Lions put up big numbers in blowout victory – Bastrop Daily Enterprise

For the first time in three years, Ascension Christian was able to take down Houma Christian, and they did it with big plays through the air and on the ground offensively, and a relentless pass rush on defense.

For the first time in three years, Ascension Christian was able to take down Houma Christian, and they did it with big plays through the air and on the ground offensively, and a relentless pass rush on defense.

Hosting the Warriors on Friday night, the Lions led 22-12 at halftime, but they recovered an onside kick to begin the third quarter and scored on their first offensive play of the second half. From there, they cruised to an emphatic 51-12 victory.

"We got the onside kick coming out. That helped give us momentum, and on the very next play, we had a big play by Brady Gueho at running back," Ascension Christian head coach Josh Puryear said. "That was good to have that coming out of halftime. I thought we missed some key opportunities in the first half. We could have stretched the lead, but we didn't. It was good to see us come out in that second half and play hard."

On the Lions' second drive of the game, quarterback Zach Diez hooked up with Derrick Varnado for 40 yards. On the very next play, Gueho scored from 10 yards out to give Ascension Christian a 6-0 lead.

On their next possession, Diez hit Nathan Bledsoe on a slant for a 31-yard score. Gueho converted the two-point try to put them ahead 14-0.

Although, Houma Christian began to slowly chip away at the lead. They scored twice to cut it to 14-12 early in the second quarter.

They then had Ascension Christian facing a third-and-25 in their own territory. However, the Lions were able to pick up the first down with a 32-yard completion from Diez to Bledsoe.

Not long afterward, Diez hit Emory Templet for a 15-yard score. Gueho was good on another two-point try to give the Lions a 22-12 lead at the half.

The Lions then recovered an onside kick to start the third quarter, and on their first play, Gueho broke a 51-yard touchdown run right up the middle to give them their biggest lead of the night at 30-12.

From there, it was all Lions.

To end the third quarter, Diez hooked up with Bledsoe for a 47-yard score, and to begin the fourth, he hit Templet down the sideline for an 86-yard touchdown.

To end the scoring, Dillon Summers pounded in a one-yard touchdown run to make it 51-12.

Through the air, Diez completed 17 of 25 passes for 308 yards with four scores and one interception.

Bledsoe had six catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Templet only caught two passes, but both went for scores, totaling 101 yards.

Gueho only carried the ball six times, but he chewed up 87 yards and two touchdowns on those carries.

Altogether, the Ascension Christian offense piled up 510 total yards.

Defensively, the Lion defense pitched a shutout in the second half, and they limited Houma Christian to just 212 yards.

"I love how we held them to no touchdowns in the second half," Puryear said. "Nick Davis ended up with five sacks coming off of the end. He's an undersized guy. He's only about 155 pounds, but he plays hard and has a good motor. The coaches did a good job of putting him in the position to make plays tonight. I was excited about that."

It was the second straight victory for the Lions as it improved them to 2-1.

"I like where we're at," Puryear said. "We're still learning how to play. We're still learning how to compete. Next week, we have Westminster. It's gonna be a tough game for us, but I like the direction we're going. We had a tough loss in week one. We missed a lot of opportunities, but I feel good about our guys moving forward, if we can stay healthy."

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Lions put up big numbers in blowout victory - Bastrop Daily Enterprise