Acadiana solidifies control over District 3-5A with a convincing 43-10 win over Southside

Acadiana and Southside were both undefeated in the district and had only one loss overall coming into tonight’s game with the district on the line. This week 8 matchup packed the stands on both sides and brought that playoff atmosphere to the stadium in October. With a hot Acadiana offense returning key players from injury and a Southside team that has not lost since week 1, the game could go to whichever side showed up tonight.

Acadiana would get the ball first and set the game’s tone on their first drive. The Rams dialed up a trick play on the second play of the game and would give TE Jaydon Bessard a wide-open touchdown to take the lead and ignite their sideline. After an offsides penalty on the XP, the offense decided to roll the dice and go for two. They would succeed, handing it off to RB Jonah Gauthier and taking an 8-0 lead to start the game.

The Acadiana Rams’ offense is very high-scoring, but their lockdown defense on the other side of the ball is also impressive. They force turnovers and give their offense plenty of opportunities to score, which is what they are best at. After forcing a quick 3-and-out, the Acadiana backfield was back to work but this time with the other half of the dynamic duo, RB Tayden Collins. He would open the drive up with a huge run putting them inside the Sharks’ 10-yard line. The other half of the duo, RB Jonah Gauthier would make light work of the short field, punching it in and extending their lead to 2 possessions at 15-0.

Southside’s offense would make their way down the field, but would ultimately be walled up by the Rams defense and forced to kick a field goal. With a bobbled hold and a low kick, Acadiana was able to block the field goal, keeping the shutout alive and getting a defensive stop from special teams. The dynamic backfield was back on the field and the Rams ran it tonight until they couldn’t anymore. RB Tayden Collins would shake off one defender and show off his 4.4 speed down the sideline with nothing ahead of him but the endzone. This put the Wreckin’ Rams out to a 22-0 lead, stunning the Southside sideline.

Facing a 22-0 deficit, it was time for the Southside offense to wake up and get some points on the board to keep their team in this game. That would do exactly that on another trick play, but this time to the benefit of the Sharks, as they would get their first touchdown of the game. A TD catch from receiver Kade Fontenot made it a 22-7 game, but the Sharks had a long road ahead to climb back in this game.

The Southside defense had no answer for Acadiana’s rushing attack. The RBs would keep pounding and RB Jonah Gauthier would get his turn again, scoring a TD, his third of the night, and making this a 29-7 game with halftime looming.

On a very successful drive before the end of the first half, Southside would have to settle for a field goal with under a minute left in the half, making it a 29-10 game entering the second half. They would get the ball coming out of halftime and it was a great opportunity to get this game back within 2 scores.

The Acadiana defense was the unsung hero tonight and they would force a fumble on the Sharks’ drive to start the third quarter. The offense takes every opportunity they can to score and this drive was no different for them. Another Jonah Gauthier TD would blow this game back open with a 36-10 lead.

The Wreckin’ Rams defense was not done wreaking havoc yet and would force a fumble on the ensuing drive as well. Acadiana would not change anything and just stick to what had been working, which was the run game. RB Jonah Gauthier would get into the endzone once again, capping his night off with 4 TDs in his return from injury.

With the running clock and Acadiana’s offense taking the play clock down under 5 seconds every snap, the fourth quarter of this game flew by. The Southside defense would need stops that they were not able to get and that was partially the story of the game. The Southside offense was also not able to move down the field consistently and was not able to keep up with the Acadiana offense. This would leave them with a rough night and a 43-10 loss to Acadiana when the clock hit zero.

Looking ahead, Southside has only one regular-season game left after a bye next week. Acadiana has made it through their toughest task left over these last few weeks, but has Sam Houston next week and travels to Carencro in Week 10. This was both teams’ heavyweight fight and they can walk away either happy, having control of the district, or focused, with wrinkles to iron out before the playoffs.

Check out my postgame interview with Acadiana RB Jonah Gauthier below:

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