ABBEVILLE After a less than stellar start to their 2026 season, the Ascension Episcopal Blue Gators have put themselves in a position to accomplish a feat most wouldn't have predicted seven weeks ago.

Ascension Episcopal went on the road and defeated the Vermilion Catholic Screamin' Eagles 42-0 in Abbeville on Friday night, giving them a fifth triumph in their last six outings.

That win, coupled with Jeanerette's 26-19 win over Westminster-Lafayette, give the Blue Gators an opportunity to clinch a share of the District 7-1A championship with a win next Friday, following an 0-2 start to the season.

"It was a good win for us tonight; a good team victory," Ascension Episcopal coach Jay Domengeaux said. "The kids played hard, made a number of plays, and took advantage of the circumstances that they needed to."

Ascension Episcopal got on the scoreboard first, scoring on the first possession of the game when Owen LeBlanc ran in a 16-yard touchdown at the 7:34 mark of the first quarter for a quick 7-0 lead.

Following an errant Vermilion Catholic snap on a punt attempt that gave Ascension Episcopal a first-and-goal, the Blue Gators took advantage with a 3-yard touchdown run by LeBlanc for a 14-0 lead with 5:33 left in the first quarter.

"It was critical for us to have that quick start," Domengeaux said. "VC is a dangerous football team. They're well-coached, they play hard, and their program has had a lot of success. Getting off to that kind of start was big."

The Ascension Episcopal passing attack got into the act at the 2:46 mark of the first quarter, when Eli Gros connected with Rive Trahan on a 33-yard touchdown toss for a 21-0 cushion.

The Blue Gators scored the final points of the first half at the 5:18 mark of the second quarter, courtesy of a 1-yard plunge by LeBlanc - his third touchdown of the game - taking it 28-0 into the half.

"We ran the ball well tonight, and made a couple of big pass plays," said Domengeaux. "The offensive line played really well, and the defense was outstanding."

Just as they did in the first half, Ascension Episcopal scored the first points of the second half, when Gros hit Rive Trahan with a 36-yard scoring strike at the 6:16 mark of the third quarter.

The Blue Gators added one final score at the 6:46 mark of the fourth quarter with an Aiden Johnson 9-yard touchdown run for the 42-0 final.

After beginning the year with back-to-back losses, Ascension Episcopal scored on the final play of the game to defeat Northside in Week 3, and has seemingly gotten better every week since them, winning five of its last six outings.

"The kids have worked real hard, and did all the things necessary to get better," said Domengeaux said. "Everyone on this team has made us better, and my coaching staff has done a great job in helping us get to where we're at."

With the victory, Ascension Episcopal improve to 5-3, overall, and 4-1 in district play, while Vermilion Catholic fell to 2-7, and 2-2, respectively.

The Blue Gators would earn at least a share of the district title with a win over Central Catholic of Morgan City.

"We have really good senior leadership, so I'm not concerned about that," said Domengeaux, when asked about a possible letdown after the win over VC. "We don't do a lot of standing around at practice, and the guys have been focused all year, so I think we'll be ready."

And now the Blue Gators will have a chance to finish the regular season with at least a share of a district title

"I'm very proud of this group," said Domengeaux. "We still have to continue to work to get better, because we still have a lot of football ahead, including the playoffs. But we made great strides throughout the year, and that says a lot of the character of this team."