2014 Evangeline Parish Jamboree slated for Friday night

The Evangeline Parish Jamboree will kick off the season for four of the parish gridiron teams Friday night. The jamboree rotation brings it to Ville Platte High School for 2014. The first game will start at 6:00 and will pit the Basile Bearcats against the Pine Prairie Panthers. Approximately 15 minutes after the first game, the Ville Platte Bulldogs will square off against the Mamou Demons.
Basile comes into the jamboree after a strong performance against DeQuincy in their scrimmage last Thursday. Head Coach Kevin Bertrand was pleased with the Bearcat performance. “Overall we did what we thought we would do against Dequincy,” stated Bertrand. “I really liked our effort and intensity. At the beginning of the scrimmage we had a few issues with alignment and our blocking up front wasn’t up to par. Our backs were not quite hitting the holes like I would have wanted. These are preseason issues that you can fix at practice. Defensively, we did better than I thought we would do.” Coach Bertrand was very complimentary of their opponent in the jamboree, the Pine Prairie Panthers. “They have really good athletes,” said Bertrand. “Their quarterback is really good and handles himself really well. They are very big up front. We are going to have to buckle down and play well against those guys.” The Basile first year head coach acknowledged that the jamboree will be used to evaluate his players heading into the regular season. “In the jamboree, I really want to see us fix the little mistakes that were made during the scrimmage,” exclaimed Bertrand. “We are going to focus on ourselves for evaluation. I would like to see us throw the ball a little more, but we will do what is necessary to correct our mistakes.”
Pine Prairie Head Coach Yves Prince likes the way his kids came out in the three-way scrimmage against Leesville and Bunkie on Friday. “Our players were really aggressive and it seemed like they were starting to understand the concepts we have been teaching them at practice,” asserted Prince. “The coaches saw a lot of positive things. I think the players are starting to believe in the coaches and themselves. We were more aggressive than we were last year.” Offensively and defensively, Prince saw a number of positive things. “I really thought we did a good job pass blocking,” declared Prince. “Our offensive line needs to become better run blockers. Defensively, we were attacking, which is what I like to see. We have a few fixable problems and still have a lot of work to do.” Prince commented on his jamboree opponent the Basile Bearcats. “Basile always has a good team,” said Prince. “They have one of the best running backs around. We can’t give up the big play to them. Hopefully, we can get up for the game and go full speed for the entire game. I just want to see us compete.”
The Mamou Demons also came out of their scrimmage with the Oberlin Tigers on a positive note. “Our guys played hard and with a lot of confidence,” said Head Coach Brian Brumfield. “I thought we played like we loved the game on Friday. That is one of the things I ask of them every day; play like you love the game. I want our players to understand that no matter the circumstances, we do not quit.” Offensively, the Demons move the ball, but had one too many miscues according to Brumfield. “We need to hold on to the ball more,” asserted Brumfield. “We had about three or four fumbles against Oberlin. Also, our receivers need to be more consistent catching the ball. The coaching staff will address those details at practice this week.” For the most part the Demons’ defense did its job against Oberlin. “I like the way we got after Oberlin,” Brumfield mentioned. “We stood our ground and played hard on defense. We just need to become better tacklers.” Brumfield was quick to praise his opposition in the jamboree, the Ville Platte High Bulldogs. “Ville Platte is very big up front,” said Brumfield. “They look strong and fast on film. They are a good solid team. We are going to have to play a complete game to compete with them.”
For Ville Platte High, the scrimmage against Lake Arthur was a tale of two halves. In the first 15-minute half, the Bulldogs looked sluggish at times. The second half, however, brought a change in the Dogs, as they looked a lot more active on both sides of the ball. “I thought our offensive line did a tremendous job of blocking against Lake Arthur on Friday,” a pleased Head Coach Jorie Randle said. “Even our receivers did a good job of sustaining blocks downfield in our running game. Terez Alfred really gave a spark when we needed it on offense. Overall I would give us a ‘A’ for effort.” Randle had a little more criticism for his defensive unit. “We looked OK on defense,” stated Randle. “We missed some tackles we should not have. Our linebackers need to be a little more disciplined in their alignments. Up front we could have a few more sacks if we had wrapped up properly. I was a little concerned about our defensive backs and getting beat on a few deep balls. Our coaching staff will make these things points of emphasis on Monday.” Randle was appreciative of the effort that Mamou, Ville Platte’s opponent in the jamboree, gave against Oberlin. “Coach Brumfield is doing a tremendous job over there,” said Randle. “I really see a definite improvement in their club. They are always in the right places both on offense and defense. Their quarterback can definitely chunk it and they have a lot of speed at the running back position. We are going to have to play assignment football in order to beat them.”
No matter who wins or loses in the jamboree on Friday, all the head coaches are looking for improvement. Confidence is a huge part of any football season and the jamboree can provide that toward next week’s regular season openers. Yet, that confidence can only come with a total team effort. See you at the Evangeline Parish Jamboree on Friday and good luck to all the parish teams.