Bearcats down Bulldogs in battle of defense

Every indication from week one in the regular season pointed to a high-scoring game between Basile and Ville Platte, as both teams scored over thirty points and gained a combined 900-plus yards in their first games. Friday night proved that thought untrue as the Bearcats defeated the Bulldogs 16-6 in Basile in a defensive showdown. The two teams combined for a meager 446 yards in the contest, as the offenses of both teams struggled to gain momentum in the game.
“We played some pretty good defense tonight against a really good football team,” declared Basile Head Coach Kevin Bertrand. “We knew that they would have some good plays. Our game plan defensively coming in was to try to control their offense and not give up the big play. Our kids did a tremendous job of carrying out the game plan.”
Ville Platte Head Coach Jorie Randle was also pleased with the effort of his defense. “Besides the two break downs, our defense gave us a shot to win the game,” said Randle. “We understood that we would have to play assignment football against those guys. When you miss an assignment, a good back like Caesar will make you pay. That is what happened on the two long runs. Overall, I thought the effort on defense was very good.”
Basile won the toss and deferred to the second half. Ville Platte took the opening kickoff down to their 30 yard line. A 12-yard run by Terez Alfred on Ville Platte’s first play gave the Bulldogs a first down at the 42 yard line. The next two plays netted only two yards. On third and eight, Ville Platte was penalized for a false start. Alfred threw a six-yard swing pass to Terese Alfred on third and 13, coming up short of the first down. The Bulldogs were forced to punt on fourth down as the opening drive was stopped by the Basile defense.
The Bearcats took possession of the football on their 19 yard line after a 36-yard punt from Dayton Jackson. Basile looked like they may be in for a good night on offense as Kendrick Ceasar ran for 25 yards on the Bearcats very first play from scrimmage. The Bearcats methodically moved the ball inside Bulldog territory, getting down to the Ville Platte 29 yard line. However, the Bulldog defense returned the favor and put an end to the drive, as Basile could not penetrate Ville Platte territory any farther.
The Bulldogs took over the football on the change of possession and put together a decent drive of their own. A 33-yard double pass from Rodricas Fontenot to Jackson gave Ville Platte a first and 10 at the Basile 37 yard line. But, what would become the Bulldog theme of the night, three penalties in four plays put Ville Platte in a fourth and 12 situation at the Basile 39 yard line. The Bulldogs would be forced to punt, and thus ended what looked like a promising drive.
Once again, Basile took over possession of the ball with 1:54 seconds left to go in the quarter at their nine yard line. This time, the Bearcats would not waste the opportunity given to them. On the fourth play of the possession, with time ticking down in the quarter, Caesar took the toss from Mark Ivory and raced 78 yards down the right sideline for the touchdown. An offside penalty on Ville Platte on the extra point attempt allowed the Bearcats to attempt a two-point conversion from the one-and-a-half yard line. Gabriel Fontenot pushed his way across the goal line on the conversion and with no time showing in the first quarter, Basile led 8-0.
In a very unusual turn of events, Ville Platte was flagged with three successive unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. After the referee finished stepping off the penalty yardage, the Bearcat’s ensuing kickoff took place at the Bulldog 15 yard line. Basile, being so deep in Ville Platte territory to kick the ball off, tried an onside kick. However, Oxabein Serie was able to fall on the ball at the Bulldog 10 yard line.
“I’m not going to use the referees as an excuse for the loss tonight,” stated Randle. “One thing I will say is that the player that the flags were thrown on would not do what the white hat said he did. The kid is class player and I would bet my life that he did not deserve the penalties against him.”
Ville Platte was not able to manage many yards on its next possession and was forced to punt the ball back to Basile. The punt from Jackson was not very good and the Bearcats took over at the Bulldog 34 yard line. A few positive plays had the Bearcats knocking on the door once again. However, a couple of holding calls left Basile with a third and 10 on the Ville Platte 33 yard line. The Bulldog defense dug in deep and was able to force a turnover as a Mark Ivory pass was intercepted by Shabby Moore at the 10 yard line.
