Delcambre drops district opener to Loreauville

DELCAMBRE – The Delcambre Panthers opened District 7-2A play Friday night with a 58-0 home loss to the Loreauville Tigers.
The Panthers (3-3, 0-1) were overmatched from the start as Loreauville scored four touchdowns in the opening quarter and added a fifth seconds into the second quarter to take a commanding 36-0 lead with 11:55 to play in the first half.
 “It’s no secret they’re the better football team, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Delcambre head coach Artie Liuzza said.  
“We go out there every week trying to be the best team we can be.  We’re going to run into teams that are better than us, but we’re also going to play some teams we can compete with.  Our job is to get the team out there ready to win when the opportunity presents itself.”
Despite the lopsided score, the Panthers kept fighting for four quarters.  According to Liuzza, that’s a testament to the character of his team.
“The team’s character has been strong since last season,” Liuzza continued.  “We went 0-10.  We knew it was an investment year.  This was one of those investment games.  It’s not going to pay off tonight, but it will pay off in the future when you don’t give up and you keep pushing.”
Loreauville (1-4, 1-0) scored the game’s first touchdown in controversial fashion as Maddox Savoy fumbled the football at the Delcambre one-yard line.  The football bounced into the endzone where Logun Mouton appeared to recover it for Delcambre.  However, the officials ruled the Tigers recovered it for the touchdown.  The extra point made it 7-0 Loreauville.
The Tigers scored again on their next possession when Savoy took it in from 10-yards out.  The two-point conversion made it 15-0 with 4:16 to play in the first quarter.
On the Panthers’ next possession, Loreauville’s Blaise Romero picked off a Rix Robin pass and returned it inside the Delcambre 30-yard line.  This time, quarterback Hayden Benoit kept it himself for the touchdown and a 22-0 lead with 3:57 remaining in the first.
After forcing another Delcambre three-and-out, Kylon Polk fielded the punt and returned it back for another Loreauville touchdown.  The extra point made it 29-0 with 2:02 left in the first.
The Tigers added two more touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 42-0 halftime lead.  Delcambre only allowed two more touchdowns and a safety in the second half to provide the final margin.
The Panthers will be at home again next Friday for a matchup with the Catholic High of New Iberia Panthers, another district foe.