Sometimes, slow and steady does win the race.
The ED White Cardinals embodied this principle as they defeated the Vandebilt Catholic Terriers this week 21-14, with a healthy contribution from a steady, run heavy offense. They didn’t find many explosive plays, and I’m not even sure if they ever completed a pass, but the Cardinals consistently moved the ball down the field in 4-6 yard chunks, generating enough scoring drives to win the game because of it.
The game remained tied at the end of the first 3 quarters of this game, but the two teams’ routes of getting there couldn’t have been more different. ED White had their slow and steady approach, which led to a TD by Landon Babin for the Cardinals to take the lead 7-0. Vandebilt’s offense, however, was completely boom-or-bust. They either didn’t move the ball at all (as star RB Jaylon Coleman was bottled up on the ground), or they moved in chunks to create their game tying scoring drive. Backup QB Ethan Heney replaced an injured Jack Chesnut today, and showed some great flashes in spite of the loss. He had some accurate deep throws, and led a sensational drive featuring 3 extremely impressive plays. All of them were passes to James Guidry, who finished with both of VC’s touchdowns in the game.
Entering the 4th quarter in a tied game, ED White didn’t change their approach, as they kept pounding the ball down Vandebilt’s throat. The Terriers had a valiant effort on defense in this game, but they started to break down over time, allowing two Cardinals touchdowns in the 4th quarter. Much of that is thanks to fullback Jonathon Lee, who Coach Kyle Lasseigne made sure to give props to after the game for his high level of effort in high leverage situations. Lee had a touchdown in this game, but also had a key 4th down conversion late to put the game away for ED White.
Vandebilt’s offense, on the other hand, started to sputter and lose momentum in the 4th quarter. Down 14-7, Heney’s inexperience showed as he made his first mistake of the game, a back-breaking interception to Luke Zeringue, who made a great play on the ball and an even better play after the catch. His return was especially painful for Vandebilt here, as the field position gained from this play would eventually lead to ED White’s go-ahead TD.
ED White Quarterback Grant Barbara led the team’s offense, and despite being ineffective through the air (again, I’m not sure if he even completed a pass), was integral in the rushing attack’s success and led the team to a big victory over their biggest rival. He was the one to score ED White’s final TD, a QB sneak to put the Cardinals up 21-7 with just 4 minutes left. Heney wrapped the game up with his 2nd TD Pass to Guidry, and one failed onside kick later, we reached our final score of 21-14.
This is a huge win for ED White, as they finish their season 8-2 and 2nd in the district, defeat their archrival, and lock up a 1st round bye in the playoffs, which start next week. As for Vandebilt (who falls to 8-2 to finish their season), they will have to await their playoff fate, as a 1st round bye is now far from guaranteed. They will be hosting a playoff game of course, but their opponent (if they have one) remains to be seen.
Check out the full interview with ED White Head Coach Kyle Lasseigne here!
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