Turnovers Loom Large In Lafayette Christian Academy Loss To Loreauville

When you see a 44-14 score, you immediately think the losing team’s defense had a horrible night. And, while they certainly didn’t play perfect defense, the Knights’ defense held their own and stopped Loreauville High numerous times. But, five turnovers by the LCA offense, two of which were fumble recoveries for touchdowns by the Tigers, doomed a Knights program looking for a signature win on its home field.

At the half, for instance, the Knights’ defense had only given up 96 total yards of offense, yet the Tigers had 24 points.

But, when you consider that one of those touchdowns was on a fumble recovery by Ronnie Jeanlouis – who ran 29 yards to paydirt – and the other touchdown was on a 1-play, 13-yard drive that was set up by an LCA interception, you can certainly see how it was 24-7 at the half.

The game actually started off incredibly well for the Knights, as WR Trevin Kately’s 58-yard touchdown catch from QB Reagan Miller capped off a 3-play drive to open the game for LCA and give them an early 7-0 lead.

But the Tigers answered right back as RB Brennan Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run capped off the Loreauville response (with a made 2-point conversion) to make the score 8-7 in favor of the Tigers nearly midway through the 1st Quarter.

As the defenses appeared to begin settling into a groove, the Tigers’ defensive line swarmed RB Colton Williams, forcing the fumble that was returned for a touchdown. One 2-point conversion later and, all of a sudden, Loreauville was up 16-7.

That score would hold until QB Jared Henry scored on a 13-yard run, just one play after the defense intercepted Miller’s pass and returned it to the end zone, only to see the ball come back out to the 13-yard line because of a block-in-the-back penalty. After the 2-point conversion, the Tigers led 24-7, a score that would hold till halftime. The Knights had only 7 points to show for just over 200 total yards in the 1st half.

The turnovers continued in the 2nd half as Brennan Williams decided to add a defensive touchdown to his rushing TD, scoring on a 35-yard fumble recovery which put the Tigers ahead 30-7 as the 2-point conversion failed.

Then, with about six minutes to go in the 3rd Quarter, Tigers’ LB Brandon Williams was ejected after Reagan Miller was hit in the head, a hit which sidelined him for the rest of the game.

Freshman QB Zachary Clement was then pressed into action, completing his first pass before poor wide receiver play led to dropped passes and another interception. But things would get better for Clement as he eventually led the Knights on a touchdown drive, throwing a strike over the defense to Carrington Haugh with :25 left in the contest. For a quarter and a half, Clement showcased a strong arm and nifty running as the future looks bright for the young player.

Brennan Williams and Leslie Joseph’s 10-and-4-yard rushing touchdowns, respectively, rounded out the scoring.

LCA ended with 312 total yards to Loreauville’s 296.

As the 4th Quarter rolled on, Miller was seen encouraging teammates and pacing the sidelines while holding ice on his jaw, so it remains to be seen if he will be allowed to play in next week’s road game against Ville Platte. The Knights are 0-2 on the young season.

Loreauville, meanwhile, is now 2-0 and will host Sophie B. Wright next week before taking on non-district rival Delcambre.