Thibodaux Stays Undefeated with Clutch Field Goal by Peyton Domangue

Written By Kyle Valdez
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On Friday night, the Thibodaux Tigers prevailed over the Mcdonogh 35 Roneagles. Thibodaux High’s Peyton Domangue, Tyren Young, and Kyren Lacy helped complete a dramatic comeback. Riding a two-game winning streak, the Tigers had a chance to open their season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 2008. Mcdonogh 35, losers of two straight, were looking to get their first win of the season. Although they had a winless record, it would be unwise to overlook a team that opened their schedule against powerhouse opponents in St. Augustine and Edna Karr.

The night’s scoring opened when Mcdonogh 35’s QB Manuel Armstrong connected with Corey Chambers for a 69-yard touchdown reception with 8:43 left in the first quarter. Thibodaux quickly responded with a 71-yard reception by Kyren Lacy (UL-Lafayette commit) on the first play of their drive. The Tigers continued the scoring when Peyton Domangue knocked in a 32-yard FG to give Thibodaux their first lead of the night at 10-8.

 In the second quarter, the teams went back and forth, resulting in three lead changes. Mcdonogh 35’s Steveland Williams ran the ball four yards to retake the lead at 15-10. Thibodaux responded again when Tyren Young scored on a 39-yard TD catch by breaking multiple tackles and willing his way into the end zone. Mcdonogh 35 eventually took a 22-17 lead into halftime after Steveland Williams broke loose on a 52-yard touchdown.

In the opening stages of the 2nd half, Mcdonogh 35 stretched the lead to 12 when the defense stripped Thibodaux’s Ferronte Miller and DB David Ellis returned the ball for a touchdown. For the final 9:35 of the third quarter and all the fourth quarter, the Thibodaux defense would pitch a shutout. The Tigers trimmed the lead throughout 2nd half. A Kyren Lacy touchdown reception for 16 yards, and a 32-yard FG by Domangue cut the Roneagle lead to just two points.  
 
In the fourth, the only score was when Peyton Domangue drilled a 42-yard field goal with 4:56 left in the 4th quarter. The clutch kick gave Thibodaux the final lead change of the game at 30-29. When asked about his impressive kicks, Domangue responded, “That’s what I practice for. I kick hundreds of balls every day and I just lined up, and I did what I usually do… Part of kicking is 75% mental, I focused on the sideline, I thought myself through the kick, and I just executed.”

For Thibodaux, they start the season with their best record in over a decade. Both sides of the ball were inspired all night. The defense didn’t allow a point in the second half, and the offense made the plays when needed. Receiver and ULL commit Kyren Lacy finished with five catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Tyren Young caught six passes for 86 yards. Quarterback Luke Alleman threw for 364 yards on 24-33 passing. Although Alleman was sacked a few times, the O-Line was very impressive for most of the night, giving Alleman enough time to find targets.

 “You can’t give up on your team because you took a big hit. You know you’re going to take big hits in the game. Maybe one or two, sometimes 10 or 15 big hits in a game. It doesn’t matter, you have to stay in there and make big time throws and you can’t give up on your guys.” said Luke Alleman. 
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Looking forward to Week 4, Thibodaux opens district play against Central Lafourche on the road. Central Lafourche is looking to improve on their perfect 3-0 record behind the crazy stats of star RB Deon Jenkins Jr.

For the Roneagles, their 0-3 record might feel like a huge disappointment, but their non-district schedule is insanely difficult. They had many opportunities to beat Thibodaux down the stretch, but their offense couldn’t convert in the 2nd half. Although they put 29 points on the board, one touchdown was by the defense, and two of the touchdowns were off plays for 51+ yards. Although QB Manuel Armstrong totaled 240 yards on 12-18 passing, the offense just couldn’t put together any strong drives all game. Looking to rebound from the tough loss, it doesn’t get any easier for the Roneagles as they travel to face G.W. Carver.