Walker High's Brian Thomas (11) accounted for more than 350 all-purpose yards and scored four of his team's five touchdowns.
Walker quarterback Ethan McMasters (8) has a parish-best 814 yards and seven touchdowns.
Walker High's Brian Thomas (11) was selected as the District 4-5A Co-MVP on offense.
MANDEVILLE – After opening the season with a win over Madison Prep two weeks ago, Walker was hoping success would continue throughout the season.
Two games later, the Wildcats (1-2) are just hoping they can score enough points to just win some games.
Walker’s defense gave way for the second week in a row, yielding 54 points in 54-34 loss Friday at Fontainebleau.
The Wildcats, who gave up 48 in a loss to Destrehan last week, tried to go toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs, but could not stop FHS’ bruising running game.
Fontainebleau finished the game with 337 yards on the ground, 234 coming from star junior running back Iverson Celestine, who scored one touchdown rushing and one receiving.
Walker wide receiver Brian Thomas did his best to keep the Wildcats in the game, accounting for four of his team’s five touchdowns. He scored in almost every way possible and rolled up more than 350 all-purpose yards in the contest.
“It’s what we all do,” Thomas said of his big night. “When one person is done, we all just have to step up and I just tried to step up as much as I could and help my team.”
Walker coach Chad Mahaffey said there are definitely things the Wildcats can improve on as the season progresses.
“As coaches and players, if there are negative things we are doing, we have to change what we are doing,” he said. “I didn’t see a lot of quit, but we have to do better on defense. Offense didn’t do enough in the first half, and defensively our tackling was atrocious.”
After FHS took an early 7-0 lead, Thomas caught a 23-yard pass from quarterback Ethan McMasters to cap a 10-play, 70-yard drive and tie the score at 7-7.
Fontainebleau retook the lead on a 5-yard run by quarterback Josh Bailey near the end of the first quarter.
Thomas tied the game again late in the second quarter, returning a punt 75 yards for a touchdown with 3:36 left until intermission.
After FHS (1-2) went ahead again with a TD less than a minute later, Thomas caught another TD pass from McMasters, this one from 48 yards out to tie the game at 21-21 with just 57 second left in the half.
Fontainebleau scored twice in a four-minute span in the third quarter, getting an 11-yard run from Bailey and a 60-yard return of a McMasters' interception to pull ahead 35-21 with 4:26 left in the third.
McMasters, who passed for 255 yards and three TDs, hit Jasper Turner on a 32-yard scoring pass to cut the lead to 35-28, but Fontainebleau answered with a TD pass from Bailey to Dwayne Bernard.
After Walker was penalized on the scoring play for a late hit, Fontainebleau kicked off from the Walker 45-yard line. The kick was a short one that Thomas gathered at the 1-yard line and took all the way back, gliding to a 99-yard touchdown to cut the score to 41-34.
Fontainebleau went back to its run game for the final five minutes of the game, running the ball on 8 of 10 plays to finish, with one of the passes going for a score to Celestine, while the running back iced the game with a 14-yard TD run with 1:21 left.
Walker got the ball inside the 20 with under a minute remaining, but could do no more damage.
Thomas finished with 175 yards receiving, 11 rushing and the two kick returns or scores.
Thomas said the Wildcats have to be able to take something positive out of the loss.
“We just have to go back and watch the film and correct our mistakes and hopefully come out better,” he said. “We just have to play hard throughout the whole game and finish.”
Mahaffey had praise for Thomas but said he knows the Wildcats can’t count on that type of individual effort to win games.
“He’s a stud and he did some amazing things, but we can’t sit around and wait for (him) to make a play,” Mahaffey said. “We have a team full of guys on offense and defense and he can’t be the only guy that is doing something.”
Fontainebleau 54, Walker 34
Score By Quarters
Walker 7 14 0 13 - 34
Fontainebleau 14 7 14 19 - 54
Scoring summary
FHS - Dwayne Bernard 18 pass from Joshua Bailey (Austin Dupuy kick)
WHS - Brian Thomas 23 pass from Ethan McMasters (Bradley Cain kick)
FHS - Bailey 1 run (Dupuy kick)
WHS - Thomas 75 punt return (Cain kick)
FHS - Bernard 25 run (Dupuy kick)
WHS - Thomas 48 pass from McMasters (Cain kick)
FHS - Bailey 11 run (Dupuy kick)
FHS - Colin Gagnon 60 interception return (Dupuy kick)
WHS - Jasper Turner 32 pass from McMasters (Cain kick)
FHS - Bernard 5 pass from Bailey (kick failed)
WHS - Thomas 99 kickoff return (kick failed)
FHS - Iverson Celestine 10 pass from Bailey (Dupuy kick)
FHS - Celestine 14 run (kick failed)
WHS FHS
First downs 18 27
Yards rushing 57 337
Yards passing 255 187
Passes (C-A-I) 18-29-1 12-23-1
Punts-Avg. 2-32 3-24
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-0
Penalties-Yards 8-54 2-14
