North Vermilion rally falls short at Westgate

NEW IBERIA — The North Vermilion Tigers rallied in the second half but fell short, 19-13, in a District 5-4A game at Westgate on Thursday night.
The Patriots (2-5 overall, 0-2 district) rallied in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Logan Thompson to Myles Johnson with about 11 minutes to go. The 2-point try failed.
North Vermilion then kicked off, and on the ensuing series, Patriots defensive back James Higinbotham intercepted a pass and returned it about 25 yards for a pick 6 to get the Patriots to within 19-13 following the PAT.
North Vermilion used a good defensive effort to force a punt from Westgate, but couldn’t move the ball and punted back.
The Patriots used their time outs and stopped WHS again to force a punt, getting the ball back with about 2 1/2 minutes to go, coach Joe Heintz said.
But North Vermilion couldn’t score again, allowing Westgate to pull out the win.
“They were missing their quarterback, but their defense is still good,” Heintz said.
Westgate dominated the first half with four long drives, two of which resulted in touchdowns, a short run by backup quarterback Bryant Leon Jr. and a short TD pass from Leon to lead 13-0 at halftime.
North Vermilion struggled to move the ball in the first half.
“We just have a hard time moving the ball,” Heintz said. “It seems like the same thing every week.”
Westgate (5-2, 1-1 district) built the lead to 19-0 after another long drive in the third quarter. Jackson scored on a short run for the Tigers.
The Patriots play Northside at home next Friday.