Fumbles, injuries cost Berwick homecoming game

Fumbles and injuries doomed Berwick in its homecoming game Friday against the KIPP Renaissance Bobcats as the Panthers fell 56-31 to a school in just its second year playing football.
The Panthers started the game losing fumbles on the first plays of its first two drives. Berwick fumbled five times in the game, losing four.
“It’s the same old thing with us,” Berwick head coach Craig Brodie said. “We spot people points starting games out, fumble the football.”
Running back Braden Billiot then responded with a 64-yard touchdown run on the first play of Berwick’s third drive of the game.
The first quarter ended with the score tied at 14.
Billiot, who has been the Panthers best running back this season, got hurt during the game, and Brodie said he did not know whether he would be back this season. A couple other Panthers got injured as well, Brodie said.
“You got to start putting some young guys in there to back them up,” Brodie said.
KIPP Renaissance took advantage of Berwick’s third lost fumble of the game, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:36 left in the second quarter and then scored again on its next drive to take a 30-14 lead.
Berwick responded with a 61-yard drive, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jeremy Boudreaux to Kenan Jones with 4:42 to play in the second quarter. However, the Bobcats would score once more before halftime to take a 36-22 lead going into the locker room.
After turning the ball over on downs on their first possession of the second half, the Panthers narrowed the KIPP Renaissance lead to 36-28 when Jeremy Boudreaux completed a pass to Audwin Williams who then threw a lateral pitch to Kenan Jones for a 53-yard touchdown play with 6:15 left in the third quarter.
That would turn out to be the final time Berwick would get in the end zone Friday night.
KIPP Renaissance would score three more touchdowns, while Berwick scored one more time on a 28-yard field by Rogelio Rodriguez.
KIPP Renaissance head coach Joseph Arnold said he was not satisfied with his team’s performance. The team has been starting slow every week and also needs to work on finishing games, Arnold said.
“It just so happened that they (Berwick) had a couple of miscues, and we capitalized,” he said. “But other than that, it’s still a work in progress. My kids will tell you I’m never satisfied. We always can do better.”
The Bobcats need to be more aggressive and work on their offensive and defensive line play, he said.
KIPP Renaissance is in its second year as a football team and will be eligible for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association playoffs and to compete for district honors in 2015 in Class 3A, Arnold said.
In 2013, the Panthers defeated KIPP Renaissance, 7-0, for Berwick’s homecoming game.
“It’s been a transition, but last year when we came here, I left five kids at home,” Arnold said.
Those players did not play in the game a year ago due to suspensions, which included quarterback Justin Hull, Arnold said. Hull led the Bobcats to 444 yards of total offense Friday night.
“In a nutshell, you all didn’t see what we had actually last year,” Arnold said. “It’s a different ballgame when I have 10 (Hull) ... He’s a big guy.”
KIPP Renaissance will face Evangel Christian this week.
Brodie called KIPP Renaissance “a very athletic team” and said Berwick does not have the speed to contain teams such as the Bobcats.
“There were so many penalties tonight,” he said. “It was ridiculous. I’ve never seen some of the things that went on tonight, and it seemed like it all went against us for the most part.”
The Panthers were penalized eight times for 47 yards compared to the Bobcats’ 14 penalties for 56 yards.
However, Brodie said the Panthers battled back and showed resiliency.
“We were just down 14 points at halftime, and we got the ball inside the 30 twice in the third quarter and did nothing with it,” Brodie said. “That was a big turning point I think.”
Berwick will head to Jeanerette Friday to play a team the Panthers beat in 2013. Brodie said Jeanerette is similar to KIPP Renaissance in terms of its athletic ability.

Berwick Box Score
BHS KRHS
First downs 11 19
Rushing yards 216 220
Passing yards 96 224
Total yards 312 444
PA-C-HI 24-6-1 13-6-0
Punts-avg. 2-51 3-33.7
Penalties-yds. 8-47 14-56
Fumbles-lost 5-4 4-2

Score by quarter
BHS 14 8 6 3
KRHS 14 22 8 12

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
KRHS: Cedric Gooden Jr. 3-yard run (pass failed) 10:41

BHS: Braden Billiot 64-yard run (Rogelio Rodriguez kick) 7:32

BHS: Billiot 1-yard run (Rodriguez kick) 4:30

KRHS: Tyler Baptiste 25-yard pass from Justin Hull (Corey Patton pass from Hull) 0:31

Second Quarter
KRHS: Hull 1-yard run (Baptiste pass from Hull) 9:36

KRHS: Isaac Harris 33-yard run (Patton pass from Hull) 6:44
BHS: Kenan Jones 4-yard pass from Jeremy Boudreaux (Boudreaux run) 4:42

KRHS: Rasha Smith 30-yard pass from Hull (pass failed) 0:00

Third Quarter
BHS: Jones 53-yard lateral from Audwin Williams (kick failed) 6:15

KRHS: Baptiste 70-yard pass from Hull (Hull run) 2:07

Fourth Quarter
KRHS: Smith 9-yard run (run failed) 7:30

BHS: Rodriguez 28-yard field goal 4:01

KRHS: Nicholas Knox 24-yard run (kick failed) 0:11

BHS Individual stats
Jeremy Boudreaux 17-95, Braden Billiot 6-59 2 TDs, Kenan Jones 3-32 TD, Marquis Rogers 4-17, Zachary Dupuy 1-13

Passing
Jeremy Boudreaux 6-22-1 96 yds. TD, Braden Billiot 0-1-0 0 yds., Justin Morvant 0-1-0

Receiving
Audwin Williams 4-78, Justin Morvant 1-14, Kenan Jones 1-4 TD.