Speed kills. So does exemplary special teams play.

Westgate had the advantage in both categories Friday night, and used it to beat crosstown rival New Iberia Senior High 41-7 in the District 4-5A opener for both teams at Lloyd G. Porter Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers (3-3, 1-0) returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 72 yards to set up another TD, blocked a punt to set up a third touchdown and averaged better than 50 yards per punt, compared to under 20 per kick for the Yellow Jackets.

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WHS also had a 70-yard scoring run in the first quarter and a 40-yard scoring pass in the second period to blow the game open, and held NISH (3-3, 0-1) to negative rushing yardage in the first half.

“I knew we were going to have a hard time with their (defensive) front and our offensive line,” said NISH coach Rick Hutson. “But we let them get all the momentum they needed in the kicking game.”

“I think field position was a real big part of it,” acknowledged WHS coach Brian Fine. “Siegan (Vergenal) did a great job punting. (David Youman) blocked a punt. It’s always a factor when you block a punt. In fact, I thought we would block one earlier.”

But the biggest play was the kickoff return that followed New Iberia’s lone touchdown. The Jackets had just marched 78 yards in 17 plays, with Emanuel Harding scoring on a four-yard carry, to pull NISH to within 20-7 with 1:50 left in the half. Quarterback Ryan Clement completed six passes for 60 yards on the drive, including completions on five straight plays, to set up the touchdown.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Westgate prior to a field goal attempt set up a fourth-and-one at the 14 that NISH converted to keep the drive going.

But Westgate running back D.J. Sophus, who earlier scored on a 70-yard run, swung the momentum back in the Tigers’ favor on the ensuing kickoff, racing up the sideline before being pushed out of bounds at the NISH 25.

Four plays later, backup WHS quarterback Diontae Spencer found tight end Reginald Charles wide open over the middle for an 11-yard scoring pass. The 2-point pass from Spencer to linebacker Seth Stansbury, in at tight end for the conversion, made it a 28-7 lead with 47.6 seconds to go in the half.

“The kickoff return was big to get us in the end zone right before the half,” said Fine. “D.J. made a great run to get us back in it right after they scored.”

“On the kickoff, the last thing we want to do is put the ball in 5’s hands,” said Hutson. “We wanted to kick toward the corner and it went right down the middle.”

Sophus got his first TD on the Tigers’ second snap — the first resulted in a holding penalty — getting loose up the gut before cutting left and racing virtually untouched for the score. The PAT was blocked by New Iberia’s Harold Roberts.

WHS made it 12-0 on the 75-yard punt return by Courtney Sparrow when two NISH defenders failed to attempt a tackle as Hopes scooped the ball up at the 25. Sparrow was flagged for taunting after evading NISH punter Michael Lamothe, but the TD counted. The point-after again was tipped but the two big plays had Westgate in control with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

“I don’t know if we fell asleep,” said Hutson. “We had two guys right on him. Maybe they thought it was a fair catch or it was going to roll dead.

“That’s two big critical mistakes. We struggled in the kicking game. We needed a short field and we didn’t get one all night.”

Spencer completed five of six pass attempts in the first half for 76 yards, including a 40-yarder to wide-open receiver Justin Williams in the second period. Spencer also added a 24-yard scoring run in the third quarter. Starter Deon Anthony sat out the game with an injured ankle.

“Diontae, I thought, played real well,” said Fine. “We did the same things we always do. He practices well and he’s capable of doing the same things Deon does. He’s just younger.”

Sophus finished with 72 yards on five carries to pace the Tigers. Third-team QB Korey Nowak scored on a six-yard keeper in the fourth quarter after a short NISH punt.

Clement finished the night 14-for-29 for 170 yards but left the game in the third quarter after being slung down following a handoff. Lamothe, the backup QB and punter as well as a starting linebacker, also did not finish the game, bruising a shoulder on the touchdown drive.

“I was a little disappointed” that no penalty was called when Clement was tackled, said Hutson. “I thought he got thrown down late.

“We felt there was no reason for him to go back in. We wanted to get the young kid (Jordy Joseph) some playing time.

Uriah Joseph finished with 41 yards on nine carries to lead the NISH rushing game, but only Lamothe had positive yards — 2 on four carries — in the first half.

New Iberia travels to Carencro next week while Westgate is at Pineville in a pair of district games.