St. John Eagles focus on CCA after loss to Belaire
Belaire’s solid rushing attack and rugged defense led to a long evening for St. John in non-district football action last Thursday.
The Eagles hope to regroup this Friday when they return home to host Covenant Christian Academy as mid-season approaches.
In action last week, Denichlass Jeter amassed 162 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns to lead Class 4A Belaire to a 35-6 victory.
“They’re a much-improved team and they came out to play their best first half of ball this season and probably in the last couple of years,” St. John head coach Coby Minton said. “We saw on film that they would have fumbles, make some mistakes and get some penalties, but quite frankly, they didn’t do any of that.”
The Eagles slipped to 1-3 but remained the only Iberville Parish squad with a win thus far in the season.
St. John avoided a shutout when Colton Canella scored on a 1-yard sneak in the third quarter.
“Our guys came back out in the second half and played the way we expect them to play,” Minton said. “Unfortunately, it was too little, too late.
“I thought we came out flat in the first quarter, without much energy in the start of the game, and it’s my job as head coach to them going,” he said. “The bottom line is that we didn’t get it done.”
A 1-yarder by Micah Palmer and a Noah James 40-yard scamper put the Bengals ahead 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Belaire continued its onslaught in the second off Palmer’s 20-yard sprint, while Jeter raced 71 yards to the end zone to put the Bengals ahead 28-0 at halftime.
A Jeter 85-yard kickoff return in the third quarter sealed Belaire scoring for the night.
Eagle quarterback Maddox Bennett went 9-24 for 129 yards, with one interception. Joseph Schlatre had six receptions for 109 yards, including a 39-yard grab.
THIS WEEK …
The Eagles return home Friday for action against Houma-based Covenant Christian (1-1) at Andrew Canova Green Devil Stadium.
Kickoff is 7 p.m.
As with every high school and all facets of life in that area, CCHS is in a slow rebound after Hurricane Ida barreled down on Terrebonne and other coastal parishes Aug. 29.
Most of the area has electricity, but some areas still do not have water, said Minton, who has spent most of his life in neighboring St. Mary Parish.
He emphasized that it allows no reason for his team to take them lightly.
“We’ll probably see highlights of their game tonight and see a few guys who did not play the previous week, and then we’ll probably see two or three more who didn’t play last week,” he said. “They’re slowly getting guys back, but if we come out and play well, we’ll be fine.”
The Lions head into action after a 50-0 rout against Benjamin Franklin High School of New Orleans.