By ROBERT B. ROAN

LAPLACE – In a stormy pre-Halloween district match-up, the Donaldsonville High School Tigers were haunted Friday by a missed extra point in a one-point loss to the St. Charles Catholic High School Comets.

The hard-fought, 7-6 victory, played in the midst of thunderous downpours and continuous flashes of lightning, uplifted the Comets’ spirits following a back-breaking, five-point loss Oct. 18 to St. James High School. In that contest, the Comets were stopped short of a touchdown on the final play by less than one yard.

Weather or not, St. Charles Catholic’s muddied players were resolute and not about to let Friday’s game against the Tigers slip slide away.

The game’s pair of touchdowns came on the initial possession of each half for each team. It was the Tigers, 3-5, who punished the Comets, 5-2, at the beginning of the game behind the steady pounding of 205-pound senior running back Oscar Bennett. A ground attack led by Bennett was generally mandated by the six-inch-deep mud and limited visibility, but early on the Tigers also utilized the passing and catching abilities of senior quarterback Tremaine Brown and senior wide receiver Aaron Thomas.

The Tigers took the lead with an early touchdown but the extra point was missed by senior kicker Chad Templet. It was a special team’s gaff which would eventually lead to the Tigers’ downfall.

Spurred by the cheers of the faithful, water-logged crowd, the Comets slugged it out with the outstanding defensive unit, led by seniors Chris Cancienne, Alton Alexander, Chase Villeret and Brandon Levet, as well as juniors Jonathan Schexnayder, Jeremiah Johnson and Daniel LeBlanc, leading the way. At every turn, when their team needed a lift, the spartan SCC defense slammed the door shut on the Tigers’ varied offensive schemes.

With the mid-field area a sea of brown, the second half began with the Comets running consecutive sweeps, then a counter, and the real estate began to accumulate on the home team’s side of the ledger. Junior quarterback Jeremy Catoire deftly handled the ball and moved the offensive unit down the field by way of the up-and-coming feet of sophomore running back Tyrell Fenroy.

The 5-foot, 9-inch flash reached the corner with ease during the second half’s opening drive and he chewed up yardage in first-down increments. Senior running backs Rod Remondet and Cedric White also distinguished themselves on the go-ahead drive, but it was the offensive linemen who took over the game and manhandled the weary Tigers.

From the 33-yard line, Fenroy burst through a hole wide enough a four-wheel-drive pickup truck could have safely passed and sprinted into the endzone. The point-after kick was good and the Comets took the lead, 7-6.

Senior offensive linemen Trey Malain, LeMon Robinson, Adam Ayme, along with junior Michael Murphy and sophomore Caleb Bergeron grabbed hold of the momentum on the all-important, third quarter drive and made sure the wind was socked from the Tigers’ sails.

Punters, Daniel LeBlanc for the Comets, and Chad Templet for the Tigers, were also worthy of recognition as both players moved the ball downfield under treacherous conditions. LeBlanc, who is regarded as one of the best prep punters in the state, boomed several punts more than 40 yards to continually place Donaldsonville at field position disadvantages.

In a key District 10-3A battle of weather-related attrition, the second half culminated with a diving interception by SCC linebacker Jeremiah Johnson and a scrambling Catoire draining the game clock to zero.