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Berwick High School's Kenny Rhodes pursues E.D. White quarterback Brandon Legendre during Friday's game, while also pictured is E.D. White's Blaise Mims. Berwick made several defensive stops late
to preserve a 42-35 victory in Thibodaux Friday. The Panthers will close their regular season Friday at home against North Vermilion in a 7 p.m. contest. (Submitted Photo/Courtesy of Greg Roussel)

Berwick defeats E.D. White, 42-35

By KYLE CARRIER

Berwick coach Eric Holden said all he kept hearing all week was how the Panthers football team had not beaten E.D. White Catholic since 1974.
Well, after Friday night, he doesn’t have to hear it anymore.
Berwick quarterback Collin Louviere throw for 124 yards and three touchdowns and Berwick defeated E.D. White, 42-35, at Harvey Peltier Stadium on E.D. White’s homecoming.
Berwick improved to 7-2 with the victory and 3-2 in District 8-3A action.
“The old hats in Berwick told me that we had not beaten E.D. White since the 1970s,” Holden said. “We were motivated, and one of the things we kept talking about was staying humble and hungry all year around. The Bible says if you humble yourself, the Lord will lift you up, and our guys have stayed humble. My kids fought and never gave up. We are learning how to win and finishing it, and I am so proud of them.”
For the Cardinals, who compiled 437 total yards, the big plays in the running game (379 rushing yards) proved not enough against the explosive Panthers offense.
“It was one play here and one play there,” E.D. White Head Coach Chris Bergeron said. “We had too many penalties and put the ball on the ground a little too many times tonight. But heck, you have to give (Berwick) a lot of credit. That is a very good football team, and they made the plays they needed to make when they had to make them.”
One of those big plays Bergeron referenced was the one that proved to be the game winner.
With the game tied at 35, Louviere found Josh Carver in the end zone from 35 yards out with 8:25 to play to put Berwick in the lead for good.
The Panthers closed the game with two defensive stands to preserve the win.
“This team is learning how to win,” Holden said. “We’re trying to create that culture here.”
Things started off well for the Cardinals, who held the Panthers to a three-and-out to open the game, but a fumble on E.D. White’s first offensive possession gave Berwick the ball right back.
The Panthers capitalized as Louviere found Kenan Jones from 16 yards out to take an early 7-0 lead.
E.D. White (3-6 overall, 2-3 District 8-3A) answered on its next possession as Brandon Legendre out-ran the Panther defense for a 40-yard score to tie the game at 7 with 6:34 to play in the first quarter following the Mike Melancon extra point.
A one-yard touchdown run by Joshua Jones (13 carries, 93 yards, one touchdown) put Berwick back on top 14-7 entering the second quarter.
After forcing the Cardinals to punt, Berwick took a two-score lead in the second when Toby Everage raced 60 yards through the Cardinals’ defense for the score. John McCorkle’s extra point pushed the Panther’s lead to 21-7 with 7:45 to play in the quarter.
McCorkle finished the game 6-for-6 in extra-point attempts.
The Cardinals cut the lead to seven at half when Legendre (22 carries, 108 yards, three touchdowns) rushed for his second touchdown on a 3-yard run for a 21-14 Berwick lead at halftime following Melancon’s kick.
E.D. White tied the game on the second half’s first play when Totorich (14 carries, 133 yards, two touchdowns) scored on a 75-yard run.
But Berwick answered with a scoring drive capped by an 18 yards pass from Louviere to Carver to push the score to 28-21, Berwick.
Totorich added his second score of the quarter from 5 yards out to tie the game at 28 with 3:22 remaining in the third, but the Panthers answered when Cameron Wiley returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for a score to put Berwick back on top, 35-28.
The Cardinals again tied the game to start the fourth after an interception by Aaron Benfield gave E.D. White the ball inside the Panthers’ 5-yard line.
Four plays later, Legendre found the end zone for a third time to knot the game at 35 with 11:14 to play before the Panthers’ final score.
In the loss, the Cardinals outgained the Panthers 437-324.
Berwick will return to action Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts North Vermilion in its District 8-3A finale.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Carrier is a Sports Correspondent for The Daily Comet and Houma Courier newspapers. Additional reporting by The Daily Review Sports Editor Geoff Stoute.

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