Hill, Redemptorist win La. football showdown with Patterson

In a Class 3A battle between running backs committed to LSU, Jeremy Hill of Redemptorist (Baton Rouge) gave a performance worth watching.

With a national television audience tuned in to ESPNU, and a large crowd voicing its enthusiasm at Nicholls State's John L. Guidry Stadium, Hill rushed 35 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns to lead the second-ranked Wolves to a 28-13 victory over eighth-ranked Patterson.

Patterson's Kenny Hilliard couldn't follow suit, given the cramps in his calves and hamstrings that limited him to one second-half carry for minus-1 yard. Hilliard, the nephew of former Patterson and New Orleans Saints standout Dalton Hilliard, finished with 22 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown.

Redemptorist two-way tackle La'el Collins, the third LSU commitment in the game, opened holes for Hill offensively and participated in the most defensive plays of his career. Collins' late quarterback sack helped clinch the victory.

Patterson raced to a 13-0 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter only to be shut out from that point on. Quarterback Justice Jones opened the scoring with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Dexter Aucoin on the fifth play from scrimmage. After a short Redemptorist punt, Hilliard capped a seven-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
 
Hill then took over, and before the first half was complete, he had scored on touchdown runs of 8, 45 and 42 yards. Hill's fourth touchdown covered 2 yards and ended an 11-play, 78-yard drive at 5:26 of the fourth quarter.

"I feel like this was the best game of my career so far," Hill said. "But I've got things to work on."
 
"We got what we expected," Patterson coach Tommy Minton said. "We knew he was a great back. What I'm disappointed in is I thought we didn't do a good job tackling him, but then he gets some credit for that, too."

CURTIS ROLLS 44-16
Perennial state power Curtis (River Ridge) showed visiting Gainesville (Fla.) just what the state has had to deal with, as the Patriots roared to a 44-16 victory at Nicholls State's John L. Guidry Stadium.

Curtis used a 21-point, second-quarter explosion to build a 27-0 halftime lead. Senior running back Torrey Pierce finished with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Brandon Bourgeois threw for 93 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a 72-yard score that gave the Patriots a 44-7 fourth-quarter lead.
 
"I thought the defense played really well," Curtis coach J.T. Curtis said. "I was pleased with their effort. I was pleased with being able to keep a team like that in check."

SOUTH PLAQUEMINES FALLS
South Plaquemines (Port Sulphur) became the state's first top-ranked team to lose when the Class 1A power fell to Class 5A Ehret (Marrero) in a defensive struggle, 8-0.

Willie Thomas scored the game's only touchdown in the fourth quarter when he capped a seven-play, 45-yard drive with an 11-yard run with 2:18 left. Mike Alexander threw a two-point conversion pass to Jeremel Cleveland to complete the scoring.

Ehret threatened at least three times before it finally scored. Stefon Horne returned a recovered fumble 60 yards to the South Plaquemines 17-yard line in the third quarter only to have Ehret turn the ball over on downs at the 5-yard line. Another drive ended when South Plaquemines’ Nicholas Gibson intercepted a pass in the end zone.
 
Ehret drove 78 yards to the South Plaquemines 1-yard line in the fourth quarter but lost a fumble. Ehret kept South Plaquemines at bay with two third-quarter interceptions. South Plaquemines managed only four first downs, including one in the second half.

CARROLL WINS SLOPPY SHOWING
When Carroll (Monroe) and Wossman (Monroe) met in the Baby Bayou Classic, the ensuing performance sometimes resembled more of a greased-pig competition than a football game.

Between the two of them, they fumbled 10 times. What's more, they committed a combined 24 penalties, which matched Carroll's point total in its 24-14 victory.

Cramps also played havoc with players from both teams. Carroll quarterback Jamond Collins returned from a one-play absence in the third quarter to lead two fourth-quarter touchdown drives.

CROSS COUNTRY: STAFFORD LEADS CATHOLIC TO VICTORY
Despite having only one runner with varsity experience, defending Class 5A state boys champion Catholic (Baton Rouge) used its first major test of the cross country season to demonstrate its continued prowess.

Junior Cole Stafford led the way, as the Bears scored 49 points to outdistance the rest of the 21-team field in the Bayou Boogie at Baton Rouge's Highland Park. Runner-up Kraemer Jackson of St. Paul (Covington) followed in 16:37, with his team also finishing second with 63 points. The Catholic tandem of Mac Hoffman and Joseph St. Cyr took third and fourth, respectively, in 16:53 and 16:57.

Episcopal (Baton Rouge) was the third-place team with 64 points, and host St. Michael (Baton Rouge) scored 124 points to claim fourth.

The individual girls’ competition featured much more drama, with winner Abby Ter Haar of Episcopal (Baton Rouge) edging Anne Katherine Devitt of Christian Life (Baton Rouge) by just three seconds, 18:49-18:52. Ter Haar didn't overtake Devitt until nearly the halfway mark.

Episcopal's Lanier Flanders placed third in 19:00. St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge) put seven runners in the top 15 to win the team title with 33 points. Kassidy Noto paced SJA with a time of 20:18 for fourth place.
 
Newman (New Orleans) finished second to St. Joseph's Academy with 87 points. Menard (Alexandria) was third with 101, while St. Michael finished fourth with 120.