Head: Tarpons win wild rivalry battle with Trojans, while Tigers stay unbeaten
By CASEY GISCLAIR
Meathead called his shot.
After beating Pearl River in Week 2, South Lafourche senior running back Landin ‘Meathead’ Dardar said that he was going to run wild against Central Lafourche in Week 3 saying that the Trojans could not and would not stop him.
He delivered.
The Tarpons beat the Trojans 42-41 in a thriller — one of the best high school football games of the season in the entire state so far.
Dardar was huge, rushing for 221 yards and 5 touchdowns in the win. The Tarpons are now 2-1, while the Trojans are 1-2.
The game was not decided until the final play with the Trojans missing a 47-yard field goal on the final play as time expired.
“I just have to give so much credit to my teammates and especially my offensive line,” Dardar said after the win. “I can have confidence. I can believe in myself so much more easily because I know that they have my back and because I know that they’re up there blocking for me.”
Dardar’s big performance was one of many on a wild Friday night on the bayou.
The Tarpons and Trojans went to halftime tied at 28 with both teams trading scores in a game devoid of defense for the first half.
Meathead gashed the Trojans in small chunks, gutting the defense and keeping the Tarpons ahead of the chains. When the Trojans got to overaggressive in the box, quarterback Josh Mack did his part, having a huge day through the air. His biggest target was Landon Jarvis, who had 10 catches for 195 yards in the game.
The Trojans got a lot of their offense in huge explosive plays.
Quarterback Jeremy Cleveland ran wild and his weapons did their part as well, getting behind the Tarpons’ defense and moving the ball with ease for most of the game.
It looked like the Trojans would get the upper hand and come out on top in the second half.
They got the ball first in the third quarter, scored and went up 35-28, a score which the Tarpons quickly answered to make it 35-all.
From there, the defenses stiffened and fought back.
The Trojans scored and made it 41-35, but missed the extra point. The Tarpons then drove inside the 5-yard-line, but got stopped on 4th and goal, which gave the Trojans the stop they thought they’d need to win the game.
But South Lafourche’s defense had other plans.
The Tarpons got a stop, got the ball back to their offense and Meathead and the crew chewed more than 5 minutes off the clock, scoring with less than a minute left to make it 42-41.
The Trojans got the ball with a chance and got across midfield, but a last-ditch 47-yard field goal attempt sailed well short and well wide, sealing the win for South Lafourche.
Tarpons coach BJ Young said he was so proud of his team’s fight.
“We had so many chances to hang our heads and these kids — they just don’t do that stuff,” he said. “We love that about this group.”
South Lafourche will face South Terrebonne next week.
TIGERS STAY UNDEFEATED WITH LOPSIDED WIN
The Thibodaux Tigers’ train kept on rolling with another big-time win for the purple and gold.
The Tigers beat Assumption 40-0 on Friday, extending their early-season winning streak and getting to 3-0 on the year.
The Tigers were a little sluggish early and struggled offensively, but they ballooned out the lead big in the second half, dominating the game and cruising to the win.
Thibodaux quarterback Damien Robertson had a big day and the Tigers also got their weapons on the outside involved with Carlton Ingram Jr. catching a touchdown and several other playmakers having a big day.
Coach Lowell Narcisse said he was not happy with the start, but was very pleased with the team’s resiliency to overcome it and put together a strong performance against the Mustangs.
One thing that never faltered in the game was Thibodaux’s defense.
The Tigers hustled Assumption’s offense throughout the game, easily limiting their ability to move the football, giving extra possessions to their offense.
Thibodaux will face Central Lafourche next week.
CARDINALS FALL TO RIVER PARISH FOE
The E.D. White football team is in unchartered territory — sitting at 0-3 entering district.
The Cardinals lost 28-7 to Hahnville on Friday, dropping their third-straight game to start the season.
The Cardinals had their hearts stomped in the first 2 games, losing in the final minutes despite having late leads.
But this one was not that way.
Hahnville controlled the game throughout and could have scored more having several touchdowns called back via penalties.
The Tigers are now 3-0 and are looking like a major contender in our local 5A district under 2nd-year head coach Greg Boyne.
E.D. White coach Kyle Lasseigne said that he knows his team’s non district schedule is brutal, but he also wants his team to be battle tested before the playoffs, which the Cardinals will almost inevitably make.
E.D. White will open district play against Ellender — a game they will be heavily favored to win.