One play helps give the Wildcats new life in the second half

BRUSLY - The Abbeville Wildcats were down 14-0 but managed to tie it 14-14 at halftime and then blew the game open in the second half for a convincing 36-14 first-round playoff win over the Brusly Panthers on Friday.
One play sparked new life into Abbeville right before halftime.
The Wildcats were about to go into halftime down 14-6 against the Panthers. Brusly had the ball at the AHS 38-yard line and looked like they wanted to try and score. However, on fourth down, Brusly QB dropped back to attempt a long bomb down the field as time ticked away.
Defensive lineman Nalen St. Julien sacked the QB, causing him to fumble the football. An alert AHS linebacker Natravian Comeaux, a sophomore, picked up the ball on a bounce and headed west for the end zone.
Comeaux ran 62 yards for a touchdown, and Tresean Greene converted the two-point play. So instead of being down 14-6 at halftime, the Wildcats were tied 14-14.
“I had to pick up the football and score,” said Comeaux. “We needed the points. That play set the tone for Abbeville in the second half.”
Abbeville had coach Roderick Moy said when he saw Comeaux take off with the football, he knew he would score.
“You saw I did not run along the sidelines with him?” said Moy. “No one was going to catch him.”
St. Julien, who had at least two quarterback sacks, said the game plan in the final 30 seconds of the first half was not to get too relaxed.
“He (defensive coordinator Stephen Lotief) said to keep our foot on the pedal and not get too comfortable,” said St. Julien. “That one play boosted the momentum of the game.”
Did it ever!
The Wildcats’ defense gave up 109 yards of offense in the first half and only 25 yards in the second half.
Brusly never came close to scoring in the second half.
On Abbeville’s second possession in the second half, AHS quarterback Tahj Judge threw a pass to Chad Nolan, who outran defenders for a 36-yard touchdown reception.
Nolan’s score put the Wildcats ahead 20-14 with 3:52 to play in the third period. It was their first lead of the game.
The Wildcats’ defense stopped Brusly on four straight plays for the second consecutive time, and AHS scored again.
In the game, the Wildcats used seven different ball carriers.
Tazavian Andrews had a big run of 55 yards that set up Abbeville’s second touchdown in the second half.
Jaysen Shelvin, who had the flu bug this week, scored from the 19-yard line. His touchdown just about sealed the game for AHS.
It gave AHS a comfortable 28-14 lead.
Shelvin scored his second touchdown on a 36-yard run with 3:36 to play in the game. Shelvin finished the game with 16 carries for 94 yards and two TDs.
Andrews had six carries for 94 yards. The workhorse of the game was running back Tresean Greene, with 16 carries for 57 yards.
After that final play of the first half, Abbeville outscored Brusly 22-0 in the second.
“That play gave us a shot of new life,” said Moy. “That brought the score to zero-zero. As bad as we played in the first quarter, we came back and tied the game at halftime.”
Moy said he told his team at halftime to “stay the course. Stay together, and we will be ok.”
“The kids were feeling that we were moving them. We were playing power football. We were able to move them. I think we wore them down. It was punch after punch after punch.”