Vermilion Catholic wins third state title

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in 11 years and the third time overall, the Vermilion Catholic Eagles are state champions, defeating Ouachita Christian in the Select Division IV championship game 33-21.
  VC (14-0) clung to a 26-21 lead as OCS marched down the field with time running out in the fourth quarter.  On fourth and 10 from the VC 21-yard-line with 26 seconds left in the game, OCS quarterback N.L. Vidrine threw to the left sideline.  VC’s Caleb Guidry stepped in front of the receiver and raced 87 yards for the title-clinching touchdown.
 “That was for the seniors,” Guidry said.  “I just wanted to make that play for them.”
 “Watching Caleb race down the sideline, my first inkling was to look up at the scoreboard to see if we were good,” Eagles head coach Broc Prejean added.  “It’s a surreal moment when you recognize that the guys you love in this world have achieved a goal they fought so hard for.”
The Eagles jumped ahead 13-0 in the first quarter behind two Jonathan Dartez rushing touchdowns.  His first score from three yards out capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive that ate 7:55 of the game clock.  The second was a 44-yard burst as Dartez rushed for 113 yards in the first quarter.
  OCS (13-2) struck back 11 seconds into the second quarter when Vidrine connected with Ridge Coats.  Coats took it 75 yards to paydirt to make it 13-7.  After an interception, OCS drove 59 yards for another touchdown and a 14-13 lead with 5:18 to play in the half.
 VC answered when Dartez hit Allen McLain III from 12 yards out for the touchdown, capping a 13-play, 65-yard drive. The score gave the Eagles a 20-14 halftime lead.
 The Eagles went back on top by two scores in the third quarter when Dartez found Jyrin Bessard from 20 yards out for the touchdown and a 26-14 lead.
 OCS kept battling as Vidrine connected with Cameron Volion for a 46-yard touchdown pass to pull them within 26-21 and set the stage for Guidry’s heroics. 
  Dartez set a new state record with 47 carries in the championship game.  He turned those carries into 253 yards and two touchdowns.  He also completed eight-of-eleven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
 Bessard caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown, while Will Simon caught two balls for 15 yards. Allen McLain caught one pass for 12 yards and a score, while Hudson Hebert also caught one ball for 13 yards, and Ross Dartez caught one for three yards.
 Defensively, Luke McLain had a team-high seven tackles, including a sack, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.  Allen McLain III had three tackles and a sack, while Ben Constantin and Alex Broussard finished with five tackles.
  “What a battle,” said Prejean.  “Two teams that do it the right way, respecting each other and the game.  These kids deserve this.”