DELCAMBRE — Parker Nunez, who ran a long, long way Thursday night, walked off the football field a homecoming game winner for the first time in his high school career with the Delcambre Panthers.

The senior running back and 13 other seniors basked in the moment, as did all black-and-orange clad DHSers following the 56-16 dismantling of Jeanerette’s Tigers. The realization set in for Nunez.

“I never won a homecoming over here,” Nunez said in a light postgame drizzle after his last homecoming game at DHS.

Until Thursday, that is, in a game moved up one night because of a forecast for inclement weather Friday. Nunez, who ran for three touchdowns while amassing 288 yards on 23 carries, and the Panthers ran the Wing T to perfection to blow open a tight game at halftime – Delcambre 21, Jeanerette 14 – and improve to 2-6.

DHS head coach Artie Liuzza III also appreciated the team’s first homecoming win since 2013.

“We needed that. We’ve just been working hard all year. Our goal was to win homecoming. It’s been five years, I think, we haven’t won a homecoming. We’re proud to bring a homecoming victory to the community,” Liuzza said.

About Nunez, he said, “He had a great night. I’m real happy for him having a great night on his final homecoming as a senior.”

The Tigers, meanwhile, lost for the fifth time while staying stuck on three wins. JHS head coach Clifford Paul talked about a roster dominated by underclassmen and the Wing T that gouged the Tigers.

“We’re young. We’re taking our lumps and bruises this year. (But) it ain’t going to be like this forever,” Paul said.

He gave credit to the Panthers.

“Delcambre had a good game plan. They played hard. They wanted it more than we did,” Jeanerette’s head coach said, then turned his attention to the venerable old offense deployed by Delcambre and also to Nunez, who had eight rushes for more than 15 yards, including four carries of more than 20 yards. His longest gains were for 50, 48 and 42 yards.

“No. 5’s a helluva athlete. We had a hard time finding him. Instead of playing techniques, we chased the ball. That’s the order of the Wing T … you chase the ball, you’re wrong every time,” he said.

Paul was right about that. Liuzza said the offense purred because of repetitive practices.

“We were able to have success with some things and that set up other things,” Liuzza said, notably junior running back Noah Broussard’s 69 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns and junior running back Jamian Guy’s 66 yards on nine carries, 46 of them in the second half.

He tipped his cap to the offensive linemen who were mostly outweighed in the trenches.

“The line did a great job. We have to repeat every day. You could see the work pay off tonight,” he said.

Still, the game turned on one play, Paul said. Jeanerette’s Darion Robertson, a senior linebacker/running back who got his first carry on the visitor’s first possession of the second quarter, couldn’t be stopped on three straight rushes, the last for a 5-yard TD that, after his two-point conversion run, tied the game 14-14 at the 8:14 mark.

Robertson was a load to bring down. On Jeanerette’s next possession, he ripped off a 20-yard run, angling right to left, and was run out of bounds in front of the visitor’s bench. He spiked the ball and collected an unsportsmanlike penalty.

Paul said that was the turning point. The Tigers never recovered. Delcambre scored on the ensuing possession on Nunez’s 17-yard run and the third of eight straight PATs by Parker LeBlanc, a freshman who also had an interception, to make it 21-14.

The Panthers never looked back.

Jeanerette senior quarterback Noah Rollins completed 10 of 28 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown, a short pass over the middle that freshman Richard Lumpkin turned into an 86-yard scoring strike to cut Delcambre’s lead to 14-6.

Liuzza said the Tigers’ passing game concerned him. He lauded his defense for pitching a shutout for three quarters (Jeanerette scored on a safety following a high snap to the punter on the last play of the game), including coming up with three turnovers, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one by LeBlanc and the other by sophomore linebacker Cullen Bouton, who picked off a Rollins pass over the middle and returned it 26 yards to the JHS 12. Guy scored from 13 yards out at 8:24 in the third quarter on second-and-11 and LeBlanc stayed perfect with his PAT to make it 35-14.

“That was a major point we emphasized this week (pass defense). Look, Jeanerette’s fast. Anytime you play a team with speed, that scares you,” he said. “Look, they have young players. Coach Paul is going to get them going in the right direction.

Delcambre has another big night ahead. The Panthers play at home in their “Senior Night” game Friday against West St. Mary.

Jeanerette travels to play Catholic High School in New Iberia.