Trojans look to rebound against Opelousas Catholic

After a tough loss against Basile Friday, the Sacred Heart Trojans are looking to regroup before facing their longtime rival the Opelousas Catholic Vikings. The game is set for 7 p.m. in Opelousas at Donald Gardner Stadium. The Trojans and Vikings have played many times over the years and each time the game has been a hard fought battle for both squads.
The Trojans came out of the game against Basile knowing one important fact: they never quit. Sacred Heart went into halftime against the Bearcats leading 7-6, but could not hold onto that lead. The Trojans had several impressive drives on offense that brought them deep inside Basile territory. However, on four separate occasions, the Bearcat defense came up with big stops on fourth down. Head Coach Gary Adkins talked about those missed opportunities. “We played well in spots,” stated Adkins. “We just needed to finish those drives. If we finish those drives, it is a different ballgame. We are going to work on our goal line offense this week and try to get better. All in all, the kids played really hard and never quit. I was really proud of their effort.”
Offensively, the Trojans had some impressive performances. Fullback Garrick Fontenot ran very hard against a veteran Bearcat defensive front. Fontenot was able to grind out 33 yards on 14 carries. Both quarterbacks, Joshua Lahaye and Phillip Vidrine, combined for 160 yards passing. Tight end Seth Shipp was the recipient of 59 of those yards on five catches. Dylan Scully showed an extra gear when he raced 58 yards for a touchdown pass from Vidrine. The Trojans can come out of the game against Basile knowing that they can move the football on offense.
Defensively, Sacred Heart gave up 330 yards rushing against a very good run-oriented offense. However, most of the damage was done after halftime. Sacred Heart did a great job in the first half of holding Basile in check. Improving up front will be a priority for Coach Adkins and the Trojans this week in practice. “We need to get better up front,” stated Adkins. “Making sure our guys are sound up front will help us to improve as a team. I don’t know why we had a bad second half. It is hard to pinpoint sometimes. It is one of the craziest games I have been around in my coaching career.”
Learning to finish games will need to come quickly to the Trojans, as they face a good football team in the Vikings Friday night. Opelousas Catholic is coming off of a 40-12 victory against Port Barre. Coach Adkins and his staff are well aware of their next opponent. “They have a very good team,” said Adkins. “They are very experienced on defense. Coach Chapentier and his staff do a good job over there. Their quarterback is a really solid player and does a good job in their spread offense. I feel confident that we will have a good gameplan going into the game and that our kids will execute it Friday night.”
Sacred Heart showed character and heart in a disappointing loss last Friday. They will need to continue to play hard and smart to be successful against the Vikings. If the Trojans can put together a complete game against Opelousas Catholic, it may be a long night for the Vikings. Whatever happens, a football contest pitting the Trojans against the Vikings is always entertaining. Hopefully, the 2014 version winds up a classic.