GeauxPreps Week 3 Thursday Night Road Trip: Chris Ned, O-Line Lead Jennings to a Victory “For Coach Phelps”

by Marshall Loeffler // GeauxPreps.com

JENNINGS – Thursday night was an extra special victory for Bret Fuselier and the Jennings Bulldogs, and not just because it was the coveted first one of the season. It was the first win on their home field since Jennings legend and former head coach Rusty Phelps passed away last January. Phelps, who spent 28 years at the helm, won 200 games with the Bulldogs and guided the program to the 2019 state finals, and Jennings put together a familiar type of performance to defeat Welsh 47-28.

Senior Chris Ned had a complete game at quarterback, safety, and kick returner, making plays on just about every key snap. Speaking after the game, Ned had little need to take the spotlight, deflecting praise straight to his offensive line. “Just trying to bounce back from the two losses that we had, we knew we had some turnovers that cost us, so this one feels amazing,” he said. “The work we put in this whole offseason, we worked hard. Hard, hard, hard. I’m not gonna take the credit, all these guys were with me the whole game, and that’s why we kept getting better.”

Fuselier was mostly proud with how his linemen took over, but that may be because he is never too surprised by what Ned does under the lights. “Chris had a great game tonight, but that’s something that you’re used to,” Fuselier told me. “He’s the hardest worker we have, and he never wants to come off the field, so we go to work with him every play.”

Welsh struck first midway through the opening quarter when Ja’Kyrin Woodard scored on a 4th-and-goal run with 5:55 on the clock. Jennings answered shortly after, with Chris Ned connecting with Harrison Oustalet on an 11-yard touchdown pass to level the score at 6-6. Early in the second quarter, Woodard made a nice move and found room again, scampering 10 yards into the end zone to put Welsh back on top at 10:15. 

Jennings responded immediately: just under a minute later, Ned unleashed a 65-yard touchdown bomb down the right sideline to Armante Jones, and on the ensuing kickoff, freshman Nathan Broussard ran dove and dove on the kickoff to give Jennings possession deep in Welsh territory. The Bulldogs shifted to a heavy formation three minutes later after Ned set up a goal-line opportunity with a mid-air jump pass to Oustalet before diving over from a yard out for a touchdown.

Welsh countered with 4:33 left in the first half when quarterback Grant Haydel scrambled 7 yards into the end zone, followed by a two-point conversion as Bryson Prudhomme completed a halfback pass to Devante Castile. On the final drive before halftime, Ned once again found the corner, sprinting 38 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown for Jennings going into the locker room.

At halftime, Coach Fuselier issued a challenge to his front five, and the team responded on the first drive onward. “We challenged our D-line and O-line at halftime to come out and take over this game for us, and that’s what they did,” Fuselier said. “Offensive line was tremendous in the second half, and our entire defense adjusted and did what we needed.”

Jennings received the ball to start the second half and another goal-line touchdown dive by Ned to pull ahead 32-20. Welsh had a key drive in that third quarter to give within one possession again, but Jennings defensive lineman Dejohn Zeno came up with a tough 4th-and-1 stop to kill the drive. From there, fullback Tyler Waltrip started getting the ball and taking control, busting through the middle on a few power runs to churn the clock. Marquel Gordon extended the lead with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, followed by a two-point conversion run by Ned. 

Dailen Nixon added a 6-yard touchdown catch to put the game out of reach, and Waltrip broke free for another long run to seal it. Welsh tacked on a late highlight with just over four minutes remaining when Haydel hit Prudhomme for an 80-yard touchdown pass, which was one of several impressive throws by Haydel on the night, but with the big “RP” initials on the grass, the Bulldogs were playing with a big home crowd energy, and the evening belonged to Jennings.

For head coach Bret Fuselier and his staff, the win was another in a long line of victories for a program that he has admired before Coach Phelps had even arrived in Jennings. “Coach Phelps was the head coach here when I was growing up, and I remember watching them make the Dome run in ’92 with Coach Viator before that,” Fuselier said. “When I think about this program that I had so much respect for growing up, it’s humbling to be in these shoes. I have a great coaching staff, our defensive coordinator is Peyton Phelps, Coach Phelps’ son, so it’s an honor to be part of a program like this.”

Thanks to Under The Lights and Elisha Duhon for photos and video from this game.