Catholic-New Iberia already defeated two of the top three seeds in the Division III Select bracket.
The Panthers then took down the top seed, Dunham, in a thrilling finish in Friday afternoon’s LHSAA Prep Classic Division III Select championship game in New Orleans.
Catholic-New Iberia built a 31-14 lead in the third quarter and then held off a late rally, getting an interception in the end zone in the final seconds to defeat the Tigers, 31-28, at the Caesars Superdome. It was the third state title in program history for the Panthers, who also won it all in 1962 and again in 2017.
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CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA 31, DUNHAM 28 FINAL
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POSTGAME
- There was a total of 145 offensive plays run in this game, which sets a new LHSAA Prep Classic record.
- Catholic-New Iberia holds off a furious Dunham rally to claim the Division III Select state championship.
FOURTH QUARTER
- INTERCEPTION CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. WOW. Dunham goes for it on fourth-and-goal from the 3. Elijah Haven gets the snap and looks for a receiver. He throws it, and it is picked off in the end zone by the Panthers' Karon Eugene. The Panthers are going to survive with 46 seconds left.
- Dunham stopped on first-and-goal. An incomplete pass on second-and-goal. Then Elijah Haven is stopped 3 yards short of the goal line on a keeper with 54 seconds left. Fourth-and-goal now for the Tigers. What will they do?
- BLOCKED PUNT DUNHAM. A BLOCKED PUNT by Dunham, and the Tigers have the ball inside the 10 with less than two minutes left. Holy mackerel.
- Dunham holds on third down and should get the ball back with around 1:45 left. Tigers have two time outs in their pocket.
- Catholic-New Iberia faces a second-and-long as Dunham takes its first time out with 2:10 left.
- Catholic-New Iberia picks up a first down with less than three minutes left as Luke Landry throws a pass to move the sticks.
- TOUCHDOWN DUNHAM. Tigers quickly move down the field with a three-play drive and make it a one-score game as Elijah Haven hooks up with Trevor Haman for a 42-yard TD, with Dunham adding the PAT. It's going to go down to the wire now (Catholic-New Iberia, 31-28 | 3:39, 4th)
- Catholic-New Iberia fails to convert on a third down and will punt it to Dunham with more than four minutes to go.
- CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA FUMBLE RECOVERY. A procedure penalty backs Dunham up 5 yards; then on the next play, the Tigers fumble on a running play, and the Panthers' Bennett Woodring grabs it with less than seven minutes left. The Panthers get a huge goal-line stand.
- Elijah Haven gets out of a sack and finds a receiver downfield, and Dunham has a first-and-goal inside the Catholic-New Iberia 5.
- And Dunham just recovered an onside kick. Business is starting to pick up in the Caesars Superdome.
- TOUCHDOWN DUNHAM. Tigers break the Panthers' run of 28 unanswered points by scoring for the first time since the opening quarter. Elijah Haven takes a keeper in from a yard out, and Dunham cuts the Panther lead to 10 (Catholic-New Iberia, 31-21 | 8:51, 4th)
- Dunham gets the first down and the Tigers are picking up the tempo, and now have the ball in Panther territory.
- Dunham starts the fourth quarter facing an important third down near its 35-yard line.
THIRD QUARTER
- TOUCHDOWN CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. Four straight TDs now for the Panthers, the latest a 6-yard pass from Luke Landry to Joseph LeBlanc which finished off a 12-play 71-yard drive to start the second half. PAT makes it a 17-point Panther lead (Catholic-New Iberia, 31-14 | 8:14, 3rd)
- Owen Morris breaks off a 24-yard run inside the Dunham 10 on a third down, and Catholic-New Iberia has a first-and-goal.
- Catholic-New Iberia converts on a fourth-and-short and have the ball inside Dunham's 40-yard line.
- Catholic-New Iberia gets the kickoff to begin the second half.
HALFTIME
- Catholic-New Iberia has 256 yards of total offense in the first half (92 rushing, 164 passing), while Dunham has 232 yards total (74 rushing, 158 passing).
- We'll see how big that no-call on the Dunham Hail Mary comes back to affect this game in the second half. At any rate, Catholic-New Iberia is up by 10 points at the break.
