DELCAMBRE — The Catholic High Panthers scored on five of their first six possessions — the only missed chance came on a blocked field goal — to win their eighth straight game Thursday night, beating District 6-2A rival Delcambre 33-0.

Anthony Berry rushed for two touchdowns and quarterback Joe Lissard threw for three TDs, two to Rhett Gonsoulin, as Catholic High rolled up 308 total yards and limited Delcambre, still reeling from the emotional loss of principal Cory Bourque two weeks ago, to 78 yards total offense.

“We were very businesslike,” said CHS coach Keith Menard. “I thought we handled ourselves well.”

Lissard was an efficient 17-for-26 for 230 yards, hitting on seven of his first 10 attempts before missing on four straight — including a couple of dropped passes in the end zone. He came back with five consecutive completions and 10 in his final 12 attempts.

“Offensively, I think if we can just keep hanging onto the ball, we’ll be fun to watch,” said Menard.

Catholic High is 8-1 overall and 3-0 in district. Delcambre, which has an open date next week, finishes at 3-6 and 1-3. Menard said he knew Delcambre would be a challenge because winning Thursday was the Panthers’ chance to earn a playoff bid.

Berry capped the visiting Panthers’ opening drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and scored Catholic High’s final TD on a three-yard carry late in the third quarter. The junior, who has played tailback the last couple of weeks after an injury to senior D’Shawn Etienne, finished with a game-high 80 yards on 14 carries.

A blocked punt attempt by Catholic High’s Ryan Menard led to the second TD, a six-yard pass to Gonsoulin on a screen play. The PAT by Grant Nelson made it 14-0.

Delcambre’s highlight of the night was a blocked field goal attempt on Catholic High’s third possession, with Christian Umphries getting around the corner for the block and Jesse Jules recovering for DHS.

“They’re a good football team,” said DHS coach Darcy Delcambre. “They didn’t do anything we didn’t think they’d do. But your J.V. can’t emulate them (in practice). They’re well-schooled and well-coached on offense and defense.”

Defense was again a key component of Catholic High’s win, allowing only five first downs on the night, two of which came on a possession that ended with an interception by Devin Verrett off a tipped ball. That set up Catholic High’s third TD, a short pass that Gabriel Fuselier turned into a 45-yard scoring play late in the first half. The point after gave CHS a 21-0 lead.

Catholic High added another TD on its first possession of the second half, chewing up more than five minutes off the clock on a 75-yard drive capped by Lissard’s second TD pass to Gonsoulin, this one covering eight yards.

CHS forced a punt on Delcambre’s next possession — one of six punts for DHS — to start its final scoring drive, which covered 88 yards and took nine plays, including four rushes by Berry for 24 yards.

“The whole key is getting three-and-outs or forcing them to punt quickly,” said Menard of his team’s success. “They gave us some different sets on defense early on.”

Catholic High played substitutes on offense for the fourth quarter, but still ate up more than six minutes off the clock before punting for the first time in the game with 3:27 to go.

Blake Byrom led Catholic High with six catches for 104 yards. Fuselier had three catches for 67 yards. Gonsoulin had four receptions for 33 yards.

Delcambre spread the ball around to seven ballcarriers, paced by Chet McGee with 22 yards on four totes.

Darcy Delcambre said it’s been rough for the students at DHS following their principal’s unexpected death.

“We told the kids, you never get over anything like that, you just live with it each day,” said Delcambre. “Our community and our school have always been tight-knit.”

CHS closes out the regular season next week at West St. Mary with a chance to claim the district title outright. WSM will be battling for a share of the district crown.

“All  we can do is control what we do,” said Menard. “There are some things we need to get better at. We’re going to watch some film tomorrow and get back to work.”