Bulldogs drop home opener to Dunham

After running out of the gates with a dominating 54-20 victory in week one over Catholic High of Pointe Coupee, 11th-ranked Ascension Catholic had their sights set on pulling the upset over 2A Dunham.

Early on, they looked prime to do so as they took an early 14-0 lead, but turnovers and big plays proved to be their undoing as they fell, 41-14. It was almost the exact same score from last season’s loss to the Tigers when they dropped a 40-14 contest.

However, things were going the Bulldogs’ way early in the game.

After Dunham fumbled away the opening kickoff, Ascension Catholic made them pay.

They eventually jumped up 14-0 after rushing touchdowns from both Jamar Barber and Jai Williams. Barber’s touchdown gallop came from 31 yards out.

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it was all Dunham from there. The Tigers ended the game scoring 41 unanswered points.

Leading the charge for the Tiger offense was running back Tony Huey. He scored three times—two of those touchdowns came from 47 and 31 yards, respectively.

The Dunham defense also provided a score as LSU commit Derek Stingily, Jr. picked off Javon Yarbrough and returned it 75 yards for the touchdown.

In the loss, Barber was the one bright spot for the Ascension Catholic offense. He carried the ball 14 times for 130 yards and a score.

The passing game struggled. Yarbrough went 8-14 for 71 yards while getting picked off three times.

Defensively, sophomore defensive lineman Dillon Davis was a force inside as he piled up a team-high 10 tackles. Linebacker Bubba Gautreau came through with seven.

The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 1-1 overall, and things certainly won’t get any easier for them this week.

On Thursday night, they’ll host Central Catholic.

Central Catholic was previously ranked No. 4 in Class 1A before getting upset by 2A Opelousas Catholic last Friday night.

When the two teams met last seasons, the Eagles erupted for 70 points in the victory.