Louisiana Football: Haughton Buccaneers at C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets Game Preview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
The eight-game regular season has started in Louisiana with wins meaning more than ever this year. Two district rivals, Haughton and C.E. Byrd, both opened 2020 with a victory are set to do battle this Thursday in Shreveport.
In Week 1, Byrd got past Calvary Baptist, 35-27, while Haughton defeated Woodlawn, 51-26. The winner of this game will certainly get off to a good start in a stacked District 1-5A. In 2019, Haughton dominated their way to a 35-14 win. Can they win a fourth straight over Byrd or will this be the year where the Yellow Jackets come out on a top? Only time will tell.
Haughton Buccaneers
Down by double-digits in the second quarter, Haughton was able to rally and score the last 38 points of the game against Woodlawn to win by over 20 points. Overall, the Buccaneers had 478 yards of total offense. Sophomore quarterback Colin Rains led the way to victory by throwing for 128 yards and two touchdowns while adding three more scores and 104 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Dexter Smith had a nice varsity debut by rushing for 162 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Elijah Rochon caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.
The Buccaneers defense is led by senior linebacker Jake St. Andre. Senior defensive end Kishaun Dunbar is the anchor of the defensive line and senior defensive back Logan Wilkerson is a playmaker to watch in the Haughton secondary.
C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets
In an exciting season opener, Byrd squeaked by Calvary Baptist, 35-27, after being tied at 21 in the third quarter. In the win, the Purple Swarm defense gave up just 44 yards on the ground. Senior safety Brayden Hermes and linebacker Stan Collins both had four tackles including one for a loss to lead the team. Hermes also blocked an extra point. Senior defensive lineman Carson Bruno, a Louisiana Tech commit, had three tackles including one for a loss. Luke Miletello, a senior safety, contributed with three tackles and assisted on a sack.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets were led by junior Mitchell Ramsey and senior Venzell Thompson, an Air Force commit. Ramsey had 42 rushing yards and a touchdown and also returned a kickoff 94 yards for another score. Thompson had 35 rushing yards and two short touchdown runs. Sophomore quarterback Luke Lambert had 63 passing yards, 45 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown while filling in for junior quarterback Logan Pons.
Photo credit: Haughton Football; Haughton QB Colin Rains
Photo credit: Stan Carpenter/The Shreveport Times; Byrd RB Mitchell Ramsey