They outplayed us along the offensive and defensive lines.”
St. James (9-4) tried to get back into the game when Smith kept and slipped a tackle at midfield en route to a 61-yard TD run with 7:27 left before halftime.
The Wildcats had 208 of their 246 total yards on five plays.
“Last week we gave up a few (big) plays because we didn’t line up right,” Kaplan linebacker Rhett Menard said. “We came to play.”
Drake Abshire’s interception and 9-yard return to midfield gave Kaplan’s offense possession with 4:34 to go before halftime and the Pirates turned in a 9-play drive that took just over four minutes to make it 24-6.
Thibeaux’s 17-yard gain on fourth-and-two gave Kaplan a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Roden scored on an 8-yard run after maintaining his balance near the goal line and Case connected with Thibeaux on another two-point conversion.
“It was awesome,” said Thibeaux, who rushed for 147 yards on 13 carries by halftime “Our defense did a good job of covering their receivers. Our offense eventually found a way to score.”
St. James closed to within 24-14 less than two minutes into the third quarter on Dontaz Sterling’s 40-yard run and Smith’s two-point pass to Mississippi State commitment Shawn Preston.
Kaplan was then forced to punt on its next two offensive series before finally putting the game away midway through the fourth quarter.
The Pirates defense held the Wildcats on downs with 1:01 left in the third quarter after they reached the KHS 37-yard line.
A 19-yard run from Thibeaux sparked a 9-play, 63-yard drive took five minutes off the clock with Thibeaux scoring for the third time – a 3-yard run over the right side on fourth-and-goal. His two-point run made it 32-14 with 8:05 left in the game.
“We gave them a cheap one and they had all the momentum,” Lotief said of St. James. “We went three and out, but we didn’t panic. That’s a sign of a good team. A few years back we would have panicked, including me. Everybody was cool and we knew it was a matter of time.”
Defensive lineman Dylan Hargrave’s fumble recovery on St. James’ first offensive play helped seal the victory, setting up another 9-play drive that consumed more than five minutes and resulted in Menard’s 1-yard TD run with 2:54 left.
Menard came on place of starting fullback Braylon Romero (9-44) who was helped off the field on the final play of the third quarter.
“No one thought we were going to do this, especially with the schedule we had,” Menard said. “We’re not done yet. We’ve got two more games to go.”

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