Eye-catchers from Cecilia vs. Lutcher

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the state's top Division-II Non-Select title contenders met early in the lopsided bracket Friday as 2023 runner-up Cecilia visited undefeated Lutcher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The former lived up to its "Road Dogs" mentality with a barrage of explosive plays and enough pivotal defensive stops to open a lead and hold off their home Bulldogs counterparts, 49-41.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 18 Cecilia now heads back to the quarterfinals with a trip to No. 7 North DeSoto next on deck.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few notes on some of the top performers from the Battle of the Bulldogs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='145333' first='Diesel' last='Solari'] — 5-7, 175 ATH — Cecilia (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pivotal to Cecilia's peaking performance and confidence is the dynamic and versatile senior ring-leader at the controls of its explosive offense. Solari completed 13 of his 20 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns — all deep shots downfield — and rushed for another 94 yards and two scores with a mixture of both toughness through contact and a burst that sprang him by defenders on his scoring runs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='934555' first='Braylon' last='Calais'] — 6-3, 185 ATH — Cecilia (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore continues to prove himself as both a reliable complement to Solari and the Bulldogs' other seniors and one of Louisiana's most-promising 2027 prospects. Cecilia included Calais in the offense at running back throughout the night, but particularly on a workhorse third-quarter drive to the end zone and then a 53-yard sprint up the sideline in the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='913904' first='Brent' last='Gordon Jr.'] — 5-11, 175 DB/WR — Cecilia (2025) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Louisiana (Lafayette) commit flew around the field as his typical hard-hitting, tone-setting self on the Cecilia defense, making plays all over the field, and also hauled in a late touchdown through double coverage and contact to help close out the victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='913920' first='Ellis' last='Stewart'] — 6-0, 170 WR/ATH — Cecilia (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602081' first='Jermaine' last='Davis'] — 5-5, 140 WR/ATH — Cecilia (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stewart and Davis caught Solari's first two touchdown strikes, both deep to the left side: Stewart a 35-yarder leaping over a defender in the end zone to high-point a third-down heave from Solari, and Davis making a catch and spinning and breaking away for a 56-yard strike. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='406748' first='Franky' last='Frank Jr.'] — 5-10, 160 DB — Cecilia (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore cornerback placed an emphasis coming out of his freshman season on getting stronger and becoming a surer, more physical tackler. His presence in that area was on display early and often in the hard-hitting battle, as Lutcher repeatedly bounced outside challenged Cecilia's defensive backs to make stops in space. Frank also got his hand on multiple passes downfield, including a near-interception deep down the middle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710286' first='Trenton' last='Chaney'] — 5-9, 160 RB/WR — Lutcher (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>and <strong>Zach Jenkins — 5-10, 180 QB — Lutcher (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The home Bulldogs' senior duo in the offensive backfield each scored three touchdowns to help lead their charge. Jenkins sliced his way through defenders, or often powered through them, for chunks of yardage between the tackles, while the quick-footed Chaney made them miss whether in traffic or bouncing out to the sideline for big plays</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710270' first='Reshad' last='Sterling'] — 6-3, 235 DL — Lutcher (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cecilia's offense was difficult to slow down from its early sparks to its late daggers, but coach Dennis Skains admitted that Lutcher's big Houston commit on the defensive line presented some challenges. Sterling disrupted and sped up a few plays with his ability to work past blockers and made a couple big stops near the line, including an explosive second-down tackle to highlight a third-quarter defensive stand. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->