North Vermilion Patriots could not stop Ascension Episcopal

YOUNGSVILLE - Just 33 seconds into the game, the North Vermilion Patriots found themselves trailing 8-0 and struggled to halt the Ascension Episcopal Blue Gators’ scoring.
When the first quarter ended, the Patriots were trailing 22-0 and suffered their fourth consecutive loss, succumbing to the Class A Blue Gators 50-18.
Ascension has now beaten parish teams Abbeville (38-14), Kaplan (23-6) and North Vermilion (50-18).
Ascension’s next two games are against parish teams Gueydan and Vermilion Catholic.
“We came here expecting to win,” said NV head coach Roderick Moy. “They are very good offensively and showed that right out of the gate.”
At halftime, Ascension led 50-12.
The Blue Gators had 368 total yards in the first half compared to North Vermilion’s 277 yards. The Blue Gators rushed for 199 yards in the first half and threw for another 169 yards.
Blue Gator quarterback Branon Mitchell, who is Abbeville High graduate Brandon Mitchell’s son, had a heck of a game. He completed seven passes, and three went for 52 yards, 45 yards, and 71 yards.
Mitchell also rushed for 140 yards, including a 78-yard touchdown run.
Moy attributed the defeat to four players being injured and other players being forced to play out of position.
The cornerback, Brody Lamback, who is expected to return this week, was missing on defense. 
Also, the Patriots were without running back Preston Bagwell. 
North Vermilion quarterback James Higginbotham played 100% of the time on offense and 60% on defense. The same went for wide receiver Zander Frederick, who played cornerback and wide receiver.
“We have to do a better job getting the next man ready. You can tell we had injuries.”
With Bagwell out, Heath Aubrey and Grant Wise carried most of the time.
Wise rushed for 61 yards, while Aubrey had 88 yards on 14 carries.
Higginbotham also had a decent game running and throwing the ball. He rushed for 76 yards on six carries, including a 15-yard touchdown run.
He threw the pig skin and completed nine out of 17 passes for 125 yards. He also threw two interceptions.
Frederick had the most receptions, with four for 43 yards.
In the fourth quarter, other NV players got to play. 
Austin Francis had five carries for 42 yards. Gage Wise had four carries for 38 yards. Harley Foreman rushed for 22 yards and scored a three-yard touchdown.
Eli Dubois replaced Higginbotham at quarterback in the fourth quarter. 
The Patriots are home Friday to battle Comeaux High.