Haughton holds off Natchtitoches Central, 17-10

Haughton did enough to hold off Natchitoches Central, 17-10, in a low scoring affair Friday night at Harold E. Harlan Field.

Thanks to a stout Haughton defense fueled by three sacks from McNeese Commit Khaylon Chapple, Haughton made an early lead hold up despite a quiet second half on offense. “It was a good win tonight and the defense played great, ” said Haughton head coach Jason Brotherton. “This was definitely an old school game played in the trenches.”

Scores were tough to come by on a chilly night where defense proved crucial but Haughton jumped ahead to stay early in the first quarter. A 62-yard pass from Cole Safford to Tristian Sweeney gave the Buccaneers a lead they would never relinquish.

Haughton took control of the game before the half. Carter Jensen hit a 23 yard field goal right through the uprights at the 7:12 mark of the second quarter to increase the Haughton advantage to 10-0.

Keyshawn Davis broke free on a 32 yard touchdown run to make it 17-0 with 3:36 left in the half. The Bucs did not score again but it took a long time for the Chiefs to take advantage.

Natchitoches Central chipped way at the lead with 32 yard strike from Derienne Robinson to Jaylin White with five seconds left in the third.

It was back to a one-score game with under five minutes left thanks to a 25-yard field goal from Sam Montgomery but the Chiefs ran out of time and chances.

Haughton will travel to Parkway next Friday with a state home playoff game on the line for the Bucs while Natchitoches Central will host Benton in a battle of teams looking to keep their postseason hopes alive.