Acadiana football’s senior quarterback Caden DiBetta dropped back for a pass on the Wreckin Rams' first play of the game against familiar foe Carencro. DiBetta connected with senior wide receiver Russell Babineaux who took it 75 yards for a first-play touchdown.

The Carencro sideline fell silent but for one sentiment from some players that could be heard: It's going to be a long night.

It was a long night indeed for the Bears who typically put up a valiant effort against their Class 5A District 3 rivals. Thursday’s tilt was a completely different story as the Wreckin’ Rams enforced their will. They showed they are the top dog in the 337, beating the Bears 51-7 and securing the Class 5A District 3 championship.

“This is the worst loss to Acadiana by far,” Carencro coach Gavin Peters said. “This is the worst one by far since I’ve been here at Carencro. I think the last six games have come down to one possession or less, and it's just completely unacceptable to go out here and perform the way we did tonight.”

Wreckin’ Rams execute on all levels

Opening up the game with a first-play touchdown was just the tip of the iceberg for the Wreckin’ Rams. They came into Thursday's matchup looking to take control early and DiBetta was the key to doing so. He threw for another touchdown in the first quarter, this time connecting with senior wide receiver Jaydon Bessard.

Once Acadiana secured a two-touchdown lead, it went back to its bread and butter; running it up the gut.

“We got some big plays early and we were efficient,” Acadiana coach Matt McCullough said. “I thought we made of course some big plays, but also grinding out some yards. So I thought we played really well on offense.”

On the ground, almost all of the Wreckin’ Rams running back room got involved but no one stood out more than senior running back Parker Bruno. Bruno only had three carries but that was all he needed, breaking out for touchdown runs on each rushing attempt. He finished the night with around 180 yards rushing to lead his team on the ground.

“This is special for me,” Bruno said. “Every time I got the ball I just felt like I could do something with it. Sometimes I don’t know how my O-line does it. You get the ball and sometimes it just spreads open and you just take it and do what you can.”

Bruno wasn’t the only back doing what he could with senior Tayden Collins and Dino Simon scoring rushing touchdowns for the Wreckin’ Rams.

Defensively, Acadiana was even more effective allowing the Bears little to nothing all night long. They even came away with the only takeaway of the game on an interception by senior cornerback Braylon Noel.

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Too many 'game-losing plays'

While Acadiana had its way in the Bears' open-air Cro Dome, Carencro struggled from the first drive of the game. They started with the ball and quickly had a three-and-out. This would become a theme for the Bears as they didn’t pick up their first, first down until the second quarter of the game.

Carencro’s offense struggled to find a rhythm and the same could be said for its defense, which had no answer for the Wreckin’ Rams explosive offense.

“It was a busted play by us. I mean, we're not reading our keys, not executing, not doing what we’re supposed to do in that situation,” Peters said of Acadiana’s opening-drive touchdown. “We call those GLPs — game-losing plays — and unfortunately we had a few too many of them tonight.”

It was all downhill for the Bears after they dug themselves into a first-quarter deficit they never could recover from. By halftime, they trailed 42-0 making this game no longer about comebacks but about maintaining some pride in front of their home crowd.

Luckily for them, freshman Brandon Duffy would give the Bears fans something to cheer for. The 6-foot-1 do-it-all athlete returned a kickoff to the house in the fourth quarter helping his team avoid a shutout.

“Brandon Duffy is a big-time player,” Peters said. “I think he proved tonight that he can play on a top level with a lot of guys, and I'm very excited about his future.”

For the Wreckin’ Rams, this was a final tune-up before the LHSAA playoff brackets are released with them a shoo-in likely to get a bye. For the Bears, the jury is still out on if they landed a spot in the brackets after finishing the regular season with a 4-6 overall record.

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Acadiana football blasts Carencro to secure district championship