WELSH — The Kinder Yellow Jackets used an explosive second quarter from their defense Friday night to lock down a share of the District 4-2A championship with a 34-13 win over Welsh.

In the second quarter the Kinder (9-0, 4-0) defense forced two fumbles and blocked a punt to help put up 19 points with five plays from their offense.

“We talk to our kids all the time about turnovers being momentum changers,” Kinder head coach Bret Fuselier said. “But you can’t just force the turnovers, you have to do something with them. I was proud of my kids for doing that tonight.”

The first fumble came when senior linebacker Don Charles Arceneaux stripped Welsh running back Kyvonte Eaglin and ran 65 yards for a touchdown.

Two plays later the Yellow Jackets stripped the ball again, setting up their offense for a quick four-play scoring drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown from Taylor Johnson.

On the next drive, senior linebacker Bryce Baker blocked a Greyhounds punt and defensive lineman Isiah Sanders returned it to the 38. Johnson scored on the next play.

Junior quarterback Welles Cooley added touchdowns in the first and third quarters on runs of 15 and 80 yards. He finished with 135 yards on the ground.

Johnson finished with 142 yards.

The Yellow Jackets can win the district outright next week with a win over Mamou or a Welsh loss. The district championship is the 23rd in school history.

“Man, it feels good,” Fuselier said. “I told the kids before the game that they needed to get their names in the school record books and they did that with the 23rd championship in school history. This is good for the school, the community and these kids.”

The win also marked the 20th consecutive victory for Kinder dating to September 2013, the state’s longest active winning streak.

“I did not even realize that,” Fuselier said. “Our motto is take every game one at a time, just focus on being 1-0 this week. But that is a testament to all of the hard work these kids have put in, our coaching staff and this program as a whole.”

To start the game, Welsh (6-3, 3-1) running back Keshon Bell took a sweep and cutback for a 77-yard touchdown, it was the first time Kinder had trailed in a game all season.

The Greyhounds battled back and forth with the defending state champions throughout the first quarter but fell victim to the Kinder defense in the second quarter.

“Our kids played really hard, but football is a game of momentum and we had three big turnovers in the first half that really swung the momentum (Kinder’s) way,” Welsh head coach John Richardson said.

Bell finished with a game-high 153 yards rushing while Brandius Batiste caught three passes for a game-high 59 yards.bryce-baker

Kirk Meche/Special to the American Press