Kaplan quarterback shines in win over Erath

ERATH - In a game that pitted the two best running backs in Vermilion Parish against each other, it would be the quarterback of each team that grabbed the attention.
The Kaplan Pirates held off the Erath Bobcats, 14-10, to move into second place in District 8-3A with a 4-2 district record. The Bobcats are now 6-3 overall and 3-2 in district.
Erath’s running game was sidelined when Elijah Mitchell, who has been taking care of a bruised tibia all week, was questionable to play. Mitchell would only carry the football 7 times for 18 yards in the loss.
Then there was Kaplan fullback Julius Johnson, who came into the game carrying the ball 31 times and averaging more than 150 yards a game rushing. He finished the night with a season low 21 carries and 100 yards.
The quarterbacks were called on to try and move the football.
Kaplan quarterback Jade Herpin stepped up and answered the call with his legs and his arm.
Herpin, who came into the game with just over 100 yards rushing in eight games, ran for a season-high 118 yards on 10 carries and he scored a touchdown. He had a long run of 78 yards.
With Erath playing the run, the Pirates went to the air. All season Herpin attempted 38 passes. On Thursday, he attempted a season-high 14 passes and completed only four for 65 yards. The four completions were at the right time.
“The coaches saw something and let me carry the ball,” said Herpin. “Erath stopped our inside game, so I went outside.”
In the first quarter, Herpin broke to the right side, ran through Erath’s line of scrimmage and took off down field 78 yards. Had it not been for cornerback Coy LeBlanc, who also happens to be one of the fastest players on Erath’s team, Herpin would have scored. LeBlanc ran him down at the Erath 8-yard-line.
A couple of plays later, Herpin punched it in from 5 yards out to make it 14-0.
Kaplan head coach Stephen Lotief said his quarterback matured.
“He (Jade) grew up tonight,” said Lotief about Herpin.
The Bobcats would put points on the board after Herpin fumbled and Erath defender Renee Toups recovered it on the Kaplan 34.
Erath quarterback Ben LeBlanc connected with Taylor Collins for a 26-yard pass play on the first play. The catch put Erath 8 yards for the goal line. LeBlanc carried the pigskin six yards and then would score two plays later to make it a 14-7 game.
LeBlanc finished the game with only four yards rushing, but he also had 99 yards passing and 6 out of 10 completions.
LeBlanc was also involved in another play that turned the game around.
With three minutes to play in the third period and the Bobcats only 11 yards from scoring, LeBlanc attempted to throw on a corner route pass to Luke Young in the end zone. However, Kaplan's Judd Bertrand stepped in front of the pass and intercepted it. He ran it back to the EHS 20. Judd was tackled by Ben along the sideline. Both players went low and their helmets collided.
LeBlanc was flagged for a personal foul penalty for allegedly spearing. The penalty resulted in Ben getting ejected from the game.
Sophomore Mason Granger replaced Ben at quarterback.
Granger did lead the Bobcats down field on his first series, which resulted in a Dylan Floris 26-yard field goal with six minutes left in the game to make it 14-10.
In the final three minutes of the game, the Bobcats had one final shot of scoring when they took the ball at mid field. But Kaplan’s defense came up big and stopped Erath. Payton Gaspard for Kaplan sacked Granger on fourth down to end the scoring threat.
“That was by far the best defensive effort,” said Lotief. “I thought our defensive line beat their offensive line.”
Coy LeBlanc paced Erath with 75 yards on only 9 carries.
Collins had three catches for 52 yards for EHS.