Sometimes the most grievous wounds are self-inflicted.

Unforced errors proved to be the undoing of St. Aloysius in its Division 4-1A opener, as Bogue Chitto escaped with a lackluster 12-7 win on Friday.

The Flashes (3-2, 0-1 in division play) had four bad snaps, an interception and 10 penalties for 75 yards, one of which resulted in a touchdown being called back.

“A lot of it was a lack of focus,” St. Al quarterback Regan Nosser said. “We don’t think we had a good two weeks of practice. We had some bad calls and some bad plays, but we’re going to try to bounce back as best we can.”

After the two teams exchanged a mistake-plagued first quarter, Bogue Chitto tailback Byron Kersee took a handoff 60 yards to paydirt to put Bogue Chitto on top with just 2:01 remaining in the first half.

In the third quarter, the Flashes finally caught a break as Bobcat punter Garrett Wallace mishandled the snap on the Bogue Chitto 9 and he accidently kneeled down while trying to scramble away from the St. Al punt rush.

Three plays later, fullback Brendan Beesley barrelled in the end zone on a 3-yard run and Pierson Waring’s extra point gave the Flashes a narrow 7-6 lead with 3:01 left in the third.

Early in the fourth, the Flashes had a chance to add to their margin, as a short punt by Wallace gave them great field position at the Bogue Chitto 46. But a bad snap forced Nosser to fall on it for a 17-yard loss and the Flashes were forced to punt.

On the ensuing Bobcat drive, quarterback Javier Gee hit Kersee for a 25-yard gain. Two plays later, Kersee broke a couple of arm tackles and scampered 32 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:23 remaining in the contest. The two-point conversion pass by Gee slipped through the back of the end zone.

The Flashes had one last chance, but on third down and 4, Nosser’s pass to Luke Burnett was bobbled right into the hands of Kevin Brothern, who took it to midfield where the Bobcats (2-3, 1-0) were able to run out the clock.

“It was an ugly win, but we’ll dang sure take it,” Bogue Chitto coach Gareth Sartin said. “I knew it was going to be a physical game, because St. Al is a big, strong power team. Our defensive line and our linebackers did a great job tonight because their offensive line outweighs by 100 pounds in some spots. We fought hard.”

The Flashes return to action Friday with a Division 4-1A game at Dexter at 7 p.m.

“It hurts,” St. Al coach B.J. Smithhart said. “But we’re going to get back up. But you’ve got to give it to them, they whipped us up front.”

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com