Kaplan improves to 2-1 with win over North Vermilion

KAPLAN - The Kaplan Pirates ran for 362 yards en route to a 48-16 road victory over the North Vermilion Patriots at Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium on Friday.
The game was played in Kaplan because North Vermilion’s turf field was not yet ready.
The Pirates (2-1) scored 41 unanswered points to blow open a close game, doing most of the damage on the ground.  The three-headed monster emerging in the Kaplan backfield accounted for 341 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior De’Maurion Cormier led all rushers with 140 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, while sophomore Jayden Hargrave ran it seven times for 73 yards and a score. Freshman wide receiver Jeremy Roy carried it five times for 128 yards, including a 72-yard burst down the sideline for a touchdown.       
“We have some studs back there,” Kaplan head coach John Thompson said. “We have Cormier, then we change it up with Hargrave, and it doesn’t get better than number one (Roy) coming off the edge. As good as he’s been, he’s getting better.  He’s an unquestionable difference-maker on offense and defense.”  
North Vermilion (0-3) got the ball first, but Gannon Smith intercepted a pass on the Patriots’ first offensive play to set Kaplan up at the NV 23-yard-line. He finished with two interceptions in the game.  He’s also 12-of-13 on PATs this season, a rarity in Kaplan.
“It’s the culture that Coach JT (John Thompson) brought,” Smith said. He likes to kick the PAT, and he trusts me, so I do my job.  On the interceptions, I watch the quarterback and find the ball.”
Cormier took two carries to put Kaplan ahead.  His first run went for 15-yards. On his second carry, he scored from eight yards out. Smith booted the extra point to give the Pirates a 7-0 lead with 11:08 remaining in the opening quarter.
The NV-offense took over at their own nine-yard line, but poor field position didn’t matter. They ate nearly seven minutes off the clock before quarterback Eli Dubois kept it himself for a 10-yard touchdown run. Logan Blanchard split the uprights to make it 7-7 with 5:12 left in the first.
The Patriots forced Kaplan’s lone punt of the game before taking over at their own 32. Fullback Avery Stutes flipped the field on the Patriots’ first play, breaking free for a 46-yard gain down to the Kaplan 22-yard-line. After three plays gained one yard, Logan Blanchard kicked a 38-yard field goal to put NV ahead 10-7 with 40 seconds left in the first. 
The Pirates answered on the third play of their ensuing drive when Cormier broke through the line and raced 55 yards for the score.  Smith’s extra point made it 14-10 with 11:51 left in the half.
Kaplan added another score with 2:05 remaining in the half when quarterback Sabe David plunged in from three yards out.  The extra point was blocked, keeping it 20-10.
After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Pirates took over with less than a minute remaining on the clock.  On their second play, David connected with Taven Housend over the middle for a 37-yard touchdown pass.  Smith’s extra point made it 27-10 at the break.
“We had some things going offensively,” North Vermilion head coach Roderick Moy said. “We were moving the football, but then turnovers and inexperience got us. That’s been our Achilles heel.
“That’s how quickly a football game can swing.  Kaplan got going offensively. They found something they liked, and we couldn’t stop it. When we got the ball back, we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
Kaplan made it 34-10 just over a minute into the second half when Roy took the handoff on the sweep and turned on the jets, scampering 72-yards for the touchdown with 10:53 left in the third.
Jayden Hargrave made it 41-10 when he plunged in for a four-yard touchdown run with 11:34 left in the game.  Karter Julien completed the scoring for Kaplan when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 20 yards for the score.  Matthiew Breaux added the extra point to make it 48-10 with 11:21 to go.
Jaiden Payne ran it in from 16 yards out for the Patriots with 1:02 left to provide the final margin.  He finished with 49 yards and a touchdown on two carries, while Stutes finished with 103 yards rushing on 11 carries.  Dubois finished with 57 yards rushing and a touchdown on 11 carries.
Dubois also completed three passes for 37 yards. Stutes caught two balls for 31 yards while Deagon Broussard caught one for six.
David added 12 yards and a touchdown on five carries to the Kaplan rushing attack. He also completed the one pass for a 37-yard touchdown to Housend.
The Patriots open District 4-4A play next week when the Northside Vikings come to Leroy. The game will be the first on the new turf field and will also be Homecoming.
“Northside is a very talented football team that will outsize us at every single position,” Moy said. “We’ll have to let our style of ball play itself out and take three or four yards at a time. If we do what we are supposed to do, it should be a competitive football game.”
Kaplan hosts a much-improved Breaux Bridge team. The Tigers defeated VC in week two, 28-27.
“They have some good things going over there,” Thompson said.  “They have a couple of beautiful receivers.  They have a hard-nosed running back, and they have a fullback who’s a load too. We’ll have to be at our best defensively.  Offensively, we’ll have to be ready for anything.”