The Prairieville defense already had a starring role in the first half, then it stole the show in the end.
Senior defensive back Khywan Striggs’ interception with two seconds left helped seal the Hurricanes’ 41-34 victory Friday over Ponchatoula.
Prairieville (1-1) was up against the wall after giving the ball back to Ponchatoula (0-2) on three straight possessions in the first half — twice after having the ball snapped over the head of its punter, and another after losing the ball on a lateral.
The Hurricanes faced six plays in goal-to-go situations but forced a pair of field goals that proved significant by game’s end.
“It’s kind of an inconsistency that we’ve had,” Prairieville coach Mike Schmitt said. “I was just proud that we were able to hold them off. The offense had a good second half. They played the way we know we can play and scored points when we had to.”
Ponchatoula rallied from a two-score deficit in the first 2½ minutes of the game to take a 27-20 lead with 11:43 remaining on Jace Basso’s 20-yard touchdown run.
The Hurricanes answered with an 11-play, 55-yard go-ahead drive when wide receiver Adam Parker scored on a 20-yard jet sweep. They took a 28-27 lead when holder Stantyn Delapasse alertly picked up a low snap and scored the two-point conversion.
Quarterback Skyler Kelly accounted for his fourth touchdown, and his second one rushing, on a 16-yard run. On the next series, Delapasse took a pitch in motion and connected with Daniel Williams on a 4-yard TD to make it 41-27 with 7:17 left.
Ponchatoula closed within the final score on quarterback Jackson Aucoin’s 14-yard run, and Green Wave defensive tackle Otis Bennett recovered a fumble at his 4-yard line with 41 seconds left.
Aucoin, who was 10 of 16 for 195 yards, helped Ponchatoula pick up a pair of first downs before Striggs picked him off on first down.
“Four quarters is long, and you can’t get ahead by just a touchdown,” Ponchatoula coach Scott Shaffett said. “The guys fought for four quarters. They played really hard, and I’m proud of them. We’ve just got to get better every week. We’re not there yet.”
Kelly totaled 238 yards, 133 passing and 105 rushing, and four TDs.
The Hurricanes, who ran 31 more plays, gained 272 of their 398 yards in the second half. Courtnei Payne had 106 yards on 15 carries, and Tahj Wallace 94 yards on 13 attempts.
Ponchatoula tied the game 20-20 at halftime on Alcide Malveau’s 24-yard touchdown run and Breck Remondet’s extra point with 25 seconds to go.
Prairieville turned an 11-second span of the first quarter into a 14-0 lead with a pair of scoring passes from Kelly to Nayden Paul and Chance Jackson, respectively.
“We don’t feel like we have just these guys that can dominate, so we try to get everybody involved,” Schmitt said. “We try to get eight to nine guys touching the ball as fast as we can.”