East Ascension's Jeremiah Wilson runs the ball against St. Amant during the match held at the Spartan Stadium on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
Arguably the best rivalry in Louisiana high school football lived up to its billing as St. Amant edged East Ascension 17-12 Friday at Spartan Stadium.
St. Amant (4-2,2-1) stayed in the District 5-5A race and East Ascension (3-3,2-4) dropped its second district game.
Coming into this game, the series was tied at 22 with St. Amant winning last year at Spartan Stadium as well.
When asked about this rivalry, St. Amant head coach David Oliver hit the nail on the head. "You never know what you will see in this game, as I told Coach Matherne of EA, expect crazy things to happen. Nothing surprises me being involved in this game during my time at St. Amant," Oliver said.
St. Amant came out in orange jerseys for this game, as always, and happily accepted the 15-yard penalty for an illegal uniform.
The Gators took the ball first and quarterback Cooper Babin hit wide receiver Timothy Johnson on a 77-yard pass. Johnson was knocked out at the 3-yard line, and two plays later, running back Tyree Williams scored to make it 7-0 Gators.
East Ascension fumbled on their first offensive play and Williams added his second touchdown and a 14-0 lead for the Gators before some of the fans settled in their seats at a packed Spartan Stadium.
East Ascension would score right before the half when quarterback Cade Gautreaux found slot receiver Jason Blackburn for a touchdown. The Spartans went for two after an offsides penalty by the Gators but were stopped. St. Amant led 14-6 at the half.
The second half was a defensive struggle with some turnovers sprinkled in by both teams. St. Amant took a 17-6 lead on a 27-yard field goal by Jace Fierro in the fourth quarter. East Ascension responded with a touchdown catch from Gautreaux to wide receiver Justin Oubre. The two-point conversion was no good and the score stood at 17-12.
The Spartans got a gift when St. Amant fumbled at its own 22-yard line setting up late drama. The St. Amant defense was able to get a stop on fourth down as Gautreaux's pass was incomplete in the end zone.
The Gator defense played outstanding, and coach Oliver was certainly proud of that unit. "We leaned on our defense tonight, our offense had some turnovers, and our defense was able to stop them in crucial moments," Oliver said.
Babin continued his outstanding play this season with his arm and legs, including a crucial third-down conversion on a scramble and completion.
"We trust Cooper Babin to make good decisions with the ball, he has played well this season, you see him maturing," Oliver said.
The Gators will host Live Oak at the Pit, while East Ascension will step out of district play and face Teurlings Catholic, who is undefeated, at home. After a week of friendly competition between the two schools, both fan bases can catch their breath for at least 360 days.
Week 7 scores:
St. Amant 17, East Ascension 12
Dutchtown 27, Denham Springs 13
*The Griffins move to 6-0 and 3-0 in district play
Live Oak 39, Prairieville 3
East Feliciana 28, Donaldsonville 14
Ascension Catholic 53, St. John 0
East Iberville 33, Ascension Christian 8
Week 8 schedule:
Thursday:
Prairieville hosts Denham Springs
Ascension Catholic hosts North Iberville
Friday:
East Ascension hosts Teurlings Catholic
St. Amant hosts Live Oak
Dutchtown at Walker
Donaldsonville host St. James
Ascension Christian at White Castle
Middle School scores and standings:
Central 12, Dutchtown 7
Bluff 22, Lowery 6
Gonzales 30, St. Amant 0
Galvez 26, Lake 20, in 2 OT's
Galvez 6-0, Prairieville 5-0
Gonzales 3-2
Lake 2-3
Central 2-3
Dutchtown 2-3
Bluff 2-3-1
Lowery 1-5
St. Amant 0-3-1
Volleyball records and power rankings:
Division 1:
Dutchtown 24-7, 7th
East Ascension 14-17, 23rd
St. Amant 13-17, 29th
Prairieville 2-25, 51st
Division 4:
Donaldsonville 2-5, 42nd
Division 5:
Ascension Catholic 19-11, 3rd
Ascension Christian 15-12, 15th