Still in the hunt

VILLE PLATTE -- To say that Ville Platte needed to pick up a win over Port Barre to stay in the playoff hunt would be the understatement of the season.
So, the Bulldogs came out and did what was necessary, as they dominated Port Barre in every facet of the game for a 28-0 win.
With the victory, Ville Platte moves their record to 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in district play. But, more importantly, the Bulldogs pick up 10 much needed power points in their quest for a playoff appearance.
It seems the pattern for Ville Platte in their four wins has been controlling the football with a power running game and playing solid defense.
Such was the case tonight, as the Bulldogs ran 61 plays to the Red Devil’s 44 plays. Beyond that, Ville Platte out rushed Port Barre 269-21.
“Like all coaches if you go back and look at the time of possession battle and you can get some productive minutes from the offense it definitely gives you a good chance of winning,” stated Ville Platte head coach Jorie Randle. “If we can continue to play good defense and run the ball as effectively as we did tonight, we have a shot at picking up some more wins.”
It did not take Ville Platte long to put points up on the board. The Bulldogs deferred to the second half on the coin flip and kicked off to Port Barre.
The Bulldog defensive unit did their job by holding the Red Devils to six yards on three plays, forcing Port Barre to punt.
Ville Platte took over possession on their 41-yard line and drove 59 yards in only five plays, scoring on a Jaishaun Doucet three-yard run over left guard.
Doucet promptly took it in for the two-point conversion and the Bulldogs held an 8-0 lead with 7:07 left to go in the first quarter.
The two teams exchanged possessions and Ville Platte got the ball back at their 19-yard line. The Bulldogs mounted another long drive that ended at the Port Barre 15-yard line, when the Bulldogs could not convert on fourth down.
The Ville Platte defense came up huge again, forcing a three and out. A terrible punt from Port Barre gave the Bulldogs the ball at the Red Devil 39-yard line.
Ville Platte capitalized on the excellent field position, moving the ball at will down to the Port Barre one-yard line in only five plays.
On third and goal, Doucet plunged into the end zone over the left side of the offensive line for the second Bulldog score of the night.
The two-point pass from Doucet to Martin Jason was good, giving Ville Platte the 16-0 lead with 3:16 left before half time.
The score remained that way until the midway through the fourth quarter. With Port Barre pinned back at their 12-yard line, quarterback Brock Rozas rolled out to his right and made an errant throw under pressure that was intercepted by Ville Platte’s Brandon Veazie at the Red Devil 25-yard line.
Veazie took the ball and raced the 25 yards to pay dirt, giving the Bulldogs some much needed cushion. The extra point was no good, however, Ville Platte owned a 22-0 lead with 7:50 remaining in the game.
Ville Platte’s final score came with no time remaining on the clock. After gaining possession of the ball at their 30-yard line with about four minutes left to play, the Bulldogs marched 70 yards in eight plays, capping off the drive with an eight-yard jaunt from Bernard O’neil. The extra point failed, giving Ville Platte the 28-0 win.
Doucet led all rushers with 120 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. D’anthony Anderson added 89 yards on 14 carries.
Port Barre’s Sidney Pickney had 20 yards on eight carries.
“The kids played really hard tonight,” said Randle. “Port Barre is a team we are very familiar with. They have been in our district for a long time. We tried some new things on offense and it paid big dividends. Hats off to the offensive and defensive lines.”
Ville Platte will host Northwest High Friday night in a district game.