SECOND QUARTER
- A huge break by Catholic-New Iberia to end the first half. Dunham QB Elijah Haven appeared to complete a Hail Mary 31-yard strike into the end zone, where Jarvis Washington Jr. - guarded by at least a pair of Panther defenders - grabbed it. He was initially ruled out of the end zone when he caught it, but replays appeared to show Washington got a foot down in the end zone. However, after the review, the call stands as incomplete. (Catholic-New Iberia, 24-14 | :00, 2nd)
- Nice drive by Dunham, getting down the field, capped by a long pass from Elijah Haven to Jarvis Washington Jr. inside the Catholic-New Iberia 30 with one second left. Tigers take time out.
- TOUCHDOWN CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. Third straight TD for the Panthers, as Bennett Woodring scores his second straight, this time taking a handoff and plunging in from 3 yards out. PAT puts Panthers up by 10 (Catholic-New Iberia, 24-14 | :36, 2nd)
- Catholic-New Iberia pins Dunham deep after a punt. Tigers go three-and-out, and the Panthers get the ball back after a punt just past midfield in Dunham territory with a minute to go until halftime.
- Catholic-New Iberia with plenty of momentum now. Panthers force another Dunham punt and get the ball with nearly three minutes to go in the half.
- TOUCHDOWN CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. Panthers take their first lead on the day as QB Luke Landry, with a flick of his left arm, throws a 1-yard TD pass to Bennett Woodring, one play after Landry threw a 34-yard pass to Jaiden Mitchell. PAT puts Panthers up three (Catholic-New Iberia, 17-14 | 5:07, 2nd)
- Catholic-New Iberia gets a third-down sack, and forces Dunham to punt. Panthers get the ball back with a chance to take their first lead on the day.
- TOUCHDOWN CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. Panthers find the end zone for the first time this afternoon, as Tristan Lewis takes a handoff and bounces off several tacklers and into the end zone, finishing off a 14-yard run. PAT is good (Dunham, 14-10 | 9:59, 2nd)
- Both teams punt the ball away to one another as the first quarter ends.
FIRST QUARTER
- TOUCHDOWN DUNHAM. Tigers quickly move down the field again and score a second TD, as QB Elijah Haven finds receiver Jarvis Washington Jr. from 36 yards out (Dunham, 14-3 | 3:21, 1st)
- FIELD GOAL CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA. Panther QB Luke Landry avoided a third-down sack by firing a short pass to Owen Morris which turned into a long gain deep in Dunham territory. That eventually set up a 35-yard field goal by Bennett Boudreaux. (Dunham, 7-3 | 5:24, 1st)
- TOUCHDOWN DUNHAM. QB Elijah Haven runs a keeper 5 yards into the end zone on third down, completing a 75-yard opening drive by the Tigers. (Dunham, 7-0 | 9:05, 1st)
- Dunham already in the red zone on the opening series.
- Dunham will field the opening kickoff to start this game and we are under way.
PREGAME
- Coming to you from the Caesars Superdome, as Catholic-New Iberia gets set to take on Dunham.
ABOUT CATHOLIC-NEW IBERIA (12-1)
In their quarterfinal, the No. 7-seeded Panthers (12-1) upended No. 2 seed Isidore Newman, 31-0. Then in last week’s semifinal, they rallied late, getting a successful onside kick and a field goal in the closing seconds to win at No. 3 seed Calvary Baptist, 33-31.
Catholic-New Iberia has one of the premier quarterbacks in the state in senior Luke Landry, who has thrown for more than 2,600 yards and 37 TDs.
Making its seventh title-game appearance, the Panthers won it all in 1962 and again in 2017.
ABOUT DUNHAM (13-0)
Dunham has put up strong numbers on both sides of the ball. Dunham, led by perhaps the top-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2027 in sophomore Elijah Haven, has averaged 34.9 points per game while allowing 12.2 points per contest.
In the quarterfinal round two weeks ago, the Tigers survived No. 9 seeded Lafayette Christian, winning 34-30. Then last week, they rolled past No. 5 seeded Bunkie, 46-22.
Dunham is making its third appearance in a state championship game. The Tigers won it all in 2004 in Class 1A and then played for the Division III Select title two years ago.
