Bulldogs get homecoming victory over Devils

The Ville Platte High Bulldogs got one step closer to a playoff spot by defeating the Port Barre Red Devils Friday night by a score of 18-0. With the win, the Bulldogs receive a much-needed 10 power points toward the playoffs. Just as important, Ville Platte is now 1-0 in district and 2-4 on the year. It was a solid defensive effort and a couple of big plays that propelled the Bulldogs to the victory.
“This was a big win for us,” said a relieved Ville Platte Head Coach Jorie Randle. “We needed the win to get some momentum going into the last part of the season. I told the kids we are in a dog fight. We have one of the toughest districts in the state. It is important for us to get some early wins in district to gain some power points to help us get into the playoffs. I was proud of how we played and now they get to go enjoy their homecoming.”
Ville Platte took the opening kickoff and returned it to their 30 yard line to start the game. The Bulldogs picked up an initial first down on a third and one from the 39 yard line. However, the drive stalled and Ville Platte was forced to punt.
Port Barre took over on their first possession of the game from their 40 yard line after a 21 yard punt from Ville Platte. The Bulldog defense did not allow a yard on three downs to the Devil offense. This would become the theme of the night for the Ville Platte defense. Port Barre was forced to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs.
“Defensively, we played really well,” said Randle. “We are very familiar with the scheme that Port Barre plays on offense. Ville Platte and Port Barre have played each other for years, so we know what type of plays they are looking to run. Our kids have a good understanding of the double wing concept.”
Ville Platte and Port Barre traded possessions toward the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs took over with a little under two minutes left in the initial period and held possession into the beginning of the second quarter. Facing a fourth and five at their 31 yard line, the Bulldog coaching staff decided to call for the fake punt. Dayton Jackson took the ball around the right side and scooted for a huge 29 yard gain. This allowed Ville Platte to retain possession, which would turn out to be a big momentum swing. Two plays later, Bulldog quarterback Terez Alfred broke a 34 yard run off of left tackle and scored the first points of the game. The extra point by Rodricas Fontenot was no good, but with 11:09 left to go in the first half Ville Platte led 6-0.
Both Ville Platte and Port Barre were not able to score for the rest of the second quarter. The Red Devils were able to penetrate deep into Bulldog territory as they drove it to the Ville Platte 25 yard line. But on first and 10, the Bulldog defense rose to the occasion and forced a fumble. Defensive tackle James Wilson pounced on the loose ball and Ville Platte took over on their 30 yard line with 4:02 left before half time.
Ville Platte managed to cross into Red Devil territory once more, but could not move the ball any farther than the Port Barre 45 yard line. When the second quarter ended, the score remained Ville Platte 6, Port Barre 0.
Port Barre took the second half kickoff and brought it down to their 44 yard line. On the second play of the possession, Bulldog defensive back Oxabein Serie was able to intercept the Red Devil pass at the Ville Platte 20 yard line. The first play after the interception, Alfred once again called his own number. Alfred scampered off left tackle and turned on the jets all the way to pay dirt for an 80 yard touchdown run. Ville Platte tried for the two point conversion, but Bulldog running back Daylon Jones was stopped short of the goal line. No matter, with 10:50 seconds to go in the third quarter, the Bulldogs now led 12-0.
Port Barre and Ville Platte could not muster much in the way of offense for the rest of the third quarter and deep into the fourth quarter. On the fifth Red Devil possession of the second half, an errant pass was intercepted by Bulldog cornerback Justin Ardoin. Ardoin took the ball all the way to the end zone for what appeared to be a Ville Platte touchdown. But, on one of the worst calls by an official, one of the Bulldog players was flagged for targeting a Red Devil player. The hit looked clean; however, the ball was brought back to the Port Barre 31 yard line.
Ville Platte took advantage of the great field position. Terez Thomas rushed for one yard on first down. Thomas then took the ensuing handoff up the middle and was not touched until he reached the end zone for a 30 yard touchdown. The snap on the try after was botched and Ville Platte was not able to tack on the extra point. Still, with 3:38 left in the game, the Bulldogs had extended the lead to 18-0.
The Ville Platte defense continued to shut down the Red Devil offense the rest of the game. Port Barre did manage to advance to the Bulldog 25 yard line. On second and nine, Jackson blew up the Red Devil running back and caused him to cough up the football. Ardoin scooped up the loose pigskin and brought it up to the Port Barre 48 yard line.
Ville Platte ran the football four straight times and ran out the clock in the process. The final score stood at 18-0 and the Bulldogs could now celebrate their homecoming victory.
“The quarterback power worked really well for us tonight. Terez Alfred did a good job of finding the hole and slipping through it. The offensive line did a nice job of controlling the line of scrimmage tonight. We have to just play a little faster on offense. It seems like we are trying to think too much and not let the flow of the game take over. But, overall, I was really pleased with the way we moved the ball tonight.”
Offensively for the Bulldogs, Alfred led all rushers with 164 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Thomas added 60 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown. Alfred completed one pass on four attempts for seven yards.
Ville Platte will now travel to Pine Prairie on Thursday for a district matchup with the Panthers. Pine Prairie is now 3-3 on the year and 0-1 in district as they lost their district opener to Church Point, 55-6. Ville Platte can now try to take all of the positives from this game and package them up for the road trip to Pine Prairie and hopefully be 2-0 in district after Thursday’s game.