Led by a second-half shutout and a strong rushing attack, Teurlings Catholic defeated Notre Dame 34-14 on Friday night at Rebel Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Notre Dame started off the game with a 57-yard kickoff return by Jacob Trahan. The Pios went with a bit of trickery with their first play with a flea flicker. Parker Faust found Trahan open and got down to the eight-yard line before fumbling the ball, which was recovered by Teurlings Catholic.
The Rebels managed to pick up a first down but couldn’t take advantage of the turnover and was forced to punt the ball away. After forcing the Pios to punt, the Rebels took over but the offense couldn’t find a groove.
Teurlings Catholic senior quarterback Preston Welch couldn’t connect with Nick Celestine on first down, then Ayden Trahan on second down and then had a ball sail through the hands of Bradford Cain in the corner of the end zone.
Welch started the game with four straight incompletions, but then the lightning came.
After a lenthy delay, Teurlings Catholic’s offense caught fire as Welch found Cain for a first-down pass of 13 yards which set up a 16-yard touchdown run by Ayden Trahan.
Notre Dame showed some promise on the ensuing possession with Parker Faust completing a 15-yard pass to Jake Johnson. The drive ended with a third-down snap sailing over the head of Quebodeaux which resulted in a 26-yard loss.
Despite good field position, Teurlings Catholic was unable to take advantage. The Rebels’ drive had an incompletion sandwhiched between two false start penalties, but that wasn’t the worse of it.
Welch was pressured out of the pocket to his right and tried to thread a pass down the right sideline, but Notre Dame’s Wes Duplechin picked off the pass.
Duplechin’s return was made even better with a 15-yard facemask penalty that placed the ball at the TC 38-yard line.
Faust took the first snap, stayed in the pocket and found Trajan behind the safety for a 38-yard touchdown. Faust began the game completing 5-for-5 passes for 88 yards.
Teurlings Catholic responded with a quick touchdown drive in which Welch found Jack Purser for a 36-yard completion, and then capped things off with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Cain.
Notre Dame responded with a seven-play, 70-yard drive featuring a 30-yard run by Quebodeaux and capped with a one-yard touchdown run by Faust.
Teurlings Catholic retook the lead with a 66-yard touchdown run by Trahan, a one where he broke three tackles on the way to the end zone.
Notre Dame tried to close out the first half with a seven-minute drive and marched down to the 15-yard line. With 32 seconds left, the Pios faced a fourth and four at the 15-yard line and chose to go for it. Faust took a play-action pass and tried to find a wide receiver in the corner but it was incomplete.
In the second half, Teurlings Catholic added a 10-yard touchdown pass from Welch to Jack Purser and then a three-yard touchdown run by Welch.
After being unable to generate anything in the second half, Notre Dame showed some life early in the fourth when Faust found Trahan down the left sideline with a 33-yard pass. A few players later, the exchange between quarterback and running back was dropped and Teurlings Catholic’s Drake Perry recovered the fumble.
BIG NUMBER: 3
For the first time in the rivalry’s history which dates back to 1975, the Rebels defeated the Pios for a third straight year.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: AYDEN TRAHAN
Teurlings Catholic’s senior running back was the driving force of Friday night’s victory. The Rebels star rushed for 103 yards, averaged 8.6 yards per carry, and scored two rushing touchdowns, including a 66-yard score.
UP NEXT: Teurlings Catholic (3-1) will play at Breaux Bridge next week, while Notre Dame (2-2) plays at Cecilia.