JPG Rolls Past First Baptist, 38-0, Behind Dominant Ground Game and Defense
(Cover: Eagles Benji Moore carries as Guardian Noah Hensgens closes in.)
BROUSSARD —
With a hazy August sunset dropping over the sugarcane fields surrounding Broussard Sports Complex, John Paul the Great Academy and First Baptist Christian School renewed their crosstown matchup last Thursday night.
For First Baptist, it was the opening game of the 2026 season. For JPG, it was another early-season opportunity to show that the defending league power has no intention of giving up its place at the top.
The Guardians did just that, using a punishing ground game and relentless defensive pressure to take a 30-0 halftime lead before finishing off a 38-0 victory.
The final score, however, did not tell the entire story. First Baptist forced turnovers, put together a couple of promising drives and showed enough defensively to leave head coach Grayson Standiford encouraged about the direction of his young team.
For JPG head coach Barrett Richard, meanwhile, the victory came with plenty to like — and a few things that will receive attention during the Guardians’ upcoming bye week.
Guardians Take Control
The game began somewhat sloppily, with the teams exchanging turnovers on their opening possessions. JPG soon settled down and turned to the formula that has served Richard’s teams well for years: run the football behind a physical offensive line and make the opposing offense deal with constant pressure.
Junior Luke Salvatierra (#22) broke the scoreless tie with a touchdown run, and the Guardians began to take control.
First Baptist answered with what would become one of its best possessions of the night. Senior Judah Pritchard (#1) broke a reverse deep into JPG territory as the Eagles advanced to the Guardians’ 15-yard line. But a bad center-quarterback exchange out of the shotgun pushed FBCS backward and the drive stalled.
JPG responded with a Riley Lormand (#7) touchdown, followed by a Salvatierra two-point conversion to make it 16-0.
Then sophomore Bernard Littell (#27) began making his presence felt. Littell broke loose for a long touchdown run, with senior quarterback Daniel Charpentier (#12) adding the two-point conversion for a 24-0 advantage. Later in the half, Littell scored again to push the margin to 30-0 at intermission.
The official JPG statistics show just how effective the Guardians were on the ground. JPG rushed 31 times for 252 yards — an average of 8.1 yards per carry — and scored five rushing touchdowns.
Littell led the way with 120 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, including a 51-yard run. Lormand added 58 yards and a touchdown on six attempts, while Salvatierra rushed six times for 30 yards and another score.
After recovering an onside kick to open the second half, JPG added its final touchdown and two-point conversion for the 38-0 final.
Richard Praises the Offensive Line
While the Guardians’ backs produced the numbers, Richard quickly pointed to the players creating the running lanes.
“I was really proud of our offensive line,” Richard said. “I thought their blocking was exceptional,” particularly for only the second game of the season.
The statistics provide some evidence of what Richard saw. JPG’s stat sheet credited the offensive line with 22 pancake blocks. Senior Dominic Cramer (#72) led the team with six, followed by senior Maximus Stewart (#71) with five. Junior Elliot Patrick (#51) and sophomore Anthony Fridell (#65) each recorded four, while sophomore Samuel Richard (#55) had three.
Samuel Richard was making his first start after an injury forced some reshuffling along the line. “I was proud of him,” Barrett Richard said of his nephew. “That was his first start.”
The Guardians’ depth up front proved especially important against a First Baptist team that knew it had to find a way around JPG’s size.
“They’re so big inside,” Standiford said. “You’ve got to get the perimeter on them, and you’ve got to get it quick.” That was part of the reason First Baptist unveiled more of an under-center, Wing-T look against JPG, attempting to use misdirection and attack the edges rather than repeatedly challenge the Guardians in the middle.
Standiford said the adjustment was also designed to take some pressure off a young offensive line.
Pressure Up Front
JPG’s defensive front was every bit as disruptive as its offensive line.
Richard came away impressed with Smith and the Eagles’ receivers, but pleased that his defense never allowed them to find a consistent rhythm.
The Guardians recorded five sacks for 43 yards in losses, according to the official statistics. Dominic Cramer was credited with five sacks and six tackles for loss while finishing with eight total tackles. Maximus Stewart added four tackles and a tackle for loss as JPG repeatedly prevented First Baptist senior quarterback Luke Smith (#14) from getting comfortable. Smith finished 3-7 for 71 yards.
“Their quarterback is obviously talented and had talented receivers,” Richard said. “I was happy we were able to put up a challenge for those players on their offense.”
Richard also credited defensive coordinator Jacob LeJeune with making adjustments during the game.
Standiford saw much the same thing from the opposite sideline.
“We just struggled offensively,” he said. “They’re very good on the defensive side of the football.” First Baptist had opportunities. Standiford said the Eagles dropped a couple of potential touchdown passes and were occasionally only one missed tackle away from breaking a big play. But against JPG, those missed opportunities quickly became costly.
First Baptist Finds Positives on Defense
Despite allowing 38 points, Standiford came away believing his defense took a step forward.
“I thought we played our best defensive game that we played so far against them in the course of the history,” he said. “We forced two turnovers. We did a pretty good job tackling.”
