Hands LC College Prep first loss

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Lake Charles College Prep mounted a furious second-half rally, but Notre Dame, ranked No. 1 in the state, held on to win the battle of unbeatens, 35-21, Thursday night.

<p class="indent">LCCP (6-1) owned the third quarter, scoring 21 points while the defense held the Pioneers to 27-yards after giving up 205 yards in the first half.

<p class="indent">The Trailblazers picked up their first score on a 15-yard pass from Dillon Simon to Solomon Lewis with 9:58 left in the third quarter.

<p class="indent">LCCP scored on a 78-yard, five-play drive when freshman running back Trevonte Citizen leaped over a pile of bodies for a 1-yard score.

<p class="indent">Simon’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Glynn Johnson with 24 seconds left in the third quarter cut the Pios’ lead to 26-21. Simon completed 8 of 19 passes for 131 yards and Lewis finished with five catches for 78 yards.

<p class="indent">But the Blazers’ momentum fizzled as their next drive went 2 yards and Notre Dame (7-0) iced the victory with a 55-yard, eight-play drive capped by Noah Bourgeois’ 10-yard score, his second of the game. Bourgeios finished with 137 yards on 25 carries and fullback C.J. Thibodeaux added 114 yards and a score on 25 carries.

<p class="indent">But the Blazers couldn’t make up for their first-half struggles.

<p class="indent">Notre Dame limited the Blazers to 32-yard of total offense on 13 plays in the first half and one first down. The Pios offense ran the ball right at the Blazers all night with 188 rushing yards in the first half.

<p class="indent">The Blazers were tagged for 25-yards in penalties in their first possession, which pushed them back to their own 8-yard line. Quarterback Dillon Simon was sacked in the end zone for a safety by Joe Pommier with 4:54 left in the first quarter, giving Notre Dame a 9-0 lead.

<p class="indent">LCCP punted on its next two possessions then fumbled at its own 36 with 4:31 left in the second quarter and Notre Dame turned it into a 26-0 lead after Bourgeois scored on a 7-yard run out of the wildcat formation.

<p class="indent">LCCP was able to get into the backfield several times in the first half and put pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Ben Broussard. Defensive lineman Jacalon Pitre recorded two tackles for a loss, but the Pios converted on 6 of 10 third downs in the first half, including a 21-yard touchdown by Broussard. Notre Dame also converted 2 of 4 fourth downs.

<strong>NOTRE DAME</strong> 35

LC COLLEGE PREP 21