Kaplan almost pulls off upset against Acadiana HIgh

KAPLAN - OK, so maybe the 2018 Kaplan Pirates are going to have a great season after all.
The Pirates, who are ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, did not play that way last week in the Acadia/Vermilion Parish Jamboree. Fast forward a week, and the better Pirate team showed up Friday to give the Class 5A Acadiana Rams all they could handle. Time ran out as Kaplan fell 27-20 in a thriller.
The Rams looked like they were going to blow out the Pirates early in the third period, leading 20-6. The Pirates, playing in front of packed E.D. Douglas Memorial Stadium, showed heart and scored twice in a row and tied it 20-20 with 3:20 to play in the game.
Braylon Romero scored from the one-yard line, and Logan Roy converted the two-point play with a run.
Then, Kaplan answered again with a Drake LeJeune 9-yard TD run, tying the game 20-20.
The Rams tried to silence the Kaplan crowd by marching downfield and scoring, retaking a 27-20 lead with 1:27 to play in the game. Larryll Green crushed Kaplan when he darted 61 yards for a touchdown for Acadiana.
But the Pirates were not ready to quit. On the Acadiana kickoff, Drake Abshire ran the kickoff back 45 yards, plus, the Rams were hit with a 15-yard penalty, putting the Pirates only 22 yards away for tying the game.
However, the upset dream was crushed when the Rams killed it with an interception.
The Rams outrushed Kaplan 364 yards to 197.
Romero led KHS with 61 yards on 19 totes and a score.
Abshire had 14 carries for 59 yards.
Acadiana’s two running backs were the sparks. Dillan Monette (14-168, 2 TDs) and Greene (16-156, 2 TDs) had most of the rushing yards for the Rams.