Heading into Friday’s homecoming match-up against Brusly, St. Charles Catholic senior Lazedrick Thompson knew he would have to carry the load. Luckily, in a game with District 7-3A title implications, Thompson ended up being more than capable of handling it. With All-State backfield partner Marcus Hall out of commission following surgery on a broken wrist, Thompson ran wild against the visiting Panthers (5-2, 2-0), leading St. Charles (8-0, 3-0) to a 35-0 win.

“He needs to be the guy to carry it now, and he’s capable of it,” Comets head coach Frank Monica said. “He’s a big, strong, powerful guy. He’s a north-and-south runner, and it took a while for us to get him started. But he did, and once he gets to the secondary, he creates a little havoc there.”

Thompson didn’t take too long to get warmed up, finishing with 18 carries for 178 yards and four touchdowns, including a 47-yard scoring run on his fifth carry. The Tulane commitment’s first touchdown, which came on a well-executed draw up the middle, gave St. Charles at 7-0 lead with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

“It was a good game,” Thompson said. “We played a big, physical team. We just came out with a lot of intensity.”

After forcing a Panthers three-and-out, the Comets were poised to receive possession once again. Brusly junior Cameron Willis faked the punt, but he overthrew a wide-open receiver, giving St. Charles the ball in Panthers’ territory. Two plays later, senior quarterback Donnie Savoie hit senior Chris Millet across the middle for a 46-yard touchdown pass to put the Comets up 14-0.

“It was important to get off with a good start,” Monica said. “We beat a very good football team. When the dust settles, Brusly will be a playoff contender.”

Thompson put St. Charles on the board once again on the first play of its next possession. He raced down the field for a 46-yard touchdown dash with 8:06 left in the half. The Comets got the ball back with enough time to allow Thompson one more score, and he took advantage, this time reaching the end zone from 17 yards out.

Though his third score left St. Charles leading 28-0 at halftime, Brusly offense was moving the ball down the field. Utilizing the Wing T offense, the Panthers compiled 82 yards rushing, and twice in the first half, they reached the Comets red zone only to leave empty-handed.

“At halftime, we never actually felt like we had the game in hand because of the way they were moving the football,” Monica said. “The Wing T is something that we don’t see too often because a lot of people use the spread and stuff like that. Our guys weren’t ready for the pace of it, and they got accustomed to it as the game went on.”

For the game, Brusly junior quarterback Jay Christophe led the team with 85 yards on 14 carries. He was harassed all night by junior linebacker Luke Jackson, who finished the game with three sacks. In addition, senior defensive end Evin Stein forced a Christophe fumble, while sophomore Jordan Favorite picked off a late fourth-quarter pass.

St. Charles capped its scoring on the team’s first possession of the third quarter, which saw Thompson reach the end zone once again from 4 yards out after an 11-play, 60-yard drive.

Savoie finished the game completing 8 of 14 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Senior receiver Sammy Miller was his leading target, with four receptions for 55 yards.

“The most important thing is that we took care of the football tonight,” Monica said. “[Savoie] stepped up tonight and made some really nice timing throws, and that’s what we’re all about. We’re not just a one-dimensional team so-to-speak. We’re about balance. When you can do that, you have a good club.”

The Comets will go on the road Friday to square off against winless St. James in another district contest.