Ascension Catholic falls to top-ranked Kentwood

After winning back-to-back games within the district, Ascension Catholic fell victim to two straight defeats last Friday night.

The Bulldogs hit the road for a district clash with top-ranked Kentwood, and though they hung tough for much of the game, the Kangaroos were able to pull away late and take the 40-20 victory.

Ascension Catholic's schedule has been brutal all season.

Kentwood was the fourth 1A top-12 team they've faced throughout the year. Three of those opponents were in the new-look District 6-1A.

The Bulldogs also faced a talented 2A team in Dunham.

They lost, 40-14, to the Tigers after starting the season off well with a 53-25 drubbing of Catholic of Pointe Coupee.

After that loss to Dunham, Ascension Catholic had to run a gauntlet of three straight top-12 1A teams.

First, they were beaten, 70-46, on the road by Central Catholic.

That was followed with a 46-7 loss to Southern Lab in the district opener, and they then fell, 38-7, to White Castle on the road.

Finally, they were able to get back on track with two straight district wins over Ascension Christian and East Iberville--winning the two contests by a combined margin of 110-6.

They looked to be on their way to a third straight win last Friday night as they led St. John, 21-20, late, but the Eagles scored 16 fourth-quarter points to break the Bulldogs' hearts, 36-28.

Ascension Catholic had no time to dwell on the close loss. They had to visit top-ranked and 8-1 Kentwood--a team that had their only defeat come against last year's 3A state runner-up Amite.

The Bulldogs played hard. After one quarter, they only trailed the Kangaroos by a score of 13-7.

Kentwood was able to create more separation in the second quarter, but they still only led 26-14 at the half.

Unfortunately for Ascension Catholic, the Kangaroos showed why they were 1A's top team in the second half as they scored 14 more points to build a 40-14 advantage.

A late Bulldog score made the final score a little more pleasant, but Kentwood rolled to a 8-1 record.

Conversely, the loss dropped Ascension Catholic to just 3-5 overall and 2-4 in district play.

The Bulldogs will try to finish the regular season on a strong note, but the brutal schedule will once again rear its ugly head.

Ascension Catholic will host 3A Kaplan in their home finale.

Kaplan is 6-3 and has won four straight games. They feature a high-powered offense that is averaging 36 points a game.