Ville Platte High takes one on the chin from LCA

VILLE PLATTE -- Former Ville Platte signal caller Derek Landry celebrated his homecoming in style Friday evening. As head coach of Lafayette Christian Academy, he led his Knights to a 36-6 victory over the Bulldogs.
Ville Platte is on a two game skid, falling to 1-2 on the season. The Knights get their first win of the season.
Next week, the Bulldogs travel to Lebeau to play North Central.
Landry was quarterback for the Bulldogs in the late 1990s. He was a senior when Jorie Randle, the current Bulldog head coach, was a freshman.
“It was an awesome experience,” Landry beamed as he stood at midfield following the win. “To be able to coach on the same field that I was a player on, it’s hard to describe the feeling.
Although the score is lopsided, the Bulldogs were actually the better team to start the game.
Ville Platte took its first possession inside the Knights’ 30-yardline, but were forced to punt.
Later in the first quarter, Ville Platte had first-and-goal on the Knights’ six-yard line. LCA’s defense stiffened up, forcing a fourth down pass, which Treven Kately intercepted.
From this point forward, the momentum shifted – slowly at first – in the Knights’ favor. In the second half, LCA was firmly in control.
“My hat’s off to Lafayette Christian,” said Randle. “They’re a well-coached team, and they were hungry for the win. Their guys played up for Coach Landry on his homecoming.
“They did exactly what we expected them to do,” he continued, “but they did it with great execution and passion. Kudos to them.”
The Knights took the lead midway through the second quarter. Following a Bulldog punt, LCA took possession on Ville Platte’s 40-yard line. Seven plays later – including a fourth-down conversion – the Knights had a first-and-goal.
This time, it was Ville Platte’s defense that stiffened up. However, LCA attempted a 22-yard field goal on fourth-and-four instead of going for the touchdown. Bryce Badon nailed the kick, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.
On the ensuing kick-off, Ville Platte fumbled the ball, which the Knights recovered on the Bulldog 36-yardline. Six plays later, LCA was knocking on the door again, with first down on Ville Platte’s five-yard line.
The Bulldog defense forced a fumble and recovered it, granting themselves a reprieve, atleast temporarily.
Unable to move the ball, Ville Platte was forced to punt. The short kick gave LCA the ball back on the Bulldog 33-yard line.
On the next play, freshman quarterback Zachery Clements hit Badon for a touchdown. The point-after-try failed, but the Knights led, 9-0, with under two minutes to play in the half.
Determined to get back into the game, Randle called a bit of trickery two plays later. Bulldog quarterback Terez Alfred tossed the ball to Rodricas Fontenot, who hit Brandon Freeman, who was streaking on a rail route, for an 81-yard touchdown.
The PAT failed, but heading into the locker room, the Bulldogs had given themselves a way back into the game.
However, the Knights blew the game open in the third quarter, scoring three touchdowns to put the game out of Ville Platte’s reach. LCA scored on two Clements runs and a pass from Clements to Kately. The fourth quarter started with the Knights leading 29-6.
Part of the reason for their success was Clements decision-making and running. But, part of their success had to do with Ville Platte injuries.
Suffering various injuries throughout the game, Ville Platte lost several starters, including vaunted defensive lineman Vondarius Freeman.
“Many of those injuries were due to lack of excitement,” assessed Randle. “Tonight, we played a step slower, the adrenaline was not pumping. We were out of synch.
“When you’re having fun and are pumped up, you don’t feel the little knicks and hits as much,” he continued. “But when you start losing, it seems like those pains hurt a little bit more.”
The final LCA score came on a seven-yard Clements run. Badon’s PAT made it 36-6, settling the score.
Clements led all rushers with 111 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. In his first start, the freshman also completed eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Ville Platte was led by Bernard O’Neail, who carried the ball four time for 54 yards, all in the last four minutes of the game.