BERWICK — Following Friday’s 54-0 loss to Chalmette, Berwick head football coach Craig Brodie said his squad was “big time overmatched” against the visiting Owls.

Anyone who battled the inclement weather to watch the game could hardly disagree.

The Owls scored six first-half touchdowns — three on offense as well as an interception return, a safety and a fumble return — and coasted to the victory.

Despite the final score, Brodie said he was proud of his team’s effort.

“I thought we competed well,” he said.

Originally, Brodie said Berwick was to face Delcambre High in Week 1, but the Iberia Parish opponent — who Brodie said his squad matched up with better — backed out at the last minute.

Although the Owls dominated the game, it totaled just 235 yards of offense, all but seven of them on the ground.

The Chalmette defense excelled too, limiting Berwick to -55 yards of total offense, all on the ground. The Panthers mustered a single first down, on a 10 yard scamper by BHS quarterback Reed Leonard on the Panthers first offensive play of the second half.

The home squad never passed midfield the entire game and fumbled the ball 12 times combined on offense, defense and special teams on the wet field, losing four of them.

Leonard didn’t complete a pass in five attempts and threw one interception. A lack of returning experience on offense, Brodie said, hurt the Panthers’ chances of establishing a passing game against the Owls.

“It negates any kind of passing game in a situation like this, which is a big part of our game,” he said. “The weather had nothing to do with it. If it was dry, we still would have got what we got. (They) were just a much better football team.”

Despite the misfortune, things didn’t start out all bad for Berwick.

On its opening drive, Chalmette moved down the field — all on the ground — to the Berwick 7 yard line where the Berwick defense forced Chalmette running back Cameron Cosie (11 carries, 65 yard, 1 score) to fumble. Berwick defensive linemen Caleb Griffin recovered the loose ball for the Panthers.

However, moments later, Berwick gave the ball back to Chalmette when Leonard attempted to throw the ball away, and instead it was intercepted by Chalmette’s Perry Ezab at the 4 yard line and returned for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead with 4:02 remaining in the first quarter.

Chalmette quickly added a second score after successfully converting an onside kick that David Smith recovered at the Panther 49.

On the drive’s second play, running back Michael Mercadel broke a 44 yard run down to the Panther 9 yard line. Two plays later, Mercadel scored on a 4 yard run.

The extra point failed, but with 2:49 left in the first, Chalmette led 13-0.

Mercadel led the Chalmette ground game with 10 carries for 78 yards and a score.

Chalmette added another first quarter score — a 5 yard pass from quarterback Sean Beckwith to Daniel Davis — with 1:33 remaining.

The score was set up when Berwick’s Josh Engleton fumbled, and Chalmette’s Tyronne Clark recovered the pigskin at the Panther 5 yard line.

Chalmette continued to take advantage of Panther miscues in the second quarter.

Three plays after the Panther defense stopped the Owls at the Berwick 4 yard line, Ruston Pritchard tackled Berwick running back Raheem Colar in the end zone for a safety with 7:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Chalmette added scores at the 6:45 mark on a Cosie run, at the 6:27 mark on a 32 yard interception return by Kemon Junius, and a 22 yard fumble return of a Colar fumble by Collin Laborde at the 1:27 mark.

The Owls added two more scores in the second half, one on its first drive on a Clark 6 yard run and again in the fourth quarter when Timothy Ben picked up a Drew Landry fumble at the Panther 3 yard line and returned it for a score.

Berwick returns to action Friday when it hosts the Morgan City Tigers at Geislar Stadium in a 7 p.m. matchup of 0-1 teams. Morgan City lost 37-0 to Comeaux High School.

“I think that we match up better physically,” Brodie said of the Tigers. “It’s going to be a good football game.”