Holy Cross blows out Higgins 59-0 in season opener

NEW ORLEANS – Holy Cross and L.W. Higgins were scheduled to face off in last year’s season opener but it never happened. After a brawl with Helen Cox in the Jamboree, Higgins was forced to forfeit its scheduled game against the Tigers.

This time, the two teams played as scheduled at Tad Gormley Stadium. It wasn’t pretty.

On Friday night, Holy Cross destroyed Higgins, 59-0, to open the season.

Tigers head coach Guy Lecompte earned his first win with the program and the first non-district victory for Holy Cross since 2016 when they beat Bogalusa.

“I’m just proud of the guys and the coaches. It’s been a refreshing experience to be here right now,” said Lecompte.

Higgins struggled offensively all night, punting on almost every possession and finishing with just three first downs. Hurricanes quarterback Chad Shepard finished 4-of-8 with 29 passing and two interceptions. The running game wasn’t any better, as the ‘Canes finished with -32 rushing yards due to many Holy Cross tackles for losses.

In total, Higgins finished with -3 yards of offense.

Holy Cross quarterback Bryan Broussard found his receivers often for big plays, finishing 15-27 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. He credited the guys who gave him time to throw.

“Without the offensive line, nothing happens. They’re everything. They’re the star to the whole offensive, especially the offense that coach Lecompte runs,” said Broussard.

The Tigers finished with 166 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on the night. Celven Hulbert ran seven times for 41 yards and found scored three times, including two rushing touchdowns and one receiving.

Jaden Handy ran eight times for 40 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Hurwitz also struck gold late, scoring from two yards out and totaling a team-high 87 yards on nine carries.

On the first Holy Cross drive of the night, Broussard hit wideout Tyler Kirkwood on a 32-yard pass, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run by Hulbert. Kicker Nolan Heitmeier pushed through a 34-yard field goal on the next drive to make it 10-0.

after an interception by Dru Stephens, Broussard connected with Hulbert on a screen pass for an 18-yard touchdown, setting the Tigers on course for a rout.

In the second quarter, Kirkwood caught a 5-yard touchdown on a quick slant to extend the lead to 24-0. Kirkwood finished with seven catches and a team-high 153 yards.

The offense was clicking for the Tigers, while the defense made plays and kept the Hurricanes offense off the field.

Higgins turned the ball over on their next drive after a bad snap sailed over the punter’s head into the end zone. The loose ball was scooped it up for a defensive touchdown by linebacker Tyler Grubbs, who also tallied a sack and an interception.

The Tigers finished with three interceptions, including Chase Rouzano’s 47-yard pick six in the third quarter.

“It always feels good to win,” Lecompte said.

It may the start of a trend for Holy Cross.

Scoring
1st quarter
HC- Celven Hulbert, 5 yard run (Nolan Heitmeier kick) 7-0 @ 6:51-1st
HC- Nolan Heitmeier, 34 yard field goal 10-0 @ 2:32-1st
HC- Celven Hulbert, 18 yard catch from Bryan Broussard (Heitmeier kick) 17-0 @ 0:37-1st

2nd quarter
HC- Tyler Kirkwood, 5 yard catch from Broussard (Heitmeier kick) 24-0 @ 2:48-2nd
HC- Tyler Grubbs, recovered a blocked punt in the endzone (Heitmeier kick) 31-0 @ 0:34-2nd
HC- Jaden Handy, 3 yard run (Heitmeier kick) 38-0 @ 0:18-2nd

3rd quarter
HC- Celven Hulbert, 1 yard run (Heitmeier kick) 45-0 @ 9:38-3rd
HC- Chase Rouzano, 47 yard interception return (Trevor Terminie kick) 52-0 @ 6:07-3rd
HC- Jordan Hurwitz, 2 yard run (Trevor Terminie kick) 59-0 @ 1:13-3rd

Final Statistics
Rushing
HC 166 yards
LWH -32 yards

Passing
HC 311 yards
LWH 45 yards

First Downs
HC 12
LWH 3

Turnovers
HC 0
LWH 4

Penalties
HC 10
LWH 11