12 eye-catchers from Zachary vs. Opelousas

Zachary and Opelousas battled through nearly three scoreless quarters Friday in a physical slugfest dominated by defense and further compounded by costly penalties.   But the Broncos finally managed to push a field goal through late in the third and, after a quick back-and-forth, pull away for a 24-6 victory to head into district play with some momentum.   Here's a look at notes on 12 of the eye-catchers on the field.     Donovan Beathley — LB — Zachary (2026)   The small, speedy linebacker was among several Broncos flying around well in a disciplined and stingy defensive performance against a talented, powerful Opelousas attack. But his biggest highlights both came in special-teams scenarios as he broke through not once, but twice to block punts that helped Zachary keep control of the field-position battle.   Michael Septs — 5-11, 215 LB — Zachary (2025)   The senior provided two of the biggest highlights to the deep cast of contributors in the linebacking corps with his tackle in bounds just before halftime to help get to halftime without allowing an Opelousas touchdown to cap a promising drive in the final minute and then a near-interception of a fourth-down pass in the fourth quarter. Septs was far from alone, with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='922575' first='Isaiah' last='Stokes'], Tyson Kimble and [player_tooltip player_id='740993' first='Dylan' last='Shelmire'] were all among the long list of standouts at different points for the Broncos.   Rashaed Smith — 6-3, 200 DL — Zachary (2025)   Similar to the deep linebacking corps, Smith led a group of defensive linemen who fit their roles in containing the Tigers as well as any opponent had the past couple years and stepped up with timely highlights throughout the contest. Fellow senior Detroy Posey helped chase down a pivotal play early on, as Zachary set a tone right out the gate. Smith broke through for a few disruptive plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. And Cartier Brown recovered a fumble to help provide the Broncos one of their many positive starting field positions.   Clyde Jones — 5-9, 130 DB — Zachary (2026)   The junior safety snatched an interception to set up yet another great starting position for the Broncos to help highlight his night in coverage.   [player_tooltip player_id='912297' first='DaVekio' last='Ruffin'] — 5-6 RB — Zachary (2025)   and Nate James — 5-5, 190 RB — Zachary (2025)   The small, but tough running back duo earned tough yardage in key moments throughout the night against the Tigers' tough defense and — after having previous end-zone trips negated by penalty — finally broke through for a pair of touchdowns by Ruffin to take control of the game and another by James to add the exclamation mark.   [player_tooltip player_id='1293560' first='Clifton' last='Webb'] — 6-3, 300 OL — Zachary (2025)   A lot of Broncos' successes running the football came with their senior left tackle heavily involved in the process as he consistently won his matchups, including on each of the three late touchdowns, and then located second defenders to help continue paving the way for Ruffin and James.   [player_tooltip player_id='920618' first='Kristion' last='Brooks'] — 6-4, 180 WR — Zachary (2026)   The big target on the outside was a favorite target of senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='291087' first='Caleb' last='Gonzales'] both on a couple vertical shots, one connected for one of the Broncos' biggest plays of the game, and several quick screens.   [player_tooltip player_id='710072' first='D'Shaun' last='Ford'] — 5-11, 210 RB — Opelousas (2025)   As stout as the Broncos' defense played, Ford showed his power running through tackles for tough yardage throughout the night and then finally popped his 78-yard dash to the end zone late in the third quarter to help highlight his 120-yard night.   [player_tooltip player_id='913917' first='Zackeus' last='Malveaux'] — 5-10, 160 QB/ATH — Opelousas (2025)   Ford's running mate in the backfield flashed his speed on a few opportunities to get upfield and provide a complement in the rushing attack and also connected on a few deep shots to [player_tooltip player_id='710769' first='Korey' last='Fontenot'] to make Zachary respect the vertical threat. As impactful as Malveaux's presence was for the first two and a half quarters, his absence for the final quarter and a half further underscored his importance to the offense as the Tigers struggled to move the ball after his early exit — outside of Ford's one big run.   [player_tooltip player_id='710273' first='Corey' last='Amos'] Jr. — 6-3, 205 LB/DL — Opelousas (2025)   The Tigers were disruptive at times in their own right with their Ole Miss-committed senior edge rusher, unsurprisingly, the most consistent culprit as he looked a little bigger physically than his junior season, but continued to showcase his quickness to his rush, crossing up blockers and shooting his way into the backfield for tackles behind the line.   [player_tooltip player_id='912270' first='Landon' last='Hammond'] — 6-2, 160 DB — Opelousas (2025)   The recent Tulane commitment played a big role in the secondary — along with fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='913912' first='Kyran' last='Moore'] — in helping the Tigers limit Zachary with his length and speed in coverage, sure tackling in space to help contain screens and the pressure he helped bring off the edge on field goals that helped contribute to the Broncos' three misses.

Zachary and Opelousas battled through nearly three scoreless quarters Friday in a physical slugfest dominated by defense and further compounded by costly penalties.