Ascension Episcopal relishes new lease on life after elusive first win as district play begins – The Advocate

After an 0-4 start, Ascension Episcopal got into the win column by routing West St. John 42-0 last week.

Blue Gators coach Stephen Hearen, whose team travels to 1-4 Catholic-New Iberia in a District 8-2A opener, likes the way his team has handled adversity.

"It was uncharted territory for the kids. Our senior class had never had to deal with anything like this," he said. "One of the things I was most pleased with was that I felt we played hard every week against competitive teams.

"We just ran out of gas against some physical teams. We knew that once we got into the district, it's anybody's to win."

The Blue Gators haven't had any problem scoring points. The offense, led by quarterback Cade Dardar and receiver Austin Mills, has produced 31 points per game.

Hearen is wary of Catholic-New Iberia, which thumped Eunice 44-18 last week for its first win

"I think it was a case of things starting to click for them last week," he said of the Panthers. "They have some young guys on the field and sometimes that takes a little time.

"Catholic High has some athletic running backs that they move around to different spots. They have a lot of offensive weapons and are comfortable trying to run downhill. Their quarterback (Luke Landry) is a competitor who plays with confidence."

When word got around that Jacob Carruth was interviewing for the position of head football coach at North Central in the summer of 2021, the young coach didn't exactly receive messages of encouragement.

"I was advised to turn and run, that nobody can win there," said Carruth, who previously served as an assistant coach at north Louisiana programs Homer and Glenbrook Academy.

"But that's the worst thing anybody could have told me. It sounded like an opportunity to me."

Although the Hurricanes didn't win a game last year, they showed improvement, and after two losses to begin this season, Carruth's squad has won three straight heading into this week's District 6-1A opener at 3-2 St. Edmund.

"The perception had been that we're the worst team in the world," said Carruth, whose team snapped a 40-game losing streak with a 54-6 Week 3 win over Thrive Academy.

"Now everybody around the school thinks we're the best team in the world. People expect us to win, which is what we want. Pressure is a privilege. We're not going to shy away from it."

The Hurricanes are averaging 32.4 points per game. Sophomore quarterback Craig Malveaux has passed for 796 yards with 13 touchdowns, and he also leads the team in rushing (49-404, 4 TDs).

Devion Lavergne, who is a 6-foot-4 senior receiver and one of the state's top basketball prospects, has 31 catches for 493 yards and eight TDs.

"Devion is a special talent for us, especially being that it's his first time playing football," Carruth said. "We have several like him, freak athletes on the basketball court who we've put in positions where they showcase their athletic abilities.

"We were quite good enough to get the job done with a win last year, but we focused on fundamentals and building excitement around the program. The way to do that is to score points."

Iota is another program that has won three straight games after an 0-2 start.

After a 27-8 loss to Iowa in Week 1, the defensive-minded Bulldogs have allowed 32 points over the next four weeks with a District 3-4A road game at Northwest up next.

Coach Ray Aucoin's defense, which returned 10 starters from last year, is headed up by all-state linebacker Dayton Boone.

"He is rolling right along and is averaging 11 tackles per game," Aucoin said of Boone, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior.

"Everybody says the strength of our defense is the linebacking corps, which likes to come downhill and hit people."

The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-0) will try to slow down Northwest running back Javian Reese, who is one of the area's leading rushers with 607 yards on 77 carries with seven touchdowns.

"This is our biggest game of the year," Aucoin said. "We say that every week. We want to stay the course and be playing for the district championship in Week 10 against Church Point. "We don't want to peak. We just want to keep getting better."

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Ascension Episcopal relishes new lease on life after elusive first win as district play begins - The Advocate