VC Eagles finish 10-0; win 7th straight district title

The No. 1 Vermilion Catholic Eagles completed their third-consecutive 10-0 season Friday with a 49-7 thumping of the Westminster Christian-Lafayette Chargers.
The Eagles (10-0, 4-0) have now won 35-straight regular season games. While that’s a remarkable feat, VC head coach Broc Prejean is focused on his present team and what they’ve accomplished.
“This year’s team going 10-0 is special,” Prejean said. “The kids have been consistent from week one to week 10, and really, dating all the way back to June when we got in the weight room. It’s a remarkable accomplishment, especially when you add up what we’ve done in previous years. This team has been super special to watch.”
The Eagles are now district champions for the seventh straight year.
VC jumped ahead 7-0 only 15 seconds into the game when Allen McLain III fielded the opening kickoff and raced 96 yards down the sideline for the score.
The Chargers then went on a clock-eating 18-play drive that had the Eagle defense on its heels. The defense stiffened in the red zone and forced a turnover-on-downs at the 16-yard line.
“When you go up against the veer and you’ve never seen it, it’s tough to get your feet wet and really understand it,” Prejean explained. “We knew those first couple of drives were going to be tough. Kudos to the defense for keeping them out of the endzone.”
While the defense found its footing, the VC offense struggled to move the ball after watching most of the first quarter and were forced to punt.
VC senior defensive back Jyrin Bessard, who was seeing his first action since week two due to an injury, set the house on fire when he intercepted a Chargers’ third-down pass and took it back 55 yards for the touchdown. The pick-six put the Eagles ahead 13-0 with 10:10 to play in the first half.
“The ball went through the receiver’s hands and came straight to me,” Bessard said. “It had to be mine and nobody was catching me.”
After the Eagles’ defense forced a three-and-out, VC quarterback Jonathan Dartez took the first snap 59 yards for the touchdown. He also ran in the two-point conversion to make it 21-0 with 7:21 remaining in the half.
On the Chargers next possession, Bessard struck again. His second interception gave VC first-and-ten at the Westminster 39-yard line.
On first down, the Eagles went to their bag of tricks. Dartez took the snap and pitched the ball to Will Simon who ran to his right, stopped, and launched a pass to a streaking Bessard for the touchdown to put VC ahead 28-0 with 6:54 left in the half.
“It’s been hard,” Bessard explained. “It’s my senior year and I had to wait eight weeks. I had some steam built up. I had to let it all out tonight.”
The Eagles offensive explosion continued as they scored two more touchdowns before the end of the half. Dartez hit Hudson Hebert from 38-yards out to make it 35-0, and then took it himself from 17-yards out to give the Eagles a 42-0 halftime lead.
Dartez led the Eagles’ rushing attack with 114 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. He completed five-of-seven passes for 110 yards and three scores.
Hebert led the Eagles’ receivers with two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Bessard also had two catches for 39 yards and a score. McLain III added a 24-yard touchdown reception.
Now the Eagles turn their attention to the playoffs. They are the number one seed and will enjoy a first-round bye. According to Prejean, that’s where the road to the dome begins.
“It starts with having a good bye week,” Prejean said. “For us that means getting rested, getting healthy, and fine tuning some things. Once we find out who we play, it’s giving them that total respect and focus. That’s what it’s going to take for the next five weeks.”