Jena traveled to Bunkie last Friday night in another huge matchup between these two teams. These teams have been two of the premier programs in the Cenla area in recent years. They have also given the fans some great games the last three years. The Giants won the first two matchups between the two teams but last year Bunkie got revenge as they shutout Jena on their home field last season.
Both of these teams made it to the semifinals a year ago and were one game away from playing for a state championship. This year it would be another big matchup with a lot at stake. Bunkie would come into the game with an undefeated 7-0 record and ranked #8 in the Division III Select power rankings. Jena would come in with a 6-1 record and ranked #1 in the Division III Non-Select power rankings.
The winner of this game would more than likely be the district champion as these two teams came into the game as the only two remaining undefeated teams in district play. The Giants were also trying to stay at #1 in the power rankings with a win. The biggest matchup of the game would be between the high scoring Jena offense that came into the game averaging 52 points per game and the Bunkie defense that came into the game only giving up 10 point per game.
The captains for the Giants would be seniors Cale Parker, Luke Smith, Bubba Stevens, and Sedrick Wilson. Bunkie would win the toss and would elect to receive the opening kickoff. The Jena defense came into the game struggling to get stops in district play. But on this night the defense would come together to give a great performance as in the first half Bunkie would have the ball for 7 possessions and the Giants defense would force three punts and two turnovers in the first half. This would allow the high scoring Jena offense to build a lead.
On the Giants opening drive, receiver Zadrien Cooper would go up to make an incredible touchdown catch over all-state defensive back Ron Patterson to give the Giants an 8-0 lead.
The Giants offensive line would be impressive all night as there were lots of running lanes for the Giants running backs and there would be lots of time for quarterback Deuce McPherson to deliver passes. The Giants would have the ball for six possessions in the first half and would score on four of them with only one punt. The Giants would have their last drive stopped at the one yard line as time expired in the first half.
The Giants would increase their lead to 14-7 with a Daniel Hatcher 3 yard touchdown run early in the second quarter. On the next Bunkie drive the Panthers would attempt a pass to a running back out of the backfield. The pass would be a lateral thrown behind the running back who did not catch it and the ball would bounce on the field and Jena freshman defensive back Ken Jones would make a heads up play as he would catch the ball on the bounce and return it 25 yards for the touchdown to give the Giants a 22-7 lead. The Giants would also get a 9-yard touchdown run from Daniel Hatcher and a 60– yard touchdown catch from Sedrick Wilson to give the Giants a 38-15 lead going into halftime. Senior Adrian Sharp would make some big catches in the first half to keep drives going.
In the second half, the two teams would exchange scores throughout the half. The Giants would have the ball for four drives and would score on all of them. They would get the ball to start the second half and would get a 54yard touchdown run from Daniel Hatcher. The Giants would then get a 34-yard touchdown run from Daniel Hatcher which would be his fourth of the night to give the Giants a 52-23 lead. Kaeden Kittlin would score on a 7-yard touchdown run to give the Giants a 60-31 lead and Sedrick Wilson would finish Bunkie off with a 68yard touchdown run.
The Giants would go on to win 68-45 to improve to 7-1 and 3-0 in district play. The Jena offensive line would lead the way as their blocking would lead to 491 rushing yards and 622 total yards in the game.
Sedrick Wilson would finish the game with 22 carries for 240 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown and a 60-yard receiving touchdown. Daniel Hatcher would finish with 23 carries for 217 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Deuce McPherson would go 6-8 through the air with 131 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns.
Senior middle linebacker Jesse Love would lead the Giants defense with 9 tackles in the game. Jonas Jenkins would finish with 4 tackles and an interception. Xavier Brown would finish with 7 tackles in the contest.
With the win the Giants will stay at #1 in the Division III Non-Select power rankings. This week it will be another big district game as the Caldwell Spartans come to town. Caldwell will come in with a 2-6 record but any time these two teams play, it’s a big rivalry game. Remember that this game will be on Thursday at 7:00 pm in Guy Campbell Memorial Stadium. Everyone is encouraged to come out to cheer on the Giants and give them a great home crowd.
If you can’t make it to the game, then you can hear all the action live on 102.7 KJNAFM. If you are not in the listening area, then you can download the MIXLR app and search for KJNAFM or go online at www.mixlr.com/kjnafm.
