News, sports and entertainment for Richland Parish, La.

Vidalia lights up Delhi Charter School 28-20

The Swamp – There’s just something about lightning when these two teams get together. The last time the Vidalia Vikings and the Delhi Charter Gators met in 2014, it took two days to decide the game because of a lengthy lightning delay with DCS eventually coming out on top. Lightning once again delayed a contest pitting these two teams and maybe the Gators would have preferred to come back on Saturday again as Vidalia’s passing game stunned DCS for two second half TDs to secure the 28-20 victory.
The first half was a defensive struggle as neither team was able to put a lot together, but Delhi Charter struck first with less than five minutes left in the first quarter when Michael Woods burst through the line and rumbled 74 yards for the opening score. Sometimes extra points don’t seem that significant, but in close games, they always come back to haunt you when you miss. Kicker Trenton Jinks’ kick was blocked leaving the score 6-0.
Midway through the second quarter, Vidalia threatened again, but the DCS defense stopped the drive at the four-yard line on fourth and seventeen. Defensive back J’Quan Polly tackled the Vikings’ Devonta Loyd to end the threat. Loyd finished as the leading receiver on the night with seven catches for 100 yards and four of those netted first downs.
In a theme for these close games with the Gators this year, the Gator defense made a good play to stop the Vikings and then the offense shot themselves in the foot quickly thereafter. Woods, who had his best game of the year with 160 yards on 19 carries, fumbled on the exchange from Quarterback Mason Hale and Vidalia was back in business at the DCS 15.
Three plays later, Vidalia QB Tristan Weatherly’s pass was tipped in the endzone by the Gator’s Desmond Longino, but he didn’t get enough of it as it fell right into the hands of DeMikal McCoy as he was falling to the ground. Kicker Leo Lozano made the first of his four point-after kicks for the night to give the visitors a 7-6 lead.
Prior to the lightning arriving just before halftime, DCS had a chance to regain the lead after Jinks’ punt hit one of the Vidalia defenders and Polly scooped up the bounding ball at the Viking 25 with 33 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, Hale’s pass on third down was intercepted at the goal line.
“We just can’t get out of our own way sometimes,” DCS Head Coach Brett Raley said. “We have a big play, make a defensive stand, then, we give it back. We get a break on the punt muff but can’t take advantage. I’m not sure what the secret is at this point.”
After the 45-minute lightning delay that for the second week in a row scrapped the halftime festivities, the Gators came out and set the tone early with a 12-play 81-yard drive capped by senior Joshua Poland’s 10-yard run. Poland finished the night with 42 yards on seven rushes. However, the conversion run failed leaving the score 12-7.
Vidalia answered quickly on the next series as Kerryon Swift somehow caught a pass that wasn’t knocked down or intercepted by Poland at the 20 and Swift raced 47-yards to paydirt. Lozano’s kick made it 14-12 Vikings with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Gators wouldn’t surrender without a fight as they answered with an 11-play 74-yard drive that Hale finished on a two-yard run. He added the conversion run as well to put the home team back up 20-14 with 10 minutes remaining.
The Vikings responded with a 15-play 66-yard drive in which they converted two fourth downs.
The touchdown came on fourth-and-goal from the seven when Weatherly threw to the back of the endzone to Cam’Ron Randall who caught the ball and the only thing that could’ve been in the endzone was his feet. Lozano’s kick made it 21-20 Vidalia.
In the past six year, Delhi Charter is now 3-6 in games decided by eight points or less and the next series was a good indication why. The Gator’s got the ball back with 4:31 on the clock looking to grind out another score and secure the victory. On the second play from scrimmage, Hale, who had 11carries for 77 yards on the night, zigged and zagged through the defense until the ball was poked out by a Vidalia defender and recovered at the Gator 32. The defense was unable to get a stop and gave up two first downs before finally letting Weatherly, who finished 12-of-22 passing for 168 yards and three TDs, bull in from two yards out. With the clock ticking, the Gator’s only hope to tie the game was to let him score with the margin of eight after Lozano’s kick and only 47 ticks left on the clock. Hales final pass from midfield fell harmlessly to the ground as time ran out.
“I just felt like this was a game we could win and we played well enough at times,” Raley added. “However, just like Oak Grove, OCS, and Mangham earlier this year, we just didn’t get it done late in the game.”
Seeding and matchups are everything going into the playoffs and depending on how you look at it, your first round game can be good or bad. One thing to keep in mind this year, the Gators haven’t ever missed the playoffs since their first year in LHSAA back in 2005. However, if the brackets were still combined as back in 2005 and not split into select and non-select like they are now, DCS would not be one of the 32 teams in the Class 2A playoffs.
Vidalia finishes the regular season at 8-2 in the first season with elder-statesman Dee Faircloth returning to the place he coached for many years. The Vikings will host a first round game against DeQuincy as a #5 seed. Delhi Charter finishes its first regular season in Class 2A at 4-6 and will travel just 15 miles down I-20 for a rematch with the Rayville Hornets (the #9 seed) in the first round of the LHSAA playoffs. The two teams met in week seven with Rayville (6-4) pulling away in the fourth quarter to claim the 50-28 victory. The Hornets beat General Trass 40-12 in week 10. Kickoff for both team’s games next week should be at 7:00 p.m.

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