By Landrie Still
Glenbrook Apaches took on the Catholic of Pointe Coupee Hornets from New Roads, La. Friday night for the second round of the LHSAA playoffs. This matchup was a tough one, but once again, Glenbrook came out on top. The Apaches have continued their 11-0 winning streak as a result of their 42-21 win over the Hornets.
According to Head Coach David Feaster, “Tonight was such a fun night…everyone seemed like they were having fun. I think everyone appreciated how good this team [Pointe Coupee] really was, so it was a great accomplishment for our players.”
The Apache team captains for the night were Maddox Mandino, Cason Clemons, Dayton Sims, and DJ Carter. The Hornets won the toss and elected to receive. After the kick off, Pointe Coupee recovered the ball on their 35 yard line. The Hornets were only able to move the ball a few yards before being forced to punt as a result of plays by Daivari Jackson, Carter, Mandino, Landry Powell, and Toby Haulmark. The Apaches then took over on their 40 yard line where Carter broke through for a long run to the Hornets’ 19 yard line.
Although the Apaches pushed hard, they failed to score from 2 pass attempts to Mandino and Powell. As Pointe Coupee regained possession of the ball, their offense pushed through to score the first touchdown and extra point of the night with 1:52 left in the quarter. With the pressure to score, Ty Feaster passed the ball to Cason Clemons, who scored an Apache touchdown with 1:11 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was incomplete, adjusting the score to 6-7 with the Hornets in the lead. Pointe Coupee took over the ball on their 35 yard line, where Mandino, Seth Mangrum, Hayden Harmon, and Powell each made strong tackles and stops, resulting in the Hornets being forced to punt.
The Apaches worked cohesively throughout the start of the second quarter to gain multiple first downs, which led to another Apache touchdown, scored by Turner McLelland after he caught an unbelievable pass under tight coverage. To increase their lead, Carter also found his way into the end zone for a 2 point conversion for the Apaches. The Apaches confidently took the 14-7 lead with 9:21 left in the second quarter. Pointe Coupee took over the ball on their 20 yard line and tried their hardest to push the ball toward the end zone.
While the ball slowly moved down the field, hard tackles and stops were made by Rhett Johnson, Powell, Garrett Brown, and Luke Vining. The Apaches took over on their 36 yard line, but soon turned over on downs. With 42 yards to go, the Hornets pushed down the field to score a touchdown and extra point, tying the score at 14-14. With 1:00 until half time, the Apaches once again attempted to score but were unsuccessful as the clock ran out. The score still remained tied 14-14 at the half.
The third quarter of the matchup began as Glenbrook took over on offense at their 30 yard line. After a handoff to Carter and a first down by Sentell, Feaster and McLelland connect once again to score for the Apaches with 10:41 left in the quarter. With a successful extra point, Glenbrook increased its lead to 21-14. On defense, the Apaches attempted an onside kick, but it was unsuccessful, leading to the Hornets taking over midfield. Brown made huge tackles as a host of Apaches stopped the ball on third down. A Hornet fake punt moved the ball to the 26 yard line, where Johnson caused an incomplete pass and Mandino blocked a Hornet pass in the end zone on fourth down. Both teams fought hard, but the score did not change at the conclusion of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter began with the Apaches on offense. Glenbrook quickly increased their lead as Feaster passed the ball to McLelland, Carter, and then Johnson, who brought the ball to the end zone with 10:38 left in the fourth quarter and a score of 28-14. With the change to defense, Clemons intercepted the ball, allowing the Apaches to prepare for important offensive plays. After several significant first downs, Carter made his way into the end zone.
After Feaster’s successful extra point, the Apaches increased their lead to 35-14 with 8:31 left in the game. After several strong defensive plays, Glenbrook regained possession of the ball on their 30 yard line. Feaster soon completed a pass to Tre Kent, who ran into the end zone for an Apache touchdown with 2:34 left in the game. Although strong defensive tackles were made by Mangrum and Brayson Cummings, Pointe Coupee broke through for the last touchdown of the night with 0:40 left in the game. After an interception by Kent, the Apaches moved into their victory formation to run out the clock with a final score of 42-21.
The Apaches never gave up, which led to the success of the night.
“There were times tonight when I was on the sidelines thinking we are really good,” Coach Feaster said. “There’s things we can do that no one else can.”
Next week, the Glenbrook Apaches will take on the Ouachita Christian School Eagles in Monroe. This will be an exciting match up and will test the Apache’s skills and abilities against a very good Ouachita Christian team.
