The St. Mary’s Tigers pulled the first surprise of the LHSAA football playoffs Thursday night in Plaquemines, and tonight the Natchitoches Central Chiefs go south hoping to do the same thing.
St. Mary’s, seeded 21st in the Select Division IV playoff bracket, pulled away from a three-point lead in the fourth quarter and plastered No. 12 St. John 30-14 Thursday.
The Tigers (6-5) advanced to a second-round game next week at Donaldsonvile against No. 5 Ascension Catholic, which had a first-round bye.
NCHS kicks off at 7 tonight in Houma against the Terrebonne Tigers (7-3) in a first-round Non-Select Division I matchup. The Chiefs are 6-4 and are the 24th seed, while Terrebonne is the No. 9 team in the bracket.
Under second-year coach Brad Laird, NCHS has won five of its last six games and is averaging 35 points per game in an offense spearheaded by quarterback Owen Smith, running back Kelton Howard and a talented group of receivers.
The Chiefs defense, with safety Jeremy Lowe as a standout, has held two explosive offenses (Huntington and Benton) to a combined 27 points in the last two games. Terrebonne is averaging 38 points per game.
Game coverage will be available at NCHSChiefs.live or 100.7 FM KZBL.
Thursday night, St. Mary’s opened a 10-0 halftime lead on a 25-yard Carter Hogg field goal and a 9-yard touchdown run by John Paul Thibodaux.
After St. John closed within 10-7 in the third quarter, the Tigers took control in a fourth-quarter surge. Chalin Gandy executed a flanker pass perfectly, going deep to Cole Yopp for a 35-yard TD with just under 10 minutes remaining for a 16-7 advantage. St. Mary’s scored two more times in the next eight minutes and built a 30-7 lead.
Jacob Thibodaux caught a 13-yard TD pass and John Paul Thibodaux raced 41 yards for the Tigers’ final touchdown with just over two minutes to go.
St. Mary’s won its fifth straight game under second-year coach Kedrin Seastrunk.