First things first: QB Zaylen Smith directs East Ascension to district-opening win over Denham Springs
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
GONZALES – East Ascension quarterback Zaylen Smith may be in his first year as a starter, but the junior continues to stack solid performances.
His latest, though, may have been his best in helping the Spartans rally for a 26-20 victory Friday over Denham Springs in the District 5-5A opener for both teams.
Smith accounted for 206 yards of offense and three touchdowns, including two in the first half, that gave East Ascension a 13-7 lead, and his 5-yard pass to Mason Coto late in the third quarter provided a five-point lead.
“Anytime you’ve got a dual threat quarterback, that’s an extra runner that you’ve got to account for, which makes a difference,” East Ascension coach Brock Matherne said. “We’re happy with his progress. He’s played lights out all season, and it’s hard to defend somebody that can run the ball like that. We’re going to use him as long as he’s healthy and capable. It adds an extra element to our offense.”
East Ascension (3-1) matched its best start since 2019, overcoming deficits of 7-0 in the first quarter and 14-13 in the third quarter. The Spartans did so with long, methodical scoring drives of 14 plays and 71 yards in the first half and a 10-yard, 80-yard series in the second quarter.
Both possessions that ended up in the end zone took five minutes off the clock.
EA’s biggest show of strength came after the Spartans scored consecutive touchdowns within a minute that bridged the end of the third quarter with the start of the fourth.
Smith directed EA 51 yards in 11 plays on another drive that consumed five minutes, providing the go-ahead touchdown with his roll to the right to find Coto with 50 seconds left in the third.
The Spartans led 19-14 when Dawson Landry recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and Smith immediately went to work, connecting with Jason Blackburn for 21 yards to Denham Springs’ goal line. He added his second touchdown on a 1-yard keeper to make it 26-14 after Anthony Authement’s extra point.
Smith was 12 of 18 passing for 141 yards with an interception and a TD. He added 63 yards rushing on 12 carries.
“You have to account for him,” Denham Springs coach Brett Beard said of Smith. “He can pull it and throw it, so sometimes it’s hard to get your safeties in the run game. You have to honor the throw. He’s a kid that can beat you with his legs, and they gain a man right there. We’ve got to continue to fight. The D-line has to accept that challenge and get nasty, and we have to see if they want that challenge.”
Golmond completed 10 of 23 passes for 222 yards and a TD and added a team-high 33 yards rushing and a TD on eight attempts. His twin brother Da’Sean Golmond led the team with four catches for 123 yards and a 77-yard scoring reception for a 14-13 lead at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter.
After EA’s defense forced a punt with 10 minutes to play, the offense kept the ball for nearly the remainder of the game. The Spartans had the ball 13 plays – all on the ground – to drive 53 yards behind the running of Jamarius McCarty before having to punt with less than a minute to play.
McCarty rushed eight times for 37 on the drive and wound up with 60 yards on 11 attempts. Blackburn topped the Spartans with 21 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown.
The Spartans outgained the Yellow Jackets 380 to 304, with an emphasis on the run game, where they held a 239 to 82 advantage.
Denham Springs (2-2) foiled EA’s strategy for a game-opening onside kick into a 49-yard scoring drive that took six plays with Golmond spotting Paul near the goal line for a touchdown at the 8:50 mark.
EA, which drove to DSHS’ 8-yard line but came up empty on a reverse pass, tied the game at 7-all when Smith kept on first down, juked a defender, and sped 45 yards untouched less than two minutes into the second quarter.
The Yellow Jackets produced their first turnover when Quentin Clay registered the first of his two interceptions, picking off Blackburn’s halfback pass at EA’s 17 with 7:12 left in the second quarter. However, the Spartans forced two incompletions and Tony Miles sacked Golmond for a 4-yard loss, and placekicker Jonathan Bravo was wide left on a 37-yard field goal attempt.
“We started fast, which was nice, and then we stalled,” said Beard, whose team scored on the game’s final play on Da’Jean Golmond’s 3-yard run. “We’re getting to a point where we can’t get over that hump. It’s a weird deal and something we’ve got to continue to work and crack.”
Smith showed off his arm on his team’s scoring drive before halftime, completing a 36-yard pass to tight end Brysten Martinez, an LSU offensive line commitment, down the seam to the Yellow Jackets’ 20. He kept on the next three plays, picking up a first down on third-and-seven, and following two carries from Blackburn for three yards, Smith scored over the right side from three yards out with 1:02 left before halftime.
“I don’t even look at that,” Matherne said of his team’s 3-1 start. “It’s my goal to go 1-0 this week. Win today is the goal. This was the only opponent we looked at. We were not looking ahead on the schedule. It’s about us winning one game at a time, and we did that. I’m proud of the way we’ve started, but none of this matters if we don’t come to work and get better on Sunday.”
East Ascension 26, Denham Springs 20
Score By Quarters
Denham Springs 7 0 7 6 – 20
East Ascension 0 13 6 7 – 26
Scoring Summary
DSHS – Brenton Paul 13 pass from Da’Jean Golmond (Jonathan Bravo kick)
EAHS – Zaylen Smith 45 run (Andy Authement kick)
EAHS – Smith 3 run (kick blocked)
DSHS – DaSean Golmond 77 pass from DaJean Golmond (Bravo kick)
EAHS – Mason Coto 5 pass from Smith (Run failed)
EAHS – Jason Blackburn 1 run (Authement kick)
DSHS – DaJean Golmond 3 run (No kick)
DSHS EAHS
First Downs 13 26
Rushes-Yards 21-82 48-239
Passing Yards 222 141
A-C-I 10-23-0 12-20-2
Punts-Avg. 4-41 2-28
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 6-55 7-55
Rushing: DSHS: Da’Jean Golmond 8-33-TD, Brenton Paul 6-25; EAHS: Jason Blackburn 21-86-TD, Zaylen Smith 12-65, 2 TDs, Jamarius McCarty 11-60.
Passing: DSHS: Da’Jean Golmond 10-23-0-222, TD; EAHS: Zaylen Smith 12-18-1-141, TD
Receiving: DSHS: Da’Sean Golmond 4-123, Hayden Ray 3-42, Brenton Paul 2-49; EAHS: Jeremyah Merriweather 4-44, Brysten Martinez 2-53, Jayden Ursin 3-44.