By LEONARD GRAY

Managing Editor

LAPLACE – East St. John was held down to only three touchdowns, and only one of those belonged to Ryan Perrilloux, but it was enough to take the playoff win away from the visiting Jesuit Blue Jays, 20-14.

The Wildcats started the game off with a bang, as they took the opening kickoff, Stefoin Francois to the 45 yard line.

Perrilloux passed to Roy James to jump the line to the Jesuit 30. Perrilloux then kept it to the 8-yard line and then it was Perriloux up the middle for the opening touchdown.

Jamal Breaux booted the PAt and with a scant 47 seconds and four plays, East St. John had a 7-0 lead.

Jesuit was held to a brief possession, which ended in a punt with 9:51 on the clock.

The Wildcats then marched slowly up the field until Perrilloux connected with Joshuelle Tuesno on a 10-yard pass over the middle for the score.

Breaux’s PAT was good, and with 3:15 remaining in the first quarter, East St. John sat atop a 14-0 lead over Jesuit.

Sliding into the second quarter, Jesuit managed to post onto the scoreboard when quarterback Anthony Scelfo connected with Dustin Striker on a 40-yard pass play for the touchdown. Kyle Kruse booted the PAT and with 10:52 remainin g in the second, Jesuit trailed 14-7.

However, East St. John roared back with a vengeance. The kickoff went to Roy James, who returned it to the Wildcat 25-yard line.

Perrilloux the bounced twice off of rushers in the backfield, found a path in the secondary, and zoomed up th evisitor’s sideline for the last East St. John touchdown with 10:30 left in the second quarter.

The PAT was blocked, but the Wildcats were ahead 20-7.

The remainder of the second quarter, indeed, the remainder of the game, belonged to the East St. John defense.

The defensive squad pounded away on the Jesuit offense, forcing punts and threatening turnovers, while keeping them away from the end zone.

Only once more did Jesuit score, and that came in the third quarter, when Scelfo scrambled and suddenly found the end zone ahead of him, with East St. John in hot pursuit.

With 10:32 left in the third, Scelfo socored on a 47-yard run. The PAT was good for the 20-14 score.

Perrilloux did score again in the game, with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter, on a 45-yard run. However, a holding call nullified the effort.

The rest of the game was a grueling defensive effort, but ended with East St. John at Jesuit’s 2-yard line, threatening to score.

The game ended with two kneeling plays.

Next week, East St. John will host Evangl in the next round of the Class 5A football playoffs.