Neville built a big first-half lead at home Bill Ruple Stadium with lights-out defense and three touchdown runs by sophomore Jarvis Blackston.
And when Alexandria (8-2, 3-2) finally managed to scratch the scoreboard with 37 seconds left in the second, the Tigers struck immediately back with a one-handed catch by Ze’land Young on a throw by Parker Robinson.
Neville (7-3, 4-1) controlled Friday nearly from start to finish in a 31-14 win to continue its strong finish to the regular season with three straight wins in a loaded District 2-5A and solidify a bye and home-field advantage in the upcoming Division-I Non-Select playoffs.
“You’re supposed to be playing your best ball here at the end of the year, and we certainly did tonight,” coach Mike Collins said. “Hats off to our players for continuing to battle from the middle of the season and everybody saying, ‘Hey, man, what’s wrong with those guys?’ And we just kept fighting, and we just kept playing, and we managed to work our way out of it and tonight culminated in a good win for us against a very, very good football. And I couldn’t be more proud of our football players.”
Alexandria’s 14 points — with seven coming on a late touchdown with the game out of reach — was two touchdowns shy of its previous season-low 27 in a win at Destrehan in Week 3.
The Trojans could never get into a rhythm, hurt its own cause with consistent procedure penalties and missed a couple early shot plays.
“The Jumbotron and the element really kinda rattled us, and it felt like we really kinda hurt ourselves,” Alexandria coach Thomas Bachman said. “Whether that’s the sequencing or how you practice, all that stuff goes into it. It’s easy to start pointing the finger in situations like this, but we just never got into a rhythm. And then you dug yourself a hole, and they’re athletic, they’re fast, they do a good job. They’re gonna attack the things you like to do.”
Senior safety Julian “JuJu” Burns (North Carolina) and junior linebacker Jakobe Collins were among the Tigers that helped lead a fast, hard-hitting defense that made its presence felt and consistently got off the field on third and fourth downs.
Alexandria’s defense was solid too, forcing Neville to trade punts early and often in its own right before it could eventually start breaking through every few possessions.
“Just pretty much stop what they like to do, getting them out their rhythm and making them do things that make them uncomfortable — starting that early,” Burns said of the Tigers’ approach. “It definitely feels great sending a message to the opposing team and getting it back to our offense so we can run up the score.”
Neville converted a pair of third downs midway on a drive midway through the opening quarter: senior running back JaMarion Roberson shedding a tackler in the backfield and dashing off 40-plus yards, then Robinson hitting sophomore Desi Byrd over the middle a few plays later.
And Blackston cashed in a goal-line opportunity to put the Tigers on the board.
Robinson, Young, Byrd and company marched downfield later in the first to help set up their sophomore back’s second score, bursting through a huge running lane and powering through a couple defenders into the end zone early in the second quarter.
And later in the period, Blackston took a toss from the 41-yard line, somehow withstood and broke through a scrum of tacklers and then accelerated away for the 21-0 lead.
“I’m just working, pushing, and I was always taught just keep my feet moving and just run hard every time,” Blackston said. “And I wasn’t trying to let my seniors down on their senior night, so I told ’em, ‘I got you. All night.'”
Alexandria finally struck on a 38-yard connection between its junior quarterback-receiver duo of Karsen Sellers and Alex Fontenot, who flashed his speed after the catch.
But a nice return by freshman athlete C.J. Goins and a 45-yard shot downfield from Robinson to Roberson set up the quick, highlight-reel catch by Young toward the back corner of the end zone to push the margin back to 28-7 at the break.
“It was huge,” Mike Collins said. “After we gave up the daggum touchdown, being able to go in and get that 28 and get back up 21, I thought was really important just because they’re explosive on offense and they can score at any moment.”
The defenses were even stingier in the second half, which remained scoreless until a 21-yard kick by senior Brooks Yerger nudged the Tigers’ lead to 31-7.
Alexandria didn’t score again until the final minute when Sellers dropped a deep ball in over the shoulder of Fontenot streaking 47 yards toward the end zone.
“We just bring physicality — we bring it every week,” Jakobe Collins said. “The defense, we’re gonna stand on business, so we’re good. The defense just came with it, and we were the better team tonight.”
FIRST QUARTER
7:02 — NHS — Jarvis Blackston 2-yard run (Brooks Yerger kick) — NHS 7-0
SECOND QUARTER
11:16 — NHS — Jarvis Blackston 10-yard run (Brooks Yerger kick) — NHS 14-0
2:54 — NHS — Jarvis Blackston 41-yard run (Brooks Yerger kick) — NHS 21-0
0:37 — ASH — Alex Fontenot 38-yard pass from Karsen Sellers (Eli Fung kick) — ASH 21-7
0:18 — NHS — Ze’land Young 15-yard pass from Parker Robinson (Brooks Yerger kick) — ASH 28-7
THIRD QUARTER
FOURTH QUARTER
8:21 — NHS — Brooks Yerger 21-yard kick — NHS 31-7
0:43 — ASH — Alex Fontenot 47-yard pass from Karsen Sellers (Eli Fung kick) — NHS 31-14
