New Iberia Senior High School’s offensive strategy heading into Thursday’s season-opener vs. Westgate was no secret.

With a traditional Wing-T formation and two tight ends, the Yellow Jackets line up and run straight at opponents.

That worked to perfection for head coach Curt Ware’s team in the Bayou Berry Bowl as NISH ran the football every single down.

That’s right.

The Yellow Jackets (1-0) never attempted a pass in their 27-25 victory vs. visiting Westgate.

“Coming into the season, it’s always important to get started with a win,” said NISH running back Tyce Fusilier, who rushed 14 times for 78 yards with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion.

“Especially since we were a losing team the last couple of years, we wanted to start off with positive energy.”

NISH raced to a 12-0 lead on two touchdown runs by senior wingback Markel Linzer, who finished with 100 yards on seven carries.

“Our offense did a good job of managing the clock and controlling the pace of the game,” senior defensive end Michael Akins said. “I believe we have the best four-man backfield in the state.”

That group includes junior quarterback Matthew Thomas, senior fullback Alvin George III, Linzer and Fusilier.

Thomas kept for a score, and George (19 rushes, 92 yards) chewed up yardage between the tackles and was brutally effective in the fourth quarter as NISH controlled the time of possession.

“Coming into the game, Coach Ware said we were going to run the ball 98 percent of the time,” Fusilier said. “Everybody’s job was important when it came to the down and distance.

“Our offensive line didn’t expect Westgate to come with two (inside) linebackers. Our game plan was a little off, but we adjusted and made plays. Our backs had to be real athletic and put a lot of effort into it.”

After falling behind early, Westgate bounced back. Brennon Landry threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Danny Lewis and added a 60-yard bomb to Jacquialen Allen to give the Tigers a 13-12 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Fusilier and Thomas tacked on scoring runs for the Jackets and Fusilier’s 2-point conversion proved to be the game-clinching points.

“The fact that we never passed really showed that Coach Ware trusted all of our offensive backfield,” said Fusilier, who also set up a touchdown with a long punt return.

“Markel, Tre’ (George) and Matthew proved that Coach Ware was correct to have that confidence in us. And it’s what I expected from them. Last year was a rough draft for this year. We knew we had to improve our work ethic big-time.”

In the second half, Lewis ran for a short touchdown and Landry tossed a six-yard strike to Allen as time expired in regulation.

On the ensuing 2-point try, however, Lewis was stopped short of the end zone by a host of Yellow Jackets to preserve the victory.

“It was a lot of people,” Ware said of the defensive stand. “I’ll have to go back and look at the film, but obviously that won the game right there.”

On the third play from scrimmage, Linzer broke free around the right side for a 66-yard touchdown.

“Any time he touches the ball, if he gets loose, not many people are going to catch him,” Ware said. “His play on defense in the second half helped us out. He’s a really good cornerback.”

Landry carved up the NISH secondary in the first half with 13-of-16 passing, but Linzer tightened up the coverage the rest of the way.

“Markel is a terrific athlete,” said Akins, who had two sacks, two tackles for loss and five tackles. “He can ball.”

Fusilier and Akins both said that the Yellow Jackets were all in when it came to offseason strength and conditioning.

“I would strongly say that this year we know what we’re doing,” Fusilier said. “We know where we’re supposed to be.”

“We grinded during the offseason and it showed,” Akins said. “Coach (Ceasar) Trahan and Coach Ware did a great job with our strength and conditioning, and Tyce and I motivated our teammates.

“We were holding ourselves accountable and making sure everybody got to practice. If you didn’t work out, you weren’t going to play, and everybody wants to play. We disciplined ourselves.”

In the first half, NISH rushed for 200 yards on 27 carries.

“I’ll take that anytime,” Ware said. “All three of our backs ran the ball extremely hard, and our offensive line has gotten much, much better. You can tell that we’ve gotten a lot physically stronger.”

It was NISH’s first Berry Bowl victory since 2016.

“It feels great,” Ware said. “The kids are so excited. These seniors have never beaten Westgate, so it’s a huge win for them and our program.”