Jonesville, La. &045; St. Mary’s head coach Eric Weld is getting tired of telling his kids the same thing.

&8221;We have to overcome adversity, I preach it to these kids all the time,&8220; he said.

Adversity found St. Mary’s Friday night against Block and the 43-32 victory for the Tigers spelled relief for the road-weary coach.

&8221;If you would have told me that we would score 43 tonight I would have told you &8216;no chance.’ A good football team scores 43 points,&8220; Weld said after the contest.

Weld had plenty to worry about going into the contest. Heavy on his mind were the recent holes on his offensive and defensive lines.

The Tigers were forced to replace two linemen due to injuries prior to Friday’s contest and considering his pass-heavy offense centers around quarterback Lance Lacoste, Weld was concerned to say the least.

&8221;We were beat up. We lost three starters (including ejected Patrick Johnson) in this game so we were definitely worried,&8220; Weld said.

Lacoste saw things differently.

&8221;Those guys practice so hard. I got a lot of help tonight, and we were so well prepared for this game,&8220; Lacoste said.

The Tigers took to the air early and often against the Bears.

Lacoste hooked up with receiver Rod Washington for 65 yards in the Tiger’s second pass attempt, which set up the opening score by Washington to give St. Mary’s a 7-0 advantage in the first quarter.

&8221;They jumped all over us,&8220; Bears head coach Scott Green said. &8221;That’s a good team.&8220;

Block answered quickly in the first quarter when fullback A.J. Sharp dove through the end zone after a penalty-laden drive by the Bears.

Seventeen unanswered points in the second quarter gave St. Mary’s the 24-6 lead halfway through the period due in large part to Lacoste’s accurate passing.

Lacoste finished the half 9-14 with 204 yards.

Johnnie Lee breathed life back into the Bears when his 71-yard touchdown gallop near the four-minute mark gave home fans reason to cheer despite the 24-12 score.

&8221;They were just one touchdown away all night. We had them at arm’s length,&8220; Scott said.

Lacoste found receiver Nick Uhle two consecutive times to score one more touchdown before halftime, widening the Tiger’s lead over Block 30-12.

After the half Block continued to pound the ball on the ground and began to make headway after Lee scored on a 34-yard scamper. Lee finished with 210 yards on the ground.

An interception by Zach Harvey and a 66-yard run by Bryan Collins, Block found itself trailing six points 30-24 midway through the third quarter.

It was costly penalties that crushed the Bears hope for a return.

Block nullified a 70-yard touchdown run with a disheartening holding call and collapsed after several other infractions.

&8221;Between that and a (second quarter penalty in favor of St. Mary’s) that’s 14 points right there.&8220; Scott said.

Lacoste scored twice more for the Tigers before the end and Block could only muster a single touchdown on Matt Johnson’s 59-yard pass to A.J. Sharp.