With win over WCA, Basile in driver’s seat of District 5-1A race

OPELOUSAS – In what could ultimately be the deciding game for the District 5-1A championship, the Basile Bearcats used a solid defensive effort to take down the Westminster Crusaders 14-12 here Thursday night.
With the win, Basile is now 3-4 on the season, but more importantly are 2-0 in district play. Couple that with the St. Ed’s loss to Catholic of Pointe Coupee, and the Bearcats now sit alone atop the district standings. Westminster drops to 4-3 overall and 1-1.
Basile controlled much of the game, as the Bearcats were able to run the ball very effectively, gaining 218 yards rushing on 38 carries. Senior running back Jarred Belle earned a huge chunk of those yards, rushing for 152 yards on 19 carries and scoring one touchdown.
Westminster could only muster 133 yards of total offense. Basile held the Crusaders to 96 yards of rushing the entire game.
“We really practiced this week at changing up and trying to keep their defense off balanced,” Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand said. “Our offensive coaches did a good job of mixing it up tonight. Our guys gave so much effort out here tonight. This team laid out everything out on the field.”
The success of the Basile offense allowed them to control the clock for most of the first half. The Bearcats ran 38 plays and limited Westminster to only 17 plays in the first two quarters. Despite that discrepancy in total number of plays, the score going into halftime was as close as can be with Basile holding a 7-6 lead.
Basile scored their first touchdown of the night with 4:26 left to go in the second quarter. Taking over possession on their 39-yard line after a Westminster punt, the Bearcats took only four plays to reach the end zone. Rashawn Murphy capped off the drive with a 43-yard touchdown gallop to give Basile the early lead. Abdul Milingo tacked on the extra point and the Bearcats led 7-0.
It did not take long for Westminster to strike back. On the ensuing kickoff, the Crusader’s Gene Kraemer sprinted 74 yards for the score. The extra point was blocked and with 4:12 left before half the score was cut to one 7-6.
Basile’s next score was aided by a Westminster penalty. After taking over possession at their 16-yard line in the third quarter, Andre Reed hit the middle for a seven-yard pickup. On the play the Crusaders were penalized for a face mask, giving the Bearcats a first-and-ten at their 35-yard line.
Three plays later, Belle powered his way through the Westminster defense and raced 43 yards for the score. Jacob Guillory added the extra point and with 7:44 left in the third quarter, Basile held a 14-6 lead.
The Crusaders were able to take advantage of a Bearcat turnover for their final score of the game. After recovering a fumble at the Basile 21-yard line, Westminster scored on the fifth play of the drive when Landon Trosclair dove in from one-yard out. The two-point conversion failed, making the score 14-12 with 4:48 left in the game.
Westminster had one more chance to overtake Basile for the win. The Crusaders took control of the ball at the Bearcat 48-yard line with a little under three minutes to play. Westminster drove the ball down to the Basile 23-yard line, where they faced a fourth and four, after a great Bearcat defensive effort.
The Crusaders decided to try the 39-yard field goal, but Kraemer’s kick sailed just left of the post. From there Basile was able to kneel on the ball for the win.