Neither team was able to do much more in the half, as Basile took an 8-0 lead into the locker room.
As the third quarter began, both teams were looking for something more on the offensive side of the ball. Be that as it may, the defenses for both clubs would not relent. Each team was prevented from gaining any ground and it seemed as if the game would end with the same halftime score. Still, there was a fourth quarter left to play and with it came hopes of more on offense for both squads.
Ville Platte was the first to strike in the last stanza of the game. This time it would be special teams that would aid the Bulldogs in putting up their only points of the contest. Basile was forced to punt deep inside their territory. Shabby Moore fielded the punt at mid-field and 49 yards later he was brought down at the Bearcat one yard line. Alfred tried to sneak his way up the middle on the first two plays but was denied by the Basile defense. On third and goal from the Bearcat two yard line, Alfred powered his way into the end zone on the right side of the offensive line. A delay of game penalty pushed the extra point try back to the eight yard line. Ville Platte made the decision to go for the two-point conversion but the Bearcat defense muscled up and denied Ville Platte from adding to its score. With 9:24 left in the game, the score was 8-6 in favor of the Bearcats.
A short kickoff from Jackson gave Basile the ball in good field position at their 41 yard line. Knowing they were now in a war, the Bearcats needed a long drive or a quick score to pull away from Ville Platte. Fortunately, they were able to make the latter happen. On the second play of the possession, Caesar took the toss from Ivory and scampered 60 yards down the right sideline for the score. The point after became a two-point conversion when the Bearcats used the swinging gate formation to direct snap the ball to Gabriel Fontenot. The play caught the Bulldogs off guard and Fontenot went in untouched. Basile now led 16-6 with 8:27 left in the game.
Ville Platte would get the ball back needing two scores to get ahead for the first time in the game. A valiant effort by the Bulldog offense would bring the ball deep into Bearcat territory at the 30 yard line. Unfortunately, breakdowns in pass protection would result in huge losses on consecutive downs. Faced with a fourth and 30, Ville Platte was forced to punt the ball. This would be the last time the Bulldogs would see the ball again, as Basile was able to run the clock out.
“It was nice to get a big win against a quality ball club like Ville Platte,” said Bertrand. “I thought Ville Platte gave a tremendous effort on the field. We have had to battle the last two weeks to get the win. I told our kids after the game that these last two games were important because it shows that we can grind out a win when we need to. It will go a long way later in the season if we have to face the same situation again.”
Randle was also able to use the game as a teachable moment with his players. “I told our kids after the game that we have to learn to play mentally tough, especially when things are not going your way,” stated Randle. “One of the things our staff has preached all year is to control your emotions during the game. We may need to address this with the players some more. I give Basile credit for playing a great game. I explained to the guys that what doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger. We will use this game as a spring board to bigger and better things this season.”
Caesar’s two long touchdown runs allowed him to be the leading rusher in the game. He accumulated 178 yards on 17 carries. Gabriel Fontenot rushed for 43 yards on 15 carries. Mark Ivory attempted three passes and completed zero on the night. The Bearcats totaled 228 yards of offense, all of them on the ground.
For the Bulldogs, Daylon Jones led all rushers. Jones gained 84 yards on 15 carries. Terez Alfred added 41 yards on nine rushing attempts. Alfred was also four of eight passing for 52 yards. Leading receivers for Ville Platte were Dayton Jackson and Terese Thomas. Jackson caught one pass for 35 yards and Thomas hauled in two receptions for 23 yards. The Bulldogs totaled 218 yards on 48 plays.
The Bulldogs (1-1) will host the Huntington Raiders at Bulldog Stadium on Friday. Huntington (1-1) defeated Bossier 26-14 on Friday. Basile (2-0) will travel to Eunice to take on long time rivals the St. Edmund Blue Jays. The Blue Jays (1-1) demolished Iota 42-6 on Friday.