CCHS football scrimmage produces

Central Catholic dominated the scripted portion of Thursday’s scrimmage against Covenant Christian but struggled in a live quarter at the Central Catholic practice field.
The scrimmage was divided into 12-play blocks with a live quarter to close out the action.
Central Catholic’s first-team defense gave up a quick first down on a pass to open the scrimmage. The Eagles’ defense answered with a sack by Tanner Wiggins and T.J. Ruffin to put an end to the Lions’ drive.
CCHS’ first-team offense started slow with a sack and an interception by quarterback Blake Byrne to end the series.
Central Catholic’s second-team defense upended Covenant Christian’s second-offense with a fumble recovery and two interceptions. Linebacker Hunter Daigle was also in on nearly every play during the series.
“Defensively, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Central Catholic Coach Tommy Minton said. “I did, however, think we gave up too many yards on first down. I guess you can say we bled a little, but we ended up getting stops. But, anytime you keep a team out of the end zone, it’s a good defensive day.”
The Eagles second-team offense came in soaring on the next series. Quarterback Demarcus Mitchell got the group rolling with a 20-yard run, trucking three defenders along the way. Mitchell then hit Dede Gant on a fade route down the left sideline for the scrimmage’s first score.
Running back Chris Singleton got into the act next, breaking free for a long touchdown run on the next play of the series. Daigle also flashed at running back with the second unit.
The CCHS’ first-team defense continued to hold off Covenant Christian’s offense on the next couple series. Wiggins and Mitchell continued to make tackle after tackle, while Greg Leger, Charlie Solar, Ruffin and Jesse Fontenot made key stops.
In the live quarter, Central Catholic’s defense continued to dominate, but Covenant Christian’s defense also made a couple big plays. The Lions picked off Byrne’s screen pass and raced the other way for a score.
CCHS standout running back Stefano Guarisco answered that score on the Eagles’ first touch on offense. Guarisco got to the outside and raced down the sideline untouched until a Covenant Christian defender tracked him down near the goal line. However, Guarisco faked him out on a beautiful cut-back for the score. The senior didn’t carry the ball much Thursday, but he was in mid-season form.
Unfortunately, on the Eagles next possession, the Lions took another interception back for a score.
“Offensively, I’m very disappointed,” Minton said. “We played in spurts. We’ll put two or three first downs together and then we get behind the chains. And of course, you can’t have turnovers for scores. The first interception wasn’t the quarterback’s fault. We had a blown assignment, but the second was just a bad play.”
Central Catholic continues preseason work when it faces Catholic High-New Iberia at 8 p.m. Aug. 28 in the Kiwanis Club of Lafayette Jamboree.