Replay: Comets back to Dome after OT win over U-High

LaPLACE – The matchup lived up to the hype and then some.

Forty-eight minutes of football was not enough to decide the Division III select showdown between semifinal regulars St. Charles Catholic and University Lab.

Tyler Milioto drilled a 23-yard field goal in overtime to give the Comets a 10-7 victory over the Cubs, sending SCC to its fifth consecutive state championship title and keeping alive its hopes for a three-peat.

The game was seen live on Crescent City Sports.

“Our kids have been unbelievable all year,” said St. Charles Catholic coach Wayne Stein, who has won 35 of 38 games in three seasons as head coach. “I don’t know how you’re back-to-back (state) champions and under the radar, but here we are.”

The top-seeded Comets (13-0) won the toss in overtime and elected to go on defense first.

A bad handoff exchange on first down moved U-High (11-2) behind the sticks, and a sack and deflected pass on the next two plays forced the Cubs to try a 35-yard field goal by Granville Anderon, which was blocked by Kayden Cambre.

“We might have played our best football the last three (defensive) snaps,” Stein said, “and then we blocked the field goal.”

The Comets netted four yards on three plays before sending out Milioto, a sophomore who entered the night 9-of-10 on field goals but had a 37-yard attempt blocked midway through the fourth quarter.

“If we protect him, he’ll make it,” said Stein. Just to make sure the protection was correct, Stein called time out, never fearing he would ice his own kicker.

U-High called its own time out before Milioto drilled the game-winner.

Regulation was dominated by the defenses, led by SCC linebacker Kyle Cannon and U-High linebacker Keylan Moses – each of whom, coincidentally, made their college choices known on Thursday. Cannon, a senior, is headed to Southeastern, while Moses, a junior ranked fifth among Louisiana prospects in the Class of 2025, committed to LSU.

Appropriately, the Comet special teams and defense set up the offense for their scoring drive, which came just before halftime.

Stein elected to punt on fourth-and-14 from the U-High 31 midway through the quarter and pinned the Cubs at the 1.

A three-and-out put the Comets back in business at the 46 with 3:44 left in the half.

Six plays later, Jeremiah Wills scored on a 9-yard jet sweep with 57 seconds left in the half to give SCC a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Twice in the first three quarters, U-High got to the red zone and came up empty. In the second quarter, a fumbled snap from under center by quarterback Emile Picarella killed a drive at the Comet 8, and in the third quarter, a 14-play drive produced no points when Granville Anderson’s 27-yard field goal attempt went wide right.

The blocked field goal with 5:47 left in the game provided new life for the Cubs, who drove 74 yards in 12 plays, primarily on the legs of running back Riley Small, who finished with 161 yards rushing.

Picarella hit Anderson with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:27 to play, and U-High coach Andy Martin went for the safe play, sending Anderson out for the tying extra point.

“We bend a little bit but we don’t break,” Stein said. “There was no hanging our head when we gave up the touchdown.”

For the Comets, next Saturday’s Division III select title game against second-seeded Calvary Baptist will be their ninth trip to a state championship game.

“There was no talk (this week) about three-peat or going to the Dome,” Stein said. “It was about U-High.”

Now, the talk of three-peating and going to the Dome can begin.