Berwick to close regular season against North Vermilion

Berwick’s magical regular season concludes with Friday’s District 8-3-A finale against North Vermillion.
Berwick (7-2, 3-2) will finish off the regular season before advancing to its first playoff appearance since 1996.
The Panthers also made history with last week’s 42-35 win against E.D. White. Berwick hadn’t beat EDW since 1974.
“We were motivated, and of the things we kept talking about was staying humble and hungry all year round. … My kids fought and never gave up,” Berwick head coach Eric Holden said after last week’s win. “We are learning how to win and finishing, and I’m so proud of them.”
With the game tied at 35, quarterback Collin Louviere found Josh Carver in the end zone from 35 yards out with 8:25 to play to put Berwick in the league for good.
The Panthers closed the game with two defensive stands to preserve the win.
“This team is learning how to win,” Holden said last week. “We’re trying to create a culture here.”
Carver and Kenan Jones lead the Panthers’ explosive offense this year. Carver has caught 45 passes for 836 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Jones has 46 catches for 828 yards and nine touchdowns. Both rank among the top 10 in the state, regardless of class, in receiving yards.
Quarterback Mitchell Sanford leads the Panthers’ passing attack with 1,293 yards. He has completed 63 of 125 passes with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.
However, Louviere played the entire game at quarterback last week. This season, he has thrown for 868 yards, completing 58 of 132 passes with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Josh Jones leads Berwick’s running game with 83 carries for 517 yards and five touchdowns, while Louviere has rushed 56 times for 172 yards.
North Vermillion (2-7, 1-4) lost to Patterson, 42-28, last week. Patterson took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after Dillan Giandelone scored on a 4-yard run and Dajon Richard scored on a 40-yard run after a fumble recovery by Danon Hue.
Patterson took a 21-7 lead into halftime, scoring on a 1-yard run by quarterback Hector Tolento with just three seconds left in the half. The touchdown was set up by a 36-yard pass to Khyri Harris.
North Vermilion closed the lead to 21-14 at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter on a 4-yard run by Ryan Broussard.
Patterson, however, continued to score en route to the win.
Patterson outgained North Vermilion 415 yards to 283 yards in the game.
Friday’s Berwick game is slated for 7 p.m. at Geisler Stadium in Berwick.
Additional reporting by The Daily Review Sports Editor Geoff Stoute