ED White runs past North Vermilion

THIBODAUX - With 438 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, E.D. White Catholic ran over North Vermilion, 45-28, in Friday’s District 8-3A game at Yockey Bernard Field at Harvey Peltier Memorial Stadium in Thibodaux.
“I thought we played well,” E.D. White coach Chris Bergeron said. “We struggled early. (North Vermilion) came out with some fight, and they gave us their best shot. In the end, we picked it up in the second quarter and picked it up again through the end of the game.”
E. D. White (5-3 overall, 3-1 district) opened the game with a 9-play, 63-yard drive, but came away with no points. Starting with first-and-goal at the 8-yard line, Nik Shanklin (149 yards, 21 carries, 2 TDs) carried the ball four straight plays but was stopped short on fourth and goal from the 1.
After a North Vermilion (3-5 overall, 1-3 district) punt, the Cardinals took over on the Patriots’ 25. Quarterback Hunter Tabor hit Jeremy Rounds for 8-yards to put E.D. White at the 4, but three straight runs didn’t get the Cardinals in the end zone.
Mike Melancon hit a 23-yard field goal, and E. D. White led 3-0 after the first.
“You just have to keep believing in what we’re doing, and it’s going to happen,” Bergeron said of what he told his team after the first. “We just needed to execute better.”
The opening drive of the second quarter saw North Vermilion’s Dylan Dent break free for a 44-yard touchdown run, and the Patriots took a 7-3 lead.
On its next possession, North Vermilion’s punt attempt was blocked by Jordan Szush. On the next play, Shanklin ran 17-yards for the touchdown. The Cardinals retook a 10-7 lead with 7:09 remaining in the half.

On the next possession, Patriots quarterback Dade Dieterich found Connor Dupuy for a 40-yard touchdown, and North Vermilion went back up 14-10.
“Offensively, I thought we played pretty well,” North Vermilion coach Richard Prejean said. “Special teams really bit us in the butt. It really hurt us.”
It was short lived, however, as the ensuing kickoff saw Brandon Legendre take it 95-yards up the right sideline for a touchdown. The Cardinals led 17-14 with 5:07 remaining in the second.
“The momentum shift was the kick return by (Legendre) and the blocked punt,” Bergeron said. “Those two special team plays were huge. We were able to ride that momentum. That took the wind out of (North Vermilion’s) sail.”
After forcing a North Vermilion punt, E.D. White took over on its own 19 with 3:27 left on the clock. A pair of 16-yard runs from Shanklin and Rounds (150 yards. 13 carries, 2 TDs) put the Cardinals inside Patriots’ territory. Six plays later, Rounds scored on a 16-yard carry, and E. D. White led 24-14 at half.
Prejean said depth was an issue for his team on defense.
The Cardinals’ first drive of the second half saw Rounds score on a 55-yard carry. E.D White led 31-14 with 6:38 remaining in the third.
“They’re vital,” Bergeron said of his running backs. “The offensive line is important, and, when those guys get in the open field, they’re special backs.”
The Patriots responded, however, with Dieterich hitting Gavin Becker for a 27-yard touchdown. Bradley Benoit blocked the extra-point attempt, and the Cardinals led 31-20.
It took only two plays for E.D. White to answer as Legendre (111 yards, 6 carries, TD) scored on a 71-yard carry to extend the Cardinals’ lead to 38-20 after three quarters.
The first play of the fourth quarter saw E.D. White finish a 7-play, 61-yard drive with Shanklin scoring on a 1-yard run.
Dupuy scored for the Patriots on a 5-yard run with 2:25 remaining in the game. E.D. White recovered North Vermilion’s onside kick attempt, however, and the Cardinals were able to run out the clock on the 45-28 win.
“I thought we managed the clock well,” Bergeron said. “We were able to put the game away, run some clock and get out of here with a win.”