Gators outlast Wolves, 36-20

RAYNE - With the first cool weather of the 2014 football season also came change for Rayne High Friday night, a change in their win-loss column as the LaGrange Gators outlasted the Wolves in a 36-20 marathon game.
“We had our chances,” stated Rayne High Head Coach Curt Ware after Friday’s loss. “We had a few times when could have taken a lead -- we missed those opportunities. But, when you play a good team like this, things like that happen.”
Despite the score, Rayne led in total offensive yards on the night, with the Wolves’ 342 yards compared to LaGrange’s 250, in addition to having 23 additional offensive plays.
“We had a couple turnovers early on that kinda set the momentum for the game,” Ware continued. “A couple plays here and there add up, and you have a night like we had tonight.”
The Gators lit the scoreboard early on in the game, a short TD run by Gator Markell Hawthorne when LaGrange acquired possession off a Rayne interception. The missed extra point placed the Gators up 6-0 as the second quarter began.
Rayne answered with a short TD pass from Jaylon Reed to John Michael Besse late in the first half of play. A Donald Doucet extra point saw the Wolves up 7-6 as the halftime break buzzer sounded.
Early in the second half, Rayne took a 14-6 lead off a Besse TD run and Doucet extra point. But, the Gators rallied back.
Off a Grant Abshire kickoff, the Gators ran in an 81-yard return for a score and ran in a two-point conversion to knot the score at 14-all midway through the third quarter of play.
At this point, the Gators took advantage of good field position and a number of calls to score two back-to-back scores, two short TD runs and a conversion for a 28-14 LaGrange lead with the start of the last quarter.
Rayne answered midway through the last quarter with a short TD run by Jaylon Reed as the Wolves tightened the score to 28-20.
But, LaGrange answered with another TD run and conversion for the 36-20 finale.
The Gators finished the night with 38 rushing attempts for 271 yards.
The Wolves turned in 154 yards on the ground led by John Michael Besse (7-94), Deontrey Wilridge (15-60), Byron Mouton (5-21) and Javon Cormier (4-13).
With 188 yards in the air, Jaylon Reed was 13-for-30 on the night to Rayne receivers John Michael Besse (4-61), Deontrey Wilridge (2-51), Javon Cormier (3-30),Trevon Fontenot (3-30) and Byron Mouton (1-16).
“They (LaGrange) had a couple of big plays that put yards on the stats and points on the scoreboard,” continued Ware when commenting of his defense. “But, we made some big plays too, and held our own.”
Confining the Gators to 250 total offensive yards on the night were Donavon Cormier, Jaquan Cormier, Richard Breaux and John Michael Besse who recorded tackles for losses for the Wolves.
Leading tackling stats for Rayne High were Donavon Cormier, Trevon Fontenot, Jaquan Cormier, Brice Meche, Todd Broussard, Richard Breaux, Hunter Keely and Nicky Faucheux.
“I’m proud the way our guys played tonight and never gave up,” Ware stated of his Wolves. “We just have to get back at it, work hard, and the wins will come.”
Rayne will hit the road on Friday when they travel to Morgan City for a 7 p.m contest.