Loranger’s Jeryl Brazil is widely known for his running ability. And when St. Thomas Aquinas loaded up the box on defense in its nondistrict game against the Wolves last week, Brazil showed that he has an effective arm as well.
The LSU commitment went 8-for-10 through the air for 146 yards and four first-half touchdowns as No. 3-ranked Loranger remained unbeaten with a 39-19 victory over the visiting Falcons. Brazil tossed TD passes of 31 and 24 yards to Jake Ingraffia, with Javeon Francis and Nicholas Keller scoring on throws of 35 and 25 yards, respectively.
Paced by Miguel Toefield, who rushed for 106 yards, including a 57-yard score, Loranger (4-0) rushed for 214 yards against the STA defense. Brazil added 60 yards for LHS, which opens District 8-3A play on Friday at Albany.
STA (1-3), which was led by freshman Brady Becerra’s 99 yards rushing, opens District 8-2A action on Friday when it celebrates homecoming against St. Helena Central.
Ponchatoula’s Austin Henderson made the most of his first career start at quarterback, rushing for 116 yards on 26 carries while lifting the Green Wave to a 28-14 road victory over Fontainebleau in District 6-5A action.
Playing in place of injured starter Christian Campbell, Henderson directed a “new look” Green Wave offense that piled up 309 yards of total offense, including 284 on the ground. With Henderson struggling with snaps from under center with a hand injury he suffered last season, PHS coach Hank Tierney did something to his game plan that he had never considered in his illustrious 35-year coaching career — installing the “pistol” formation.
Brian Rodgers gave PHS (3-1, 2-0) a 7-0 lead on the game’s first play with a 65-yard TD burst before Lamarkez Spears’ 22-yard TD in the first quarter gave the Green Wave the lead for good, 14-7.
Ponchatoula, which will host Covington on Thursday, remained tied with St. Paul’s for the 6-5A lead.
Five games into the season, and with its District 8-3A opener against arch-rival Amite set for Friday, Independence coach Keith Carona was still looking for his team’s first complete performance of the season when the Tigers hosted Sarah Reed for homecoming.
His team did that and more as the Tigers raced out to a 28-0 first-quarter lead and cruised to a 49-6 victory. Shannon Cage scored four touchdowns for Independence (3-2) — three in the first two quarters — while Davon Steptoe threw a TD pass, and Navonte Brown scored on a 45-yard interception return as the Tigers led 35-6 at halftime.
“We had a defensive score and our offense came out clicking,” Carona told the Hammond Daily Star after the game. “Last week (against Varnado), we showed signs of that but then we went into a lull. We wanted to get it to a high level and stay at a high level the whole game and we did.”
Amite piled up over 300 yards of total offense and forced seven turnovers against long-time rival Franklinton, including a pair of fumble returns for touchdowns. But it was a blocked punt late in the game by the Demons that set up their final score in a come-from-behind 34-28 victory over the No. 7-ranked Warriors.
Adrian Sieber’s 4-yard touchdown run with 9:17 remaining in the third quarter gave Amite (1-2) a 28-14 lead before FHS chipped away. Austin Armand scored twice in the second half for the Demons, including a game-tying 13-yard scramble with 2:43 remaining in the game, before Ron Robinson’s 3-yard TD run with 1:28 left gave FHS its first lead.
Amite snapped a 7-7 tie when Timothy Johnson returned a first-quarter fumble 58 yards for a touchdown before Brandon Burton scooped up a Demon miscue and went 82 yards in the second.
Heading into its game with fifth-ranked Brookhaven (Miss.) Academy, Oak Forest Academy was looking to get back on track after posting a 1-4 record in the first half of its Mississippi Association of Independent School slate.
Thanks to a punishing rushing attack, a pair of forced turnovers and a blocked punt, the Yellow Jackets opened the second half of their schedule on a positive note with a 35-21 win on Friday.
Sam Bourgeois paced OFA (2-4) with a 32-carry, 135-yard performance while combining with Rhase Riggins for four touchdowns. e_SClBCarter Capdeboscq completed 4-of-6 passes for 69 yards and a TD as OFA gained 230 yards (on 56 carries) on the ground.
Thursday action set
With the St. Tammany Parish Fair scheduled Oct. 3-7 in Covington, a pair of games involving area teams will be played on Thursday. Besides the Ponchatoula-Covington game in District 6-5A, Hammond (0-4) will look for its first victory of the season as it opens District 7-4A play at Lakeshore (0-4) on Thursday.
Other games involving area scheduled for Thursday include Springfield (3-1) hosting Pope John Paul II (2-2) in the District 8-2A opener and Varnado (0-3) traveling to face Kentwood (3-1) in the 7-1A opener.
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