There is some support for that assessment in the scoreboard. JPG defeated First Baptist 82-0 last season. This year’s 38-0 result cut that margin by more than half, even as the Guardians again controlled the game. For a young First Baptist team, it was a measurable step in narrowing what had been a considerable gap between the two programs.
JPG’s own statistics also reflect some of that defensive success. The Guardians fumbled three times and lost two of them.
That was easily Richard’s biggest complaint coming out of the victory.
“The bad thing about fumbles is that they can often be the kiss of death for your football team,” Richard said. “The good thing about fumbles is they’re typically easy to prevent.”
Richard said ball security is particularly frustrating because correcting it does not require changing an offensive scheme. It requires backs to protect the football, keep it high and tight and properly switch the ball when they reach the open field.
First Baptist deserves some credit as well.
“They were going for the ball,” Richard said. “They must have noticed it on film.”
Standiford had several Eagles he thought deserved recognition for their work on the other side of the football.
Senior Nate Hill (#47), who plays center and defensive end, had another strong game with a forced fumble and 5 tackles. according to Standiford. Senior Benji Moore (#23) also played well at linebacker with six tackles. Moore also finished game with 9 carries for 9 yards at running back.
But Standiford’s strongest praise went to one of the youngest players on the field — eighth-grader Andrew Lambert (#19).
“If I was going to really single out somebody, it would be Andrew Lambert, who played outside linebacker as an eighth grader and really stuck his head in there and made a lot of tackles,” Standiford said.
That performance was particularly encouraging for a First Baptist roster that includes a significant number of underclassmen.
Hensgens Responds
One of the performances that pleased Richard most came from sophomore Noah Hensgens (#31).
Hensgens had endured a difficult opening week when Southwest Louisiana Homeschool Athletics (SWLA) went after the young cornerback in coverage. Against First Baptist, Richard thought he responded exactly as a young player should.
“He had a tough week the week before and came back and played well,” Richard said.
One of Hensgens’ primary assignments was senior First Baptist receiver and defensive back Luke Page (#13). On one play, Hensgens recovered in time to knock the football away at the last moment.
“He didn’t give up. He continued to work. He didn’t hang his head,” Richard said. “I was very proud of him.”
Richard also praised Charpentier, his senior quarterback, whose contribution in JPG’s offense goes well beyond statistics.
With running backs dealing with injuries and cramping during the game, Richard said Charpentier helped keep the offense organized and calm while also playing significant snaps on defense.
“Daniel does a good job,” Richard said.
First Baptist Tries a New Look
Although First Baptist could not turn its promising possessions into points, Standiford used the opener to introduce a wrinkle that could become important as the season progresses.
Rather than operating exclusively from the shotgun, the Eagles showed an under-center Wing-T look designed to get the football to the perimeter quickly and use misdirection against JPG’s bigger defensive front.
With Smith at quarterback and athletes such as Pritchard available to carry the football, Standiford is searching for ways to take pressure off a young offensive line.
Against JPG, Pritchard’s reverse helped generate the Eagles’ deepest penetration of the night, and he later completed a wingback pass for another first down.
The problem was sustaining those drives against a JPG front that repeatedly created negative plays.
For a First Baptist team mixing seniors with freshmen and eighth-graders, however, Standiford viewed the night as another step in developing a team he believes can look considerably different later in the season.
Different Roads From Here
The crosstown opponents now head in different directions for Week 3.
JPG enters a bye week after opening the season with consecutive victories. The break may come at an ideal time for a team already dealing with some injuries and limited depth.
Richard said one of his priorities is getting more of his reserve players ready to contribute.
“My starters are ready, but they’ve got to come out at times,” he said. Getting the backups prepared to enter without the team “missing a beat” will be important as the season progresses.
The Guardians will return from the bye to face Midstate, a program Richard believes could present a significant challenge. He was impressed with Midstate’s coaching and scheme a year ago and expects its young roster to be improved with another season of experience.
First Baptist does not get a week off.
The Eagles travel to face Midstate at Louisiana College as they try to rebound from the opening loss. Standiford expects another challenge, particularly from a Midstate quarterback capable of hurting defenses with his legs.
But Standiford’s message after Thursday night’s loss was not one of discouragement.
“I was really proud of how the young guys played,” he said. “Play after play after play of trying to stop that veer can be very discouraging. Our kids hung in there.”
And despite the 38-point difference Thursday night, Standiford does not believe the final chapter between these two teams has necessarily been written.
“We’ve got to clean up some mistakes on the offensive side of the football,” he said. “I think if we play them again, we’re going to be even tougher.”
Then he offered a prediction that could make the remainder of the 2026 season interesting.
“I think if we catch them in the playoffs, it’s going to be a great high school football game.”
For now, though, the Guardians remain the team everyone else is chasing.
On a warm Thursday night beneath the fading South Louisiana sun, JPG’s combination of size, a deep rushing attack and pressure defense proved too much for its crosstown rival.
First Baptist left Broussard with a young team looking to improve.
JPG left 2-0 — and still looking very much like the team to beat.
J. Christian Lewis/ AI assisted