Iota ends slide with victory over Trojans

IOTA – It took three years, four overtimes, possibly Michael Jordan’s Secret Stuff and maybe even more work than needed sometimes.
But shortly after 10 p.m., it didn’t matter in Iota, because the Bulldogs were victorious in the fourth overtime by a score of 30-22 over the Sacred Heart Trojans.
“It’s huge,” said Iota coach Josh Andrus. “Even with all the mistakes they made, they stood next to them, they weren’t down. The next guy stood up, made the play. It was a team effort.
“[The team’s] fight is unbelievable. We had like six fumbles, and I don’t know how many false snaps, false starts or bad snaps, after all those mistakes it’s easy to go in the tank and say, ‘It isn’t our night,’ but they came back, fought the whole time.”
There were chances, oh were there ever chances, but momentum swung like a pendulum over and over and over again.
The Bulldogs fumbled the ball 11 times, turning it over at least one third of the time. Somehow, though, it never really mattered, thanks in large part to the Iota defense, which limited Sacred Heart to only 2 yards per play offensively all night.
“I would like to know the yardage, because except for maybe two or three plays, I think we stopped them cold,” said Andrus. “These guys didn’t stop. I think twice the offense was only on the field for one play then the defense had to come back on after and make a stop.
“They played great.”
The Bulldogs pulled out to an early lead, scoring on their first drive with 11 minutes to go in the first. Kaleb Guillory would take it in from 67 yards out. But deep in the first quarter – with 2:40 left in the quarter – Sacred Heart would find the scoreboard on one of Iota’s first miscues, a bad snap would sail out the back of the end zone and Iota would allow a safety.
Then with 2:53 left in the second quarter, Sacred Heart’s Wesley Launey would connect with Julien Vidrine with a 31-yard halfback pass to give the Trojans an 8-7 lead.
The game would go quiet on the scoreboard, both teams squandering key opportunities, but in the fourth quarter, Iota’s Trae Rambin would connect with Hunter Andrus on a 17-yard touchdown pass that would seemingly be the game winner. That was until the Trojans’ Sam Tuminaro connected with senior tight end Seth Shipp from 10 yards out with 47 seconds left. With the extra point again not falling. The Bulldogs and Trojans would end regulation tied 14 all.
Two overtimes of failed attempts fell way to the Trojans striking first. After standing tall for three plays and Iota’s Cade Covalt blocked Alec Gotro’s 17-yard field goal attempt. The Bulldogs had a tall order ahead of them. Grasping momentum quickly, Tuminaro connected with Daniel Scully for a 10-yard catch. Garrick Fontenot connected with Shipp for a 2-point conversion and put the heat back squarely on the home team.
It seemingly was a theme all night, however. The odds stacked against them, the Bulldogs answered once more on third and goal from the Sacred Heart 2-yard line, with Guillory running it. Then Rambin connected with Covalt to force the fourth over time.
The drama was high, but the Bulldogs once again put the pressure on the Trojans. In three plays, Iota would see its fourth touchdown scored, this time with Rambin connecting with Bliss Deshazo from four yards out.
As per Louisiana High School Athletic Association Rules, after the third overtime, teams must go for the 2-point conversion following touchdowns. The Bulldogs would connect when Rambin threw to Alex Frey and find itself up 30-22.
Sacred Heart would have to answer, but for once, they couldn’t. A bad snap pushed the Trojans back from the 10-yard line to the 37 of Iota, then, another defensive stop in the backfield, leaving only two plays for the Trojans to go 41 yards. They couldn’t connect with a receiver – an unfortunate theme for Sacred Heart a hearty chunk of the night.
The night was really full of drama with key late down conversions matched with great play. But were it not for the fumbles and bad snaps, Iota could have been looking at a different, very reminiscent game Friday night. Instead, the rather youthful squad grew up before Andrus’ eyes, leading to the win.
“It feels good, I’m glad for [the team],” he said. “They’ve worked their butts off for the past four months for this.
“These guys might be young, but they play fast and they play hard. You can’t teach experience and right now they’re getting valuable experience, and our leadership right now is great.”
Rambin went 12-21 for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the air. Kaleb Guillory carried the ball 25 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Frey added 12 carries for 50 yards and Covalt added two carries for 15 yards. Andrus led the Bulldogs receiving with five catches for 61 yards and a touchdown. Deshazo caught two for 33 yards and a touchdown. Covalt added three catches to his stacked stats for the night for 7 yards.
Tuminaro ended his night going 25 percent from the field – 5-20 for 83 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. On the ground, Fontenot led the Trojans with 22 carries for 45 yards. Soileau followed with four carries for 13 yards and Harper had six carries for 11 yards. In the air, Scully pulled down the most yardage, catching two for 55 yards and a touchdown. Vidrine added a 31-yard touchdown catch and Soileau had two catches for 19 yards.