The VC players celebrate after the win.
VC head coach Broc Prejean talks to his players after the win.
VC knows how to win
Sometimes in high school football, having the right mindset and the willingness to fight can take a team a long way.
This was certainly the case for the Vermilion Catholic Eagles, who displayed remarkable resilience despite having only 26 players available for their game on Friday night.
Although the Eagles (12-0) were down by 22 points late in the second quarter, they pulled off an impressive comeback 39-35 win against the No. 9 Ascension Catholic team.
The Eagles’ head coach, Broc Prejean, was at a loss to explain how his team managed to turn the game around.
“I do not know,” he said. “We were down 22-0 and confidence was still pouring out of the players on the sideline. That is just who they are. We have been down before the first four weeks of the season, and they find a way to win. They were able to do that. That was an unbelievable high school football game.”
VC junior Jackson Trahan, who played on both the offensive and defensive line, spoke about how the team remained united and focused, despite the score.
“We have been down before,” he said. “We dealt with adversity before and knew what to do.”
VC will now move on to play No. 5 Riverside Academy in the Division IV Select Playoffs next Friday.
The game will be held at VC, beginning at 7 p.m. Riverside Academy secured their spot in the playoffs by beating St. Martin’s 26-14, thanks to the impressive performance of Dedric Lastie, who ran for 219 yards and scored three touchdowns.
VC has a formidable home record, having won 20 out of 21 home games, dating back to the 2021 season. The Eagles’ last home defeat was against St. Frederick’s in the playoffs. Since then, VC has won all 14 home games in the previous two seasons.
VC quarterback Jonathan Dartez, who scored four touchdowns in the game against Ascension Catholic, said that being down is something that the Eagles have learned to handle.
“The character of this team shows when you come through adversity,” he said. “That showed tonight. No one pointed fingers. We stayed united, which is why we won.”