Lafayette Christian boosted by backup QB Sinegal in rout of Welsh

Lafayette Christian Academy backup quarterback Daejon Sinegal led the Knights to victory Friday night over the Welsh Greyhounds, 49-13.

Sinegal took over for Knights starting sophomore quarterback Jujan Johnson after a helmet-to -helmet hit in the 1st quarter took Johnson out of the game.

“I was ready,” Sinegal said.

Sinegal threw six passes and completed four of them for a total of 101 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.

Waiting for the call, the junior prepared ahead of time to succeed.

“Hard work,” Sinegal said. “Practice hard, work hard and just stay ready for your opportunity.”

LCA head coach Trev Faulk echoed what Sinegal said.

“Deajon did a phenomenal job tonight stepping in,” Faulk said. “He practices hard every week and gets good reps. ”

Sinegal and Johnson competed for the starting quarterback position in the off-season, according to Faulk.

“(Sinegal) and Jujuan competed this summer for the job,” Faulk said. “It speaks a lot to Daejon’s character to make sure he is always prepared and ready to go.”

Johnson still supported Sinegal after leaving the game early with an injury.

“We love each other,” Sinegal said. “Even though we compete for the same spot we are still brothers and we love each other at the end of the day.”

Among the many weapons for LCA, senior receiver Darian Riggs and junior receiver Alex Beard each caught a touchdown pass. Riggs also had 100 receiving yards.

“Having so many guys in the pass game really makes us versatile,” Faulk said. “Makes it really difficult for defenses to key onto one guy.”

The Knights running attack was also efficient. Junior running back Luke Aragona led the team with 68 rushing yards and a touchdown. Fellow junior Dedrick Celestine also scored to complement Aragona in a ‘boom and zoom’ combo.

“He’s (Aragona) tough kid,” Faulk said. “Hard nosed runner and does a good job of finding creases to get extra yards. (Dedrick) Celestine is more of a speed guy and he had some good runs tonight as well.”

On defense, LCA did not allow Welsh to score until seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The defense was also able to contribute on the scoreboard as well.

LCA junior linebacker Tyler Charles recovered a fumble in the first quarter that he returned for a touchdown.

“It was a combination of good game planning and being ready to play,” Faulk said. “Our defensive staff did an excellent job tonight putting kids in a great position to be successful. We also have a lot of talented players so it looks good when they are able to execute and make plays for us.”

The state playoff schedule is set to be released Sunday at 11 a.m.