Vermilion Catholic dominates Gueydan

The No. 18 Vermilion Catholic Eagles scored early and often en route to a dominating 63-0 victory over the Gueydan Bears on senior night at Eagle Stadium Friday.

On the night the VC community honored its seniors, VC head coach Broc Prejean described his guys as selfless.

“This group represents selflessness,” Prejean said. “Kids like Caleb Guidry, Luke McClain, Will Simon, Wyatt Bertrand, and the rest have been completely selfless football players who do all the little things that make playing this game worth it. We’re going to miss them, but we have quite a few more weeks to enjoy them.”

The Eagles (4-5) have now won two straight games and three of their last four. Prejean is excited about his team’s chances as they head into week 10 on the road against No. 22 Westminster Christian in Lafayette.

“I’ve loved these last few weeks,” Prejean said. “It’s been tough at times this season. We were 2-5 just a couple of weeks ago, but they stayed the course. They kept showing up and believing in getting better, and they absolutely have.”

“Last week showed what we’re capable of (50-15 over No. 14 Opelousas Catholic). Next week’s a big one to possibly get a home game in the playoffs. We’ll go from there, but it starts with Westminster.”

Senior Luke McLain said the Eagles can win in week 10 and make a playoff run if they keep playing their style of football.

“We started slow, trying to figure everything out together,” McLain said. “We were hurting ourselves, and we corrected it. Now we feel we have a strong shot if we keep playing our best. The seniors know what it takes. We have to set the example for the younger guys.”

Prejean said stopping Westminster’s offense will be a tall task for his defense.

“We saw the split-back veer already this year, and we didn’t perform well against it,” Prejean said. “We have to be assignment-oriented and fill the right gaps. They walked the field on us on their opening drive last year. It’s going to be a challenge.”

On their first drive against Gueydan, VC moved 54 yards in three plays. On the second play, McLain ran 35 yards to the Bears’ 10-yard line. He scored on the next play and kicked the extra point, making it 7-0 with 9:33 left in the first quarter.

VC senior quarterback Will Simon’s 17-yard scamper on their next possession made it 14-0 before back-to-back pick-sixes by Kohen Hebert (5 yards) and Jacob Dubois (15 yards) made it 28-0 with 4:50 left in the first. On their next possession, Simon went to the air and found tight end James Bradley for a 15-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-0 at the end of one.

Simon struck again on VC’s next possession, hitting Matthew Mollere for a 23-yard touchdown pass and a 42-0 lead. Caleb Guidry made it 49-0 when he ran it in from 11 yards out. Freshman Beckett Brantley made it 56-0 at the half when he scored on a 14-yard run. He also scored the Eagles’ final touchdown of the night when he broke loose for a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Bears nearly scored in the fourth quarter when Braylon Mercier turned the corner and raced 83 yards down to the VC one-yard-line. The Eagle defense stood firm and forced a turnover-on-downs to preserve the shutout.

Brantley led the VC rushing attack with 58 yards and two touchdowns on three carries. McLain was right behind with 45 yards and a touchdown on two carries.

Simon completed all four of his passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a third. Michael Mollere caught two passes for 25 yards to lead the team. Matthew Mollere caught one pass for 23 yards and a score, while Bradley had the 15-yard TD reception.

Mercier led Gueydan with 77 yards rushing on four carries. Mason Smith completed one pass for two yards to Traevin Billiot.