Spartans and Griffins roll in their jamborees

St. Amant wasn't the only Ascension 5A team to have great success for their jamboree. Both East Ascension and Dutchtown won by double digits last week.

The Spartans went on the road for their jamboree. They traveled to New Orleans to face East Jefferson.

They brought some fireworks with them. All of East Ascension's scores were results of big plays. Two of those touchdowns came on defense.

The result was an emphatic 49-16 drubbing of East Jefferson. It took the Spartans just two 15-minute quarters to score those 49 points.

East Ascension wasted no time getting on the board. On their opening possession, it took them less than 40 seconds to score.

First-year starting quarterback Cameron Jones hooked up with Steven McBride for a 48-yard score to put them ahead 7-0.

On their next possession, running back Kendall Washington broke loose on an 80-yard touchdown run to make the lead 14-0.

And to close out the half, Jones and McBride hooked up for another big play through the air. This one went for 47 yards to give the Spartans a 21-0 halftime advantage.

In the second half, East Ascension scored in all three phases of the game.

On offense, the Spartans added a 49-yard touchdown run, and on special teams, Jeffrey Hills scored on a 65-yard kickoff return.

Defensively, East Ascension scored on a pick-six, and Justin Walker scooped up a fumble and returned it 73 yards for another touchdown.

The Spartans are now all set for their season opener. They'll face the year's greatest challenge right off of the bat as they host Zachary.

Zachary has won the Class 5A state championship two years in a row.

As for Dutchtown, they were also on the road for their jamboree. They made the trip to play Denham Springs on Thursday night, and they were also able to win as a result of big plays.

On the Griffins' opening possession of the game, quarterback Brayden Fritsche marched them down the field. They eventually settled for a field goal. Cohen Parent drilled a 42-yarder to give them an early 3-0 lead.

On Dutchtown's next possession, one of the area's best track stars ran away from all defenders.

Running back Dylan Sampson got a handoff and broke free for a 63-yard touchdown run to give the Griffins a 10-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, head coach Guy Mistretta changed things up at quarterback. He played both Logan Scott and Stephen Winfield. Neither one had to do a whole lot.

On the Griffins' first play of the second half, receiver Dajan Watkins took an end-around 80 yards for a score to give them a commanding 17-0 advantage.

Denham Springs didn't break up the shutout until there were just 20 seconds left in the game. Quarterback Luke Lunsford ran the ball in from 14 yards out to cut it to 17-7, which turned out to be the game's final score.

Sampson made the game's biggest impact. He carried the ball 12 times for 103 yards and the one score.

The Griffins have now beaten Denham Springs in their jamboree two years in a row.

For their opener, Dutchtown will be on the road once again. They'll visit Northshore on Friday night.