Catholic-Baton Rouge turns in efficient offensive display in Division I select championship win

NEW ORLEANS - To do what it was able to do offensively Friday night, Catholic-Baton Rouge simply just stuck to the script. 

The Bears put together a very efficient night on offense in their 55-31 win against Acadiana for the Division I select championship at the Caesars Superdome. They produced 503 yards of offense, 360 of that passing from senior quarterback Daniel Beale.

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In addition, the Bears scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions and eight of their first nine.

“Our coaching staff understood what we could do; we have a great start to our games off of our script, so Coach (Hudson) Fuller (the Bears’ head coach) and the rest of the offensive staff scripted a bunch of plays,” said Beale. “We knew if we followed the script well, that if we didn’t go backwards or start going bad (we would be OK), and we did that.

“We’re confident in ourselves; we’ve been doing it since Week 1 in starting a game strong.”

The Bears also put together relatively quick scoring drives. Their average time of possession was 1:39, and they had four drives where they scored in 28 seconds or less.

“I would say to start, hat’s off to our offensive staff and really putting in the work they put in and they put together a great game plan,” Fuller said. “Really, we put together a game plan we felt good about; we scripted a lot of it and just let these guys go play, and it came down to their execution and these are special players.

“We just had a lot of confidence in them because of the improvement and the work they’ve done during the course of the year, and it showed up (Friday).”

Catholic’s opening drive was set up by a 57-yard kickoff return by senior Brooks Wright to the Acadiana 34. Two plays later, senior tailback Barry Remo scored from 16 yards out, the first of his three TDs on the night.

The Wreckin’ Rams tried to keep pace with the Bears, as they scored on each of their first two possessions to trail by three, 13-10. But Catholic’s offense remained relentless, and the Bears scored two more TDs in the second quarter to open up a 27-10 advantage.

Even when Acadiana took the second-half kickoff and churned out a 19-play, 78-yard drive that took 9:22 off the clock, resulting in a touchdown to pull within 10 points, it didn’t slow down the Bears.

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After Catholic’s Aiden Acosta recovered the ensuing onside kick, the Bears drove 49 yards in six plays, capped by another Remo TD.

Catholic’s defense then set up the Bears’ next two TD drives. The Bears stopped the Rams on a fourth-and-short at the Acadiana 36 and needed four plays to score to build a 41-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Then, after an interception from junior cornerback Cayden Jones on the next series, the Bears needed just two more plays to find the end zone again, as Beale connected with junior receiver Cohen LeBlanc from 30 yards out, making it 48-17.

“I think, with the talent we have on offense, starting with the offensive line, all five of them, then the receivers, tight ends, running backs, it’s hard to stop when you can do everything really, so I think once we got going, it’s hard to stop,” Beale said.

The Bears’ final TD came with more than six minutes left when Beale flipped a 3-yard pass to Wright. On Catholic’s final possession, the Bears advanced to the Acadiana 4, but with time running out, they chose to take a knee.

Remo noted that the Bears wanted to dictate the tempo on offense, even during practices leading up to Friday’s game.

“It was very important,” Remo said. “I know Acadiana’s defense is used to playing right, so just going throughout the whole week, we just watched film and were just seeing how we could exploit their strong defensive line.”

Beale, who is committed to play next season at the University of Louisiana, was named the Bears’ Most Outstanding Player. He completed 19-of-26 passes for 360 yards and four TDs while adding a rushing TD.

Remo, the team’s top rusher, tallied 121 yards on 18 carries with three TDs. LeBlanc caught seven passes for 121 yards and two TDs, while twin brothers Brooks and Bradley Wright combined for nine catches for 150 yards, with Brooks Wright scoring two TDs.

“The coaches drew up a great script for us, and we trust everything that they do and every play call,” Bradley Wright said. “I just know that they know what they’re doing and they’re professionals and I trust the guys around me.

“I was moving around the whole game and (the coaches) told me that was going to happen and then they knew it was going to work, so I just put trust in the coaches.”

Photo of Catholic-Baton Rouge coach Hudson Fuller (left) and quarterback Daniel Beale

-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveLA