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University High faced fourth down at the West Feliciana 28-yard line early in the fourth quarter while clinging to a touchdown lead.
The Cubs went for it, needing 9 yards for a first down. Knox Kiffin rolled right with a defender bearing down on him. He heaved the ball on the run to Kevin Smith in the end zone, and he hauled it in midair over the head of a defender for a touchdown to extend the lead.
U-High (6-2) rattled off 21 straight points to close out a 58-30 win over West Feliciana at U-High on Friday night. Kiffin finished with 206 yards passing on 10 of 16. He threw three touchdowns, all to Smith. He also scored one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.
“We’ve been playing since we were little kids, so our chemistry is through the roof,” Kiffin said of Smith. “I’ve got full trust in him every play. I know to get it to (No.) 1’s hands.”
The Cubs opened the game with 16 straight points. Caiden Bellard scored on a 14-yard touchdown after U-High recovered a fumbled onside kick to start the game. A short field after a dropped snap on a punt led to a field goal. Bellard added another touchdown from 3 yards out.
Bellard finished with 82 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.
West Feliciana (7-1) responded with consecutive touchdowns. Ty London capped off a 72-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. De’Corine King added a 3-yard touchdown on a 98-yard drive that included a 52-yard run by Joshua Dorsey that flipped the field.
Kiffin put the Cubs back in front late in the first half after he dropped it in the bucket to a wide-open Smith for a 39-yard touchdown. Later in the first half, Carson Nichols picked off West Feliciana quarterback Brooks Hebert and returned it to the Saints 16.
Kameron Grisby took a handoff from Kiffin and then tossed it back to him on a screen on the ensuing play. Kiffin followed his blockers for a touchdown to push the lead to 13 at halftime.
Early in the third, Smith broke open on a coverage bust, and Kiffin found him for a 49-yard touchdown to stretch the lead to 21 points.
The Saints punched back with consecutive scoring drives to make it a one-possession game. Hebert scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, and Dorsey exploded for a 39-yard score on the two drives.
U-High drove down the field on the next drive before facing a fourth down at the West Feliciana 28-yard line. Kiffin found Smith for a touchdown to extend the lead. The Cubs defense then stood tall, forcing a turnover on downs to get the ball back. Kiffin added a 4-yard rushing score after getting the ball back.
“We had to just make sure we regrouped,” Cubs coach Andy Martin said about his defense. "We kind of got a little starry-eyed a little bit. We settled in, and everybody started making plays again.”
Bellard added a 37-yard score to put the finishing touches on the win.
“We showed our physicality on offense, had lots of things open,” Martin said. “The playbook was wide open for us, and they capitalized on it.”