By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

Lutcher fell behind early on Friday night. You could say it made the proper adjustments.

The Bulldogs trailed 7-0 before ripping off 49 unanswered points, putting to rest the demons of last season’s regional round flameout in a 49-14 Class 4A regional round victory over Washington-Marion.

“All week long, we talked about how one year ago, it ended for us. We were eliminated, and that isn’t acceptable for us,” said Lutcher coach Tim Detillier. “The kids played tonight looking to rectify that. And boy, did they ever do it in grand style tonight.”

Lutcher (11-1) can exorcise that ghost in every way in their next game. The Bulldogs will host Teurlings Catholic (9-3), the team that upset Lutcher in that regional last season. Teurlings beat O. Perry Walker, 35-34, in overtime in their regional game.

Ruston Matherne rushed for 166 yards and three scores and completed six of seven passes for 88 yards and an interception for Lutcher. Daniel Taylor ran 13 times for 109 yards and two scores.

The Bulldogs held standout quarterback Melvin Jones to 69 yards and a score on 19 carries to go along with 41 yards through the air.

The Indians (8-4) took advantage of a Lutcher turnover and scored on a short field, a Melvin Jones 5-yard keeper run making it 7-0 midway through the first quarter.

Lutcher marched down and responded, capping its next drive on a Ruston Matherne 1-yard run to tie the game.

LHS took its first lead early in the second quarter when Daniel Taylor rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. That started an avalanche of points. Less than a minute later, the Bulldogs’ Ian Podufalski recovered a Marion fumble and returned it for a touchdown to make it 21-7; a Taylor 60-yard touchdown run with 7:50 left in the first half made it 28-7.

Marion had a chance to cut into the lead, driving it into Lutcher territory and inside the LJS 5. But the Bulldog defense held on a goalline stand, and the offense added one more score before half on a 14-yard Matherne run.

“I really felt that was a tipping point,” said Detillier. “Nobody had stopped (Jones) all year. To stop them in short yardage like that, then go down and score, I think that was the backbreaker.”

Dorian Semien scored on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter. Matherne had rushed for a 4-yarder in the third.

Marion scored with 4:20 left in the game on a Dylan Gibson pass to Demond Delahoussye.