Catholic High-New Iberia edges Lumberjacks 28-25

Patterson dropped its third straight game this season despite rallying to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Catholic High-New Iberia (3-0), however, scored the winning touchdown with 7:25 remaining to upend Patterson, 28-25.
The Lumberjacks (0-3) stormed back from a 20-7 halftime deficit, but Patterson’s struggling defense couldn’t hold the lead.
Catholic High, the fourth-ranked team in the latest Louisiana Sportswriters Association’s Class 2A poll, wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. The Panthers took the game’s opening drive and went on an 11-play, 66-yard drive that running back Seth Pierre capped with a 3-yard dive for a 7-0 Panthers’ lead with 6:39 remaining in the first quarter.
Patterson answered immediately when running back Tristen Ausama broke free for a 32-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 3:19. Ausama led Patterson’s rushers with 16 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown.
The Panthers regained the lead on the next series when Jeremy Touchet crashed in from three yards out.
Catholic High’s Peyton Pharr then jumped a Sirbatian Charles pass to give the Panthers the ball back. The interception was the first-year starter’s first this season.
Catholic High marched down to the Patterson 19-yard line before the Lumberjacks’ standout linebacker, Nehemiah Augustus, sacked Panthers’ quarterback, Jason Pellerin, to force a 25-yard field goal attempt. Senior kicker Ethan Poche knocked the ball through for a 17-7 lead with 5:25 to play before the half.
After another Patterson three-and-out, Catholic High went on a 14-play, 76-yard drive that ended with another Poche field goal (28-yards) for a 20-7 halftime lead.
Catholic High rolled up 17 first-half first downs to Patterson’s three and outrushed the ’Jacks 179 to 48.
But Patterson came out of the half on fire.
Charles began to pick up chunks of yards with the zone-read as Patterson went to its ground game. Charles carried nine times for 64 yards in Friday’s contest.
“We had to find a way to keep the ball from them,” Patterson head coach Chad Blanchard said. “They run the ball well against everybody, so we had to slow them down.”
The ’Jacks converted a 10-play, 72-yard drive into points when senior John Davis powered in from 10 yards out. Christian Soria’s PAT kick was blocked, so the ’Jacks trailed 20-13 with 7:21 left in the third quarter.
Patterson’s defense forced a punt on Catholic High’s next series, and after squib kicking all night, Catholic High punted to the ’Jacks. Alabama commit Daylon Charlot took the punt at the Patterson 20 and raced 80 yards for a touchdown.
The ’Jacks were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebrating after the score, forcing a two-point conversion attempt from the 20-yard line. The attempt failed and Catholic High led 20-19 with 4:23 to play.
“These kids played their butts off in the second half,” Blanchard said. “I guarantee that these kids will never quit.”
Malik Bass grabbed a Catholic High fumble to give the ball back to Patterson just before the third quarter ended.
Patterson converted two third-and-longs before Charles hit Charlot in the corner of the end zone for the ’Jacks’ first lead of game, 25-20, with 8:20 remaining in the contest.
The comeback was short-lived, however, as Pellerin, an Ole Miss commit, manufactured a four-play, 67-yard drive, which was exclusively on the ground.
Pellerin concluded the drive with an 18-yard run at the 7:25 mark to regain the lead for Catholic High. The Panthers finished the game with 292 yards rushing.
Patterson marched the ball to the Catholic High 23, but a fourth-down pass went awry.
“I blew the call at the end,” Blanchard said. “I have to be better for them. That wasn’t the kids’ fault. It was mine. We had a good play called, but I guess I wasn’t clear enough, and that’s my job. We will get this thing straight. That’s hard to say at 0-3, but the season is still ahead of us.”
Patterson will return to action Friday when it hosts Class 4A Vandebilt Catholic (0-3).

Patterson Boxscore
PHS CHNI
First downs: 13 23
Rushing yards: 235 292
Passing yards: 23 50
Total yards: 258 342
PA-C-HI: 6-5-1 9-5-0
Penalty yards: 6-60 7-40
Fumbles-lost: 1-0 1-1
Score By Quarters
PHS 7 0 12 6 -- 25
CHNI 7 13 0 8 -- 28

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
CHNI: Seth Pierre 3-yard run (Ethan Poche kick) 6:39
PHS: Tristen Ausama 32-yard run (Christian Soria kick) 3:19

Second Quarter
CHNI: Pierre 3-yard run (Kick good) 11:32
CHNI: Poche 25-yard field goal 5:25
CHNI: Poche 28-yard field goal 0:03
Third Quarter
PHS: John Davis 10-yard run (kick blocked) 7:21
PHS: Daylon Charlot 80-yard punt return (2pt. failed)

Fourth Quarter
PHS: Charlot 7-yard pass from Sirbatian Charles (2pt. failed) 8:20
CHNI: Jason Pellerin 18-yard run (run good) 7:25

PHS stats
Passing
Sirbatian Charles 5-6-0 23 yards, 1 TD

Receiving
Daylon Charlot, 4-26 1 TD; Tristen Ausama, 1- (-3)

Rushing
Tristen Ausama, 16-105, 1 TD; Sirbatian Charles, 9-64; John Davis, 5-28; D.J. Jones, 2-9; Nehemiah Augustus, 1-5; Tyric Garrett, 1-2 yds.