The Westgate Tigers relied on another second half blowout to secure a 52-16 win over Comeaux High School Friday night after trailing 10-8 at the half. 

The win closed out the regular season for the Tigers, who carry a 7-2 record into the LHSAA Non-Select Division I playoffs. As the No. 18 seed, Westgate will travel to face off against No. 15 seed St. Amant (7-2). 

Against the Spartans, the Tigers looked uninspired as the offense turned the ball over after the first drive and failed to convert the extra point following Joshua John’s 47-yard receiving touchdown. Westgate added two points after a high snap over the Comeaux punter’s head went behind for a safety, but the Tigers were forced to punt three more times to close out the half with a two-point deficit.

According to head coach Ryan Antoine, the team’s youth and lack of focus in the week leading up to the game likely led to the slow start.

“Oh, man. Youth. It’s a crazy team and, you know, you kind of saw it in practice this week,” Antoine said. “We were kind of like ‘ah, man, it’s Comeaux’ and like I told them, there’s some good guys over there. Coaches sometimes get judged by people that sit on the couch and don’t realize what these coaches are doing day to day. Coach Newsome and his staff, those are some good guys who are going through some tough times. We knew they were going to give us everything they had and play like they had nothing to lose because they don’t. We did an amazing job of giving them the game in the first half, so we just had to calm down.”

The halftime changes paid off. 

Running out of their heavy “gorilla” package, the Tigers began to click, scoring after just two minutes from a quarterback keeper by senior Tavias Gordon. A big hit on the ensuing kickoff was enough to dislodge the ball for Westgate to recover, with senior Amari Simon carrying the ball into the endzone from the four yard line on the ensuing drive.

Three more touchdowns in the third quarter – a 29-yard rush by Tavias Gordon, a two-yard rush from senior TE Gavin Hebert and a three-yard reception from freshman Cayden Lancelin – lifted the Tigers to a commanding 46-16 lead going into the fourth quarter. Joshua John scored his second of the night, and the team’s last, following a 31-yard run with 10 minutes left in the game. 

Tavias Gordon led the team in passing and rushing, with 70 yards through the air and 100 on the ground. Freshman Noah Antoine (1-4, 1 TD) and Brock Mitchell (1-3, 1 TD) also saw snaps at quarterback. 

TE Gavin Hebert (1-70) led a Tigers’ receiving corps that amassed 168 total yards against the Spartans. Joshua John (1-47) Jackilon Robertson (2-23) rounded out the top performers. 

John also impressed on the ground, rushing for 62 yards and one touchdown from five carries. Seniors Amari Simon (5-48) and Gavin Hebert (6-28) were joined on the stat sheet by freshman Caemon Crockem (3-39).

With both their starting and backup quarterbacks out for the season and senior kicker Jack Thibodeaux injured, the Tigers suffered another setback as backup kicker Leonel Orozco had to leave the game due to a knock he picked up during a punt. Despite the rapidly accumulating injuries, Antoine said that he isn’t worried about his team becoming too one-dimensional in the postseason. 

“We have a young team, we’re playing a lot of freshmen, so sometimes they just need to calm down and catch their legs,” Antoine said. “We’re playing a lot of guys, but our coaches know how to develop players and we’re able to move guys around and calm our nerves. We’re going to be us. That’s our identity and we’re going to put our best players on the field and play football in your face.”

One thing that the Tigers never lack is motivation, but a shakeup in Westgate’s administration left the team with an added desire to pick up the win on Friday night. 

“We settled down on defense after giving up a few plays early, so I’m happy for our guys. They deserve it because we’ve been through a lot this week,” Antoine explained. “It’s very emotional because Mr. Percy Williams was a great guy and he means a lot to us, so this game was dedicated to him. He’s from New Iberia, he’s an alumni, and we don’t feel too happy about some of the things that have happened with him. We’re not happy about the decision, but he’s still a part of our football team.”

The Tigers will have their work cut out for them after entering the playoffs as the No. 18 seed. A win this week against St. Amant will keep Westgate on the road against No. 2 seed Airline (10-0), who had a bye in the first round.