By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

East St. John’s high flying offense may have been stifled a bit by an outstanding Rummel defense nearly two weeks ago, but it took only a quarter for the Wildcats to show that they’ve got a short memory.

ESJ led 28-0 after a quarter and 49-7 at halftime as it throttled host Carencro, 49-21, on Friday night.

Kalen Henderson was exceptional, completing eight-of-10 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half. He also ran for a score. Reynaldo Young carried seven times for 132 yards and two scores. Dhaquille Williams caught six passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns.

Wildcats coach Larry Dauterive was quick to credit his offensive line for its strong play. Also important, he says, is the return of three-year starter Tim Evans from injury. The senior wideout was the team’s leading receiver a year ago.

“We were able to protect long enough for Kalen to make plays down the field,” said Dauterive. “And getting Tim back is huge. He’s a big playmaker for us. With him in, you can’t double up on Dhaquille. And that means it’s basically “How do you want your poison?” for the defense.”

It was Williams who struck first in the game, his 66-yard touchdown reception from Henderson putting the Wildcats (4-1) ahead 7-0.

Young was next, busting loose on a 72-yard scoring run that extended the ESJ lead to two touchdowns.

Williams and Young would each add their second touchdowns before the end of the first quarter: Williams on a 30-yard reception and Young on a 5-yard run.

Carencro (0-5) finally answered early in the second quarter with a big play of its own, on a 77-yard touchdown by Jordan Arnaud.

East St. John responded and then some. First it was Williams’ third big play for a score, a 38-yard strike from Henderson. Then Evans officially got back into the mix, scoring on a 1-yard reception to make it 42-7. Henderson finally capped things off with a 2-yard scoring run.

“We haven’t been able to get into a comfort zone like that in a long time,” said Dauterive. “We haven’t won a game like that for the last couple of years.”

Henderson, Young, and Williams all have put up gaudy numbers for a Wildcats team averaging over 400 total yards per game.

Henderson’s passed for 902 yards, rushed for 326, and accounted for 14 touchdowns – 10 through the air. Young’s averaging 13 yards per carry, and has piled up 701 yards and seven scores. Williams has caught 25 passes for 608 yards and nine touchdowns.

“I like what we’re doing offensively. We’ve been pretty potent,” said Dauterive. “It’s just a matter of being able to stop somebody once we get into district.”