Zachary and Opelousas duked it out in a ranked matchup. See who was able to pull away.

The Zachary High football team enters the field carrying an American flag at the start of its Sept. 20, 2024, game. Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Zachary found itself in a familiar position once again.

For the third straight game, the Broncos were locked in a tense battle that required some fourth-quarter execution to turn back a determined Opelousas team during a 24-6 homecoming victory Friday at Bronco Field. “When something like that happens, it turns to whether you can play four quarters,” Zachary coach David Brewerton said. “Can you wear on people for four quarters? I’m proud of our guys for playing four quarters and taking over late in the game the way that we had to do that.

” Class 5A’s No. 8 Zachary (3-1) rallied from a three-point deficit in the third quarter with 21 unanswered points against reigning Class 4A nonselect state champion Opelousas (1-3), the fourth-ranked team in its class. After a scoreless first half, Opelousas’ four-star running back Da’Shaun Ford went 78 yards for a touchdown on first down, recapturing the lead 6-3 after Rafael Costa’s 21-yard field goal had given Zachary a 3-0 lead.

The Broncos’ scoring spree included three rushing touchdowns over a 10-minute span with Da’vekio Ruffin scoring on runs of 2 and 11 yards, and Nate James adding a 4-yard TD with 7:42 remaining in the game. “Defense was on the field a lot against a great offense,” Opelousas coach Jimmy Zachery said. “You can�.