This was the first Friday night all season that has been below 50 and the winter chill had fans in for a hard-nosed, ground and pound, defensive kind of game. On the first drive of the game though, Ouachita QB Luke Vidrine would throw the game’s only passing touchdown, a strike to WR Cam Volion and he would do the rest, shaking off the only possible tackler and cruising into the endzone. This would put his team out to a quick 7-0 lead. This would end up being the only score of the first quarter as that defensive game that we previously expected came to fruition.
In the second quarter, both team’s defenses showed why their teams have been so dominant all season, forcing multiple turnovers and holding the offenses out of the endzone for the entirety of the quarter. But that would not guarantee a shutout quarter as we had a defensive touchdown for one of the best plays of this game. Coming off of a interception by CB Kooper Burke, backed up deep in their own territory, the Hornets drew up a screen pass to try to catch the defense off guard, but DL Jackson Mann had studied this play in film all week. As soon as he recognized it, a lightbulb went off in his head and he blew the play up, not only getting in the backfield, but intercepting the pass and returning it for a big man touchdown, igniting the sideline and their crowd.
Coming out of halftime, this game felt like it would be heavily dependent on the defenses in this half and the Eagles would have to be able to finish their drives if they had any hopes of keeping their season alive. But in the third quarter, the standard was held by Ouachita and neither team would be able to score through the duration of the third quarter. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, a short TD run by RB Makin Lenard would extend their lead to 21-0 and it would be the warning shot for the Hornets offense to wake up and get a score immediately. But this would not be the case as Ouachita would get the ball back and Lenard would get into the endzone once again, completely blowing the doors off this game and putting that last dagger in this game.
While Catholic – P.C. would score with just under 3 minutes in the game and also force a fumble on the kickoff, time would be their biggest obstacle and this game was won in the first 3 quarters by Ouachita Christian. The Eagles offense would run out of fuel and a kneel down from the opponent would end their playoff run, with a final score of 28-6.
Heading into the next round, 10-1 on the season, Ouachita Christian is a nightmare for opponents to see as an 11-seed in this bracket. They head on the road once again to face off against Covenant Christian who is still undefeated on the season, coming off of a 41-13 win in round 2. But this will be their toughest task yet against a team that has lots of experience winning in the playoffs over the last decade, even going as far as winning the State Championship in 2022.
Check out my postgame interview with DL Jackson Mann and Gridiron Football Bowl Game commit RB Makin Lenard below:
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