DeRidder had some opportunities in the early minutes, but St. Louis Catholic rebuffed them all and won 3-1 on Thursday at home to earn at least a share of the Division III, District 3 championship.

The Saints (7-5-6, 2-0) can win the district title outright with a win over Washington-Marion on Jan. 23.

St. Louis, the sixth-ranked team in Division III, won its fourth consecutive game.

DeRidder (7-6-4, 0-1) got off three shots in the first 11 minutes, including a free kick after a handball, but senior goalkeeper Noah Ellender stopped all of them and finished with seven saves. Perhaps his biggest save came in the 32nd minute. It looked as if the Dragons had cut the Saints’ lead to 2-1 when Tucker Williams’ free kick from the left side hit off the far post, but Ellender was able to pull the ball back before it completely crossed the goal line.

The Saints broke the scoreless tie in the 15th minute and needed a second chance to do it. They were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area but failed to score. But the Saints caught a break when a DeRidder player drew a yellow card for advancing on the ball before it was kicked, and Drake Hinton fired it in on the second chance.

The Dragons were called for a handball inside the 18-yard box in the 28th minute, setting up Stephen Polito’s penalty kick goal. It was his 19th goal of the season.

The Saints’ third goal came at the end of the first half when Grayson Allen used a soft tap to redirect a throw-in from Hinton past the Dragons’ keeper.

DeRidder lone goal came in the 72nd minute when Ryan Armetta scored with an assist by Willy Aguilar.