Erath has easy first round victory

ERATH – The No. 5 Erath Bobcats scored five touchdowns in the first quarter en route to a 56-0 victory over the No. 28 Bogalusa Lumberjacks in the opening round of the Division III Non-Select playoffs at Robert J. Segura Memorial Stadium Friday night.
The Bobcats (11-0) entered week 11 riding high after securing the first unblemished regular season in school history in week 10, and they did not let off the gas. Ten minutes into the game, Erath led 36-0. The defense set a school record for fewest total yards allowed and tied the record for fewest rushing yards allowed.
“The guys played great,” said Erath head coach Eric LeBlanc. “We scored a touchdown in all three phases tonight. Special teams scored one, the defense scored one, and the offense had the rest. Our defense held them to -51yards in the first half and finished the game allowing record lows in rushing yards (-48) and total yards (-15). It was a good night for the Bobcats.”
Last season, Erath had a bye in the Bi-District round and got upset by Loreauville in the Regional round. This year, Leblanc said his team was happy not to get a first-round bye.
“Our seniors wanted to play, so the coaches wanted to play,” LeBlanc said. “We all went through last season together, and we wanted it to be different.
“A bye benefits a team on a backwards slide, or a team trying to get healthy. We wanted to keep the momentum going. The only way to do that was to be outside the top four.”
The Bobcats will host No. 12 Union Parish (6-5) in the second round. The Farmers defeated No. 21 Rayville in round one, 41-18. LeBlanc plans to continue doing what got them here.
“We’re going to do the same things we do every week,” LeBlanc said. “The coaches will come up with a great game plan that puts the guys in the best position to be successful. Then the guys will go out there on Friday night and execute with physicality and precision.”
The Bobcats opened the floodgates just over a minute into the game when Jahlil Charles plunged across the goal line from three yards out. The two-point conversion made it 8-0 with 10:57 left on the clock.
Aiden Bourque scored Erath’s second touchdown when he ran it in from six yards out. Nine seconds later, Chales stepped in front of a Bogalusa pass while on defense and returned it for Erath’s third touchdown. Carlos Arellano booted both extra points to make it 22-0 with 8:20 to play.
Just over five minutes later, Bourque scored his second rushing touchdown from eight yards out to make it 29-0 before Landon Lemaire went around the left side and found the end zone from 13 yards away to make it 36-0.
Erath’s special teams got in the scoring column in the second quarter when the Bobcats blocked a punt and Owen Landry recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown and a 43-0 lead. Quarterback Jack Landry connected with receiver Carter Champagne for a three-yard touchdown pass before Arellano kicked his sixth extra point to make it 50-0 at the half.
Sophomore Ean LeBlanc capped the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Landry finished 14-of-16 for 126 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Bourque ran for 24 yards and a touchdown on three carries. He also threw two passes for 45 yards. LeMaire had 17 yards and a touchdown on two carries, and Ean LeBlanc added 16 yards and a score on four carries.

Charles had three yards and a touchdown on one carry, a 15-yard catch, and a pick-six as a linebacker. Tate Collins caught four passes for 29 yards, Ayden Tallmore had two catches for 24 yards, and Champagne added a three-yard touchdown reception.