St. Paul’s got a balance of enough offense and a solid defense as the Wolves pounded the John Ehret Patriots, 34-10, Friday night in the bi-district round of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association football playoffs at Hunter Stadium.

SPS sophomore quarterback Alec Duncan clicked on 12-of-21 passes for 179 yards, including a 6-yard scoring pass to Stephon Smith. The sophomore running back also tallied on two 1-yard runs to help spark the Wolves to victory.

St. Paul’s (9-2), the No. 12 seed, travels to Thibodaux to take on the unbeaten Tigers (9-0), the No. 5 seed, in the regional round Friday. Thibodaux edged the Covington Lions, 26-21, Friday night to advance.

St. Paul'€™s receiver Patrick Huval (80) goes up for a reception defended by John Ehret'€™s Isaac Brooks in Friday'€™s bi-district game at Hunter Stadium. (Photo by Mike McCall)

Duncan, who showed poise in the pocket, shared his thoughts on the victory.

“Our offensive line blocked perfectly. We knew they were going to blitz heavy in the game. We game in with a perfect game plan, which we executed well. It called for quit routes, and that worked for us,” Duncan said.

“Our defense also played lights out football. It was a great all-around team victory,” the sophomore QB added.

St. Paul’s coach Ken Sears praised Duncan for his poise and decision making. Sears said his club cut down on penalties and took care of the ball.

”Hats off to my coaches, who put together a great game plan on both sides of the ball,” Sears said.

The Wolves’ mentor said it was a great team victory.

“I think a big key for us that we were physical on both offense and defense. The kids executed the game plan, and we were able to eliminate mistakes that were nailing us all year long,” Sears added.

The night started out bad for St. Paul’s as John Ehret’s Craig Johnson returned the opening kickoff 66 yards to put the Patriots in business at the Wolves’ 32. Ehret senior running back Deante´ Triplett carried five consecutive times, eventually scoring from the 2-yard line. Senior quarterback Rico Jones connected with Johnson on a successful two-point conversion to take an 8-0 lead with less than three minutes off the clock.

St. Paul’s responded with a 15-play drive finished off by Smith’s first touchdown from the 1. Jake Saltalamacchia booted the PAT to make it 8-7 with 1:49 left in the opening period.

On Ehret’s next possession, the Patriots drove down to the St. Paul’s 13 but failed to convert on a fourth-and-eight as Steven Smith deflected away a pass.

Two possessions later, St. Paul’s Duncan directed a seven-play drive that resulted in Smith’s second 1-yard tally. Duncan went 2-for-2 with a 37-yard strike to Patrick Huval, who finished with five catches for 82 yards, and an 18-yard toss to Will Gensler down to the 1. Saltalamacchia tacked on the point after with 7:09 left in the second quarter to make it 14-8.

St. Paul’s forced an Ehret punt. On the Wolves’ drive, Duncan hooked up with Jermaine Sams on a 39-yard strike to move the ball to the Ehret 21. Facing fourth-and-four, Saltalamacchia connected on a 32-yard field goal to push the lead to 17-8 with 1:38 left in the half.

On Ehret’s next possession SPS junior defensive end Houston Bates went in untouched and hit Jones when he was about to release a pass. The ball deflected into the hands of senior Brian Logarbo at the Ehret 40, and he lumbered down to the Patriot’s 5-yard line before being brought down. With only 45 seconds left, Duncan rolled to the right, and after being hit at the 1, he fumbled into the end zone, where running back Mikhail Washington alertly fell on the ball with 37 seconds left in the first half. Saltalamacchia booted the PAT for a 24-8 lead.

Ehret tried to move the ball on its next possession, which proved to be an ill-advised move. With just 16 ticks left with the ball on the St. Paul’s 45, Bates caused a fumble. Wolves’ senior middle linebacker Jordan Bodenheimer picked up the loose ball and rambled down to the 13 with only seconds left. Saltalamacchia made the most of the turnover splitting the uprights from 30 yards out with no time remaining to send the Wolves to the locker room with a commanding 27-8 lead.

St. Paul’s continued its steady defensive play in the second half to hold off John Ehret.

Duncan closed out the Wolves’ scoring hitting Smith on 6-yard TD pass with 25 seconds left in the third quarter.

Saltalamacchia converted his fourth point after to push the lead to 34-8.

The only points John Ehret could muster against the SPS in the second half was a safety when the Wolves were tackled in their end zone with 7:05 remaining in the game.

St. Paul’s defensive coordinator Lee Pierre said the Wolves’ defense executed the plan really well.

“We put in a special nickel coverage. Luckily, we got enough pressure from our front four that we were able to drop back in coverage. When you get an athletic team like John Ehret with a talented quarterback (Jones) and great receivers, it is key to be able to get pressure up front,” he said.

St. Paul’s Mikhail Washington gained 39 yards on 10 carries, while senior fullback Josh Pereira totaled 30 yards on 12 carries.

Jones, who was pressured the entire night, completed 13-of-28 passes for 126 yards with one interception.

Johnson, Ehret’s senior receiver, caught eight passes for 62 yards, while Triplett gained 105 yards on 16 carries, and had two long runs called back due to penalties. The Patriots were penalized 13 times for 116 yards, while SPS only committed two penalties for 30 yards.