North Vermilion made it a game against Abbeville in second half

The North Vermilion Patriots, after being down 14-0 at halftime, decided to make it a game in the second half. They scored on its first three possessions and took an 18-14 lead with seven minutes to play in the game. But it was not enough.
On the opening second-half kickoff, NV’s Kristian Allen came up big for the Patriots, scooped up the opening kickoff football, and ran down to the AHS 32-yard line before being tackled.
It took NV eight plays to score. Grant Wise punched it in from the 2 and just like that, the Patriots were back in the game, down 14-6.
After holding Abbeville on downs, the Patriots got the ball back and scored on their next offensive possession. On first down and goal from the 5, Wise scored and closed the gap to 14-12.
The Patriots’ defense rose to the occasion one more time and recovered a fumble at the 14-yard line. A 70-yard touchdown run by Norris Benoit gave the Patriots their first and only lead, 18-14, of the game.
However, the Wildcats only let NV celebrate for a short time.
Abbeville got the ball back at its 30-yard line with seven minutes to play.
“We were not worried when they took the lead,” said AHS head coach Roderick Moy. “There was plenty of time left on the clock. I knew we would go down and score.”
The Wildcats moved the ball on NV’s defense with an 11-yard run by Justin Montgomery and a 13-yard run by Edmar Simon III.
Two more long runs, including a 17-yard touchdown run by Zaylun Williams, gave AHS a 22-18 lead with 4:29 to play.
Then disaster struck for North Vermilion on its next possession. The Patriots fumbled, and AHS defensive lineman Zalen Hopkins recovered the ball.
Abbeville did not score on that possession, but it did eat up the time.
The Patriots had one final drive to try and score. NVHS took up shop on the Patriot 28-yard line with 3:24 on the clock. The AHS defense stepped up. Abbeville cornerback Tahj Judge tackled NV running back Tucker Denais for a 13-yard loss. Three plays later, Judge intercepted the football, killing NV’s chance of a victory.
AHS head coach Roderick Moy said his team’s mistakes let NVHS stick around.
“We should have won by 21 points,” said Moy. “North Vermilion did a great job on special teams, but at the end of the day, they did not stop us. They were not going to stop us.”
The Wildcats had 255 rushing yards on 39 carries.
Simon finished with 11 carries for 60 yards. Montgomery added 14 carries for 103 yards and Williams chipped in 75 on seven carries.
Tucker Denais was the workhorse for the Patriots. He had 19 carries for 53 yards.
Benoit had the most yards with 93 on only seven totes.
The Patriots are at home Friday against Loreauville, while Abbeville is also home against Beau Chene.