A sluggish first quarter served as only a brief road bump for Catholic High in Friday’s District 7-2A game against West St. Mary.

The two teams were deadlocked in a scoreless tie after the end of the opening quarter, then the Panthers posted 37 points before halftime and won their eighth straight game, 51-0.

“We had a slow start and weren’t quite as focused,” CHS coach Matt Desormeaux said. “We shot ourselves in the foot on offense on a screen play, and they picked up a couple of first downs when they had the ball.”

West St. Mary (5-3, 2-2) got six first downs in the game, two by penalty. The Wolfpack rushed for 46 yards on 28 attempts and completed 3 of 16 passes for 34 yards with three interceptions (two by Maxwell Chauvin, one by Layton Mitchell).

“We have some pretty good ballhawks when the ball is in the air,” Desormeaux said of his defense, which has intercepted 16 passes and held its last four opponents to a combined total of 13 points.

“I feel like the whole team is playing well, from offense to defense to special teams. Everyone is playing at a high level. The offensive line has played well all year.”

The offensive line, from tackle to tackle, includes Jake Poirier, Avery Delcambre, Illijah Butts, Desmond Jones and Roan Judice, the largest at 6-foot-3 and 275 lbs.

Quarterback Luke Landry completed 12 of 20 passes for 247 yards and five TDs. Jaiden Mitchell (5 rec, 64 yards) caught two TD passes. Gavin Roy (4-95) also caught a pair, and tight end Joseph LeBlanc had two receptions for 77 yards and a score.

“It’s awesome,” Desormeaux said of having so many receiving options. “Jake Wyman is another one. He just came back from injury and had a big catch on a post play. Roy is a threat on the backside. Jaiden lines up on the same side with LeBlanc, which makes it tough for defenses to lock in on one receiver.”

Xander LaBauve also threw a TD pass, a 53-yarder to Khylon Edwards, and totaled seven assists on defense with a tackle for loss. JD Hidalgo, who ran for a short TD, finished with six tackles on defense. 

Izzac Andre racked up a team-high eight tackles with two stops for loss. Linebacker Bennett Woodring added seven tackles for the Panthers, who wrap up the regular season this week against Houma Christian (2-6, 0-4).

The Panthers (8-1, 4-0) are No. 7 in the Division III select power ratings. The top eight seeds will receive a first-round bye in the 24-team playoff bracket.

“I would rather not have a bye,” Desormeaux said. “It’s tougher to stay focused for two weeks when you don’t play.”

Owen Morris led the Panthers in rushing against West St. Mary with 44 yards on 11 carries. Tylan Sonn added 23 yards on three carries.

Hidalgo, Andre and LaBauve are the leading tacklers on the year. LaBauve leads the team in sacks and has thrown for three TDs at quarterback. Karon Eugene and Layton Mitchell have four and three interceptions.