Ferriday Trojans win district championship
Published 12:03 am Saturday, November 4, 2017
BASTROP, La. — The Ferriday High School Trojans took care of business Friday night by defeating the overmatched Beekman Charter School Tigers 46-0 to win the LHSAA District 2-2A championship.
“It’s a great accomplishment. It’s a big thing. This was something we set out to do at the beginning of the season,” Ferriday first-year head coach Stanley Smith. “We overcame some adversity. We grew as a team.”
A stunning loss at home to Vidalia three weeks ago could have put a halt to the Trojans’ district title. Instead, Ferriday picked up blowout wins over Mangham, Delhi Charter and Beekman Charter with two of them of the shutout variety.
Ferriday entered the game as the No. 1 team in the Class 2A power ratings and ranked No. 8 in the LSWA Class 2A poll. Beekman Charter, on the other hand, was the No. 42 team – last place – in the Class 2A power ratings. And it showed Friday night.
Led by Da’minya Milligan, the Trojans racked up 251 yards on the ground. Milligan had 194 yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries. Kobe Dillon didn’t throw the ball very much, but he was very efficient by going 5-for-6 for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
“Offensively, we cane out and ran the ball. The run set up the pass. We were able to get a few big plays with the passing game,” Smith said.
Smith was not only pleased with how efficient the offense was, but also how the defense dominated the Tigers (0-9, 0-6) from start to finish.
“We came out and played good defensively. We forced two turnovers. We came out with a shutout victory,” Smith said. “We finished strong. We came out in the second half and played with a lot of intensity.”
Dantrieze Scott not only had a 31-yard touchdown reception, he also led the defense with nine tackles, three of them for a loss. Dare Rosenthal had six tackles with two of them for a loss.
Ferriday (8-2, 5-1) will host an LHSAA Class 2A first-round playoff game next Friday night against an opponent to be determined. As for where he would like the Trojans to be seeded, Smith said, “I would love to be the No. 1 seed.”