Trojans, Panthers take different paths into game

The Sacred Heart Trojans and the Pine Prairie Panthers both come into this contest with a 2-2 record. Both teams have defeated Mamou and both teams have played two games on the road. This is where the similarities between the teams end. This will be a Thursday contest and will take place at Soileau-Landry field. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The Trojans began the season 0-2, but have reeled off two wins in a row over Gueydan and Mamou. Sacred Heart is a grind-it-out, physical football team. They play a 3-3-5 on defense. The Panthers have alternated wins and losses, having been defeated this past Friday by Vinton. Pine Prairie is a spread-you-out, passing football team. They play a 4-2-5 on defense. Which style of offense and defense will control the game? No one knows for sure, but the game will be an interesting one to watch.
Against the Demons, Sacred Heart found themselves down in the contest at halftime of their homecoming by a score of 14-12. Two touchdowns in the second half allowed the Trojans to pull away from Mamou.
“I don’t know if it was the homecoming activities or what,” said Sacred Heart Head Coach Gary Adkins. “But we just looked dazed at half time. I did something that I don’t normally do; I had to chew a little tail end. They needed to know that we still had a ball game to play and to try and win. Right before we went out, some of the seniors came up to me and said ‘We got this.’ That put my mind at ease just a little. We just caught our second wind after halftime.”
In the contest, the Trojan offense made a big statement by amassing 409 yards of total offense. Leading the way for Sacred Heart was Dylan Scully. The senior back rushed for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He also added two touchdowns on the receiving end of passes from Joshua Lahaye and Phillip Vidrine.
“Dylan was a defensive back to start the year, but because of injuries we put him at running back,” stated Adkins. “We knew he had some speed. It took him up until Friday to understand the offense and see the field. It all clicked for him on Friday. I was very proud of our offensive line. They really took control in the second half and played smash mouth football.”
Defensively, the Trojans gave up some yardage to the Demons early in the game. Despite the early troubles, Sacred Heart came out in the second half and held the Demon offense in check. Mamou was allowed a meager nine yards of rushing on the evening.
“We had to make some defensive adjustments at half. They were motioning to a quad receiver set in the first half and that gave us some trouble. After the adjustments, we came out and basically shut them down. Our coaches and players did a good job of fixing those issues at half.”
Pine Prairie went into the game against the Vinton Lions looking for a historic victory. The Panthers could not pull off the victory, having a number of opportunities in the opponent’s red zone. This has been the recurring theme for Pine Prairie all year long.
“We are going to need to learn to put a complete game together,” said Pine Prairie Head Coach Yves Prince. “We have some inexperienced kids that still do not understand success. We had the ball inside their 20 yard line four times in the first half and did not finish drives. At some point this season, we will need to grow up and learn how to be successful.
The Panther offense managed to total 250 yards. Leading the way was Dylan Doucet, who completed nine of 15 pass attempts and threw for 117 yards and one touchdown. “Our passing game is what got us down the field,” said Prince. “The running game was not very effective. We have to be better balanced on offense. When we were down inside their five yard line a couple of times, we were not able to punch the ball in the end zone.”
The Pine Prairie defense, which had played solid all year long, gave up 363 yards and 39 points. “They had a very good running back,” stated Prince. “You can hold a good back for a little while, but eventually he will get some yards. The defense played decently, but we did not play as well as we have been all season.”
Each head coach comes into the game with mutual respect for the other program. “I don’t know if I will sleep this week thinking about all of the athletes that Pine Prairie has,” exclaimed Adkins. “They can beat you on any play at any time. Doucet, Fontenot, Roy and Ardoin all have game-changing capability. Even with that, their defense has played well all year. It is going to be a real challenge for us this week.”
“Sacred Heart is a big, physical football team on both sides of the ball,” complemented Prince. “They run their offense well. They can lull you to sleep and then bust a long one on you. We are going to have to try to control the line of scrimmage if we want to have a chance to win.”
This game has many implications resting on the outcome. First and foremost, the accumulation of power points is needed for both squads. A win by each team would be huge going into district. For the Trojans, a third win in a row would continue the momentum from the last two wins. For the Panthers, that historic third win is still in their sights. Anyone around the area who is looking for something to do on Thursday, come to Soileau-Landry field and see one of the most entertaining games of the year.