Thompson gets his first varsity win at Kaplan

KAPLAN – The Kaplan Pirates dismantled the Berwick Panthers 49-0 at Ed Douglas Memorial Stadium Friday night, giving head coach John Thompson his first career win.
When asked about win number one, Thomspon gave credit to his team. He said they had a great week of practice, and it showed.
“These kids played their butts off tonight,” Thompson said. “We pushed them in practice this week. We corrected the mistakes, and they got it done. I’m proud of them.”
He did admit the gravity of win number one hadn’t quite sunk in.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet,” Thompson continued. “When I’m at the house petting my dog, Luna, that’s when it’ll hit me.”
Senior quarterback Sabe David was happy to be on the team that got Thompson his first victory as a head coach.
“It feels good to get Coach Thompson his first win,” David said. “He’s a really good coach.”
The Pirates (1-1) dominated on defense, pitching the complete-game shutout. Berwick only managed 94 yards of offense in the game, including negative-eight rushing. Kaplan also intercepted three passes and forced two fumbles.
Meanwhile, the Kaplan offense put up 418 yards, including 321 on the ground. They threw for 97 yards and a score and converted all seven of their extra point attempts.
“They’re starting to understand what we want,” Thompson said. “It’s tricky at first, but they’re starting to see how easy it is to get it done.”
Kaplan opened the scoring at the 6:21 mark of the first period when freshman wide receiver Jeremy Roy took the handoff on the sweep and raced 49 yards for the score. Gannon Smith made the extra point for the 7-0 lead.
On their next possession, the Pirates drove 49 yards in 2:26 seconds. Sophomore Jayden Hargrave scored the first of his two touchdowns on the night from 10 yards out. The Smith extra point put the Pirates ahead 14-0.
Hargrave struck again in the second quarter. He took the handoff and raced 50 yards down the left sideline for a 21-0 Kaplan-lead with 7:09 to play in the first half. He finished the night with 113 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries.
Following a good Berwick punt that pinned the Pirates at their own 11-yard-line with 1:14 to play in the half, Kaplan went to the air. David connected with receiver Matthiew Breaux over the middle. Breaux got a block, made a move, and darted down the sideline for the 89-yard score. Smith’s extra point made it 28-0 at the break.
David is excited he’s getting to throw the ball more.
“It’s fun,” he said. “If the run’s not there, we can open it up with the pass.”
Kaplan scored two more times in the third quarter. David punched it in from two yards out to make it 35-0. De’Maurion Cormier made it 42-0 with a 14-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds left in the frame.
Van Guidry scored the Pirates final touchdown with 3:35 left in the game. Breaux booted the extra point to provide the final margin.
Hargrave’s 113 yards on the ground led all rushers while Roy finished with 65 yards and a score on three carries and Cormier added 64 yards and a score on nine carries. Van Guidry also added 28 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
David completed one pass for 89 yards and a touchdown while also scoring a touchdown on the ground. Breaux had one catch for 89 yards and a score. Hargrave also completed one pass to Javonte Mouton for eight yards.
Next up, the Pirates have 0-2 North Vermilion Patriots. The game has been moved to Kaplan because North Vermilion’s field is under construction and is not ready.
Thompson expects them to be a typical Roderick Moy football team.
They’re a physical, hard-nosed football team,” Thompson said. “Moy’s going to want to run the ball to control the clock and keep it a low scoring affair.”