Missed Opportunities by East Ascension Leads To 5-0 Start for De La Salle
Content creator and editor: Jo Eddlemon Recruit Louisiana
Game Highlights:
It took all four quarters and then a big forced fumble for the Cavaliers to secure the win against East Ascension.
The Spartans had the opportunity to tie up the game in the last two minutes when the Spartan defense forced the Cavaliers to punt on fourth down in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Sophomore D’ron McZeal, East Ascension, took the punt return down to the two yard line and set the Spartans up to tie the score but the Cavaliers defense stood tall, once again. A well timed hit to force the fumble by Sophomore linebacker Drew Porche saw the football bounce around at the five yard line and the Cavaliers pounced on the football to secure the win, 20-13. The Cavaliers accounted for five takeaways defensively on the night.
The first half was a defensive masterpiece as both teams defenses created turnover opportunities and well timed stops to turn the ball over to the offenses. However, each offense was unable to capitalize on these turnovers and it lead to a halftime score of 7-3 De La Salle.
The Spartans saw themselves down 20-3 in the third quarter as De La Salle running back, Patrick “PJ” Martin, became the difference maker for the Cavaliers. Martin barreled his way into the end zone on a 7 yard run to bring the score to 14-3 at the 5:22 mark of the 3rd quarter and then added another touchdown on a 70 yard burst through the gap, on 2nd and 12, for a touchdown at the 7:31 mark of the fourth quarter. Martin ended the night with 175 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.
The spark for the Spartans started with a field goal in the 4th quarter to close the Cavaliers lead to 6-14 with 11:46 left. Then after Martin’s 70 yard touchdown run for the Cavaliers, the Spartans mounted a fierce offensive series that ended with senior wide receiver Zhavier Jupiter taking the screen pass for a 26 yard catch and run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 13-20 with 5:42 left in the game.
After a big defensive stance by the Spartans that forced a fourth down punt by the Cavaliers, Sophomore return specialist and corner D’ron McZeal took the punt and scampered down to the 2 yard line. The Spartans offense took over with less than 2 minutes left, looking to score and tie up the game, but the Cavaliers defense where all over the ball and would eventually force a fumble and recover to seal the win.
After a big win to start the season, the Spartans have struggled against some tough competition. There were many bright spots and as a team they played hard in all facets of the game. Players stepped up Friday night, on both sides of the ball, with big plays offensively and big stops defensively. As district starts, the Spartans are looking ready for a big district run and solid finish to the 2022 season.
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