Armed with a 1-0 record, fourth-ranked Ascension Catholic primed to make up for lost time – The Advocate

Some of the Baton Rouge areas top football teams have had multiple chances to display their skills. That is why fourth-ranked Ascension Catholic of Class 1A remains a bit of an enigma.

The Bulldogs (1-0) have only played one game while weathering many of the complications that are so 2020-2021 COVID-19 and Hurricane Ida.

But a 30-8 road victory over Class 3A Archbishop Hannan on Thursday provided a glimpse of the Donaldsonville-based team's ability.

All we can do is deal with the situation, Ascension Catholic coach Chris Schexnayder said. Were not quite where we want to be, but were working to get there. The school quarantined for 10 days, and we returned on August 18. Six days later, we had the jamboree.

We didnt have power at the school for over a week after the hurricane. We had a couple of players evacuated, so we couldnt get practice time in after the power came back on.

The offseason and the preseason were of extreme importance for Schexnayder, a first-year head coach and previously the defensive coordinator. The defense remained the same, but the offense transitioned from a Wing-T to a spread.

The team worked on the transition a couple of days per week over the summer. That work paid off in last weeks win.

Ascension Catholic racked up 300 yards of total offense, including 161 yards rushing in the victory over Hannan.

It was a real gutsy performance because we werent in shape after not playing for two weeks, Schexnayder said. Seven different guys touched the ball on offense and defensively, we made big plays. We forced four turnovers.

End Jmond Tapp anchors the Bulldogs defensive line and is one of Louisianas top recruits for 2022. Khai Prean, a top 2023 prospect, is the teams leading rusher, while Bryce Leonard leads the offense at quarterback.

Senior cornerback and slot receiver Lex Melancon compared his teams start to past seasons.

Its very different, he said. With Hurricane Ida and being out for two weeks, we just prepared. It was tough, but we were able to get through it. It is my last season. You just have to make the most of it.

After the delayed start, Melancon said the team was ready to get out and play.

It was an awesome feeling, he recalled. We were very anxious to get out there. It was great.

The Bulldogs face another Class 1A power, Vermilion Catholic, Friday night in Abbeville.

The biggest thing is making up the time we lost, Schexnayder said. We only had a jamboree before last week. Were just trying to catch up.

After spending most of the weekend and Monday seeking another Week 4 opponent, Dutchtown got a surprising call from Abramson Sci Academy Tuesday morning.

The New Orleans area school informed the Griffins that their players had all returned and that they would travel to Dutchtown for a 7 p.m. Friday game as originally scheduled.

Seale Funeral Home in Denham Springs will be site of Thursday visitation and services for Denham Springs assistant football coach Brian Smith, who lost a lengthy battle with cancer earlier this week.

Visitation is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, followed by services at 4 p.m. Smith coached at multiple local schools during his career, including Live Oak.

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Armed with a 1-0 record, fourth-ranked Ascension Catholic primed to make up for lost time - The Advocate