The ’Ville rolls to 40-8 win

It didn’t take St. Martinville very long to take control of their opening game against Jeanerette last Friday. Coach Vincent Derouen’s team struck for four first quarter touchdowns on its way to an easy 40-8 victory over an undermanned band of visiting Tigers.
Quarterback Jared Davis threw three touchdown passes and broke away for an 80-yard TD run to trigger the first half explosion. Despite sitting out the final two quarters Davis still racked up 166 yards through the air on just 4-of-5 completions.
Deantre James was the target for two of Davis’ TD tosses and caught a third from sophomore QB Markavon Williams.
Williams also scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run and set up The ’Ville’s third TD when he returned a Jeanerette punt 50 yards to the JHS seven. Late in the opening period he had a 60-yard punt return TD nullified by a holding penalty.
Sophomore running back Tra Benjamin accounted for SM’s second TD, going in from the two.
St. Martinville scored on all six of its first half possessions and Derouen benched his starters for the entire second half.
The visiting Tigers fumbled the ball away on their first possession of the second half but SM reserves couldn’t move the ball from the Jeanerette 26.
The visitors finally found the end zone early in the final stanza when Ashmad Mitchell went six yards for the score, capping an 11-play, 76-yard drive that was aided by three SM penalties.
For the night the Tigers were flagged nine times for 110 yards.
The ’Ville missed its first two PAT conversions due to poor snaps, but then settled down with kicker Dylan Wilmore going 4-for-4 over the remainder of the game.
Davis’ long TD run helped him lead the Tiger ground game, but Benjamin was the workhorse, carrying seven times for 41 yards.
James’ three TD catches were for 41, 78 and 20 yards, giving him a 139 yard total for the contest.
St. Martinville hosts Assumption Friday. The Fighting Mustangs lost their opener to Donaldsonville by a close 30-27 margin.