Bearcats travel to Grand Lake Thursday

The Basile Bearcats continue their quest for the district championship Thursday as they travel to Grand Lake to take on the Hornets. Basile is now 2-1 in district play and are one game out of first place behind Hamilton Christian and Elton. The Bearcats dominated in a 33-0 victory over South Cameron. The Hornets come into the game sporting a 2-4 record and are 1-2 in district play. Last week Grand Lake lost to Oberlin 46-14. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“We played well in all phases of the game Friday,” commented Basile Head Coach Kevin Bertrand. “Going into the week leading up to the game, we challenged our players to do that. They really came through and executed the game plan.”
Against the Tarpons on Friday, the Bearcats controlled the game from start to finish. The Basile offense did most of its damage on the ground, accumulating 252 yards of rushing on 26 carries. Leading the way on the ground was Gabe Fontenot who collected 122 yards on only seven carries and three touchdowns. Kendrick Ceasar added 100 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown. Mark Ivory only threw the ball seven times, completing four for 42 yards.
“We were able to have a short field all night, so we did not have a ton of yardage,” said Bertrand. “Still, we made the most of what we were given. Both Ceasar and Fontenot carried the ball very efficiently. I am very proud of our offensive line and our wide receivers did a tremendous job blocking and opening up holes.”
Defensively against the Tarpons, Basile was its usual stingy self. South Cameron could only manage seven first downs and 109 yards of total offense. The Tarpon run game was anemic against the Bearcat defense managing only 98 yards on the ground. The South Cameron passing game was non-existent as they could only complete two passes for 11 yards.
“Our defense was outstanding against South Cameron,” exclaimed Bertrand. “I was impressed by the way we played physical and fast. They were able to get inside our 10 yard line on a turnover, but our defense stopped them from scoring. It was a solid effort by our guys on defense.”
The Bearcats now face a Hornet club that is only in its second year of varsity football. “Grand Lake does not have a whole lot of players,” explained Bertrand. “Still, they are a much improved football team. They run the ball well and play hard-nosed defense. We are going into the game focused on one thing, getting the victory. Our goal right now is to try to be in the top six in the state in power points so that we can get a first round bye and have a home playoff game.”
Basile cannot overlook Grand Lake. In order for them to win the district championship, they must first win the rest of their district games. The Bearcats must make sure that their focus is on taking care of this game as their district schedule does not get easy after this week.