Bulldogs pick up jamboree victory over Demons

The Ville Platte Bulldogs came away with a 13-6 victory over the Mamou Demons in the Evangeline Parish Jamboree Friday night. Ville Platte used an up-tempo offense and a commanding ground game to hang on to the win over Mamou. The Bulldog defense stymied Mamou all night, as the Demons only managed 20 yards of total offense.
“We came into the game hoping to evaluate some of our players going both ways and we were able to do that tonight,” stated Bulldog Head Coach Jorie Randle. “We have about five or six that play on both sides of the ball and we needed to see which of them are ready to continue in that role. It’s tough on kids that go both ways when you run the style of offense we do. As a coaching staff, we may need to gauge which player is able to advance as a two-way player. In the second half we had too many mental mistakes that maybe can be attributed to some fatigue. To our credit, when we are a fresh team, we can execute.”
Ville Platte showed they are capable of executing when they are fresh on offense. On the second possession of the game, the Bulldogs advanced 50 yards in eight plays to score the first touchdown of the game. Terez Alfred carried the ball the first three plays of the drive and gained 10 yards. A 14-yard jaunt by Tyler Fontenot gave Ville Platte a first down at the Mamou 26 yard line. Terese Thomas ran for eight yards on the very next play. A loss of four yards by Alfred and a false start penalty pushed the Bulldogs back to the Mamou 23 yard line. On second and 19, Thomas scampered the distance for the Ville Platte score with 8:52 left in the first half. The missed extra point made the score 6-0 in favor of Ville Platte.
The Bulldogs wasted no time scoring for the second time in the ball game. After stopping Mamou on offense, Ville Platte took possession of the ball at their own 40 yard line. A 13-yard ramble by Tyler Fontenot gave the Bulldogs a first down on the Mamou 47 yard line. A pass interference call against the Demons brought the ball to the Mamou 32 yard line. The very next play, Alfred sped past the defense for a 23-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good by Rodricas Fontenot and Ville Platte extended its lead to 14-0 with 6:46 left in the first half.
Both Mamou and Ville Platte exchanged possessions the remainder of the first half with no team gaining ground. The Bulldogs did mount a small drive later in the half, but an interception by the Demons killed the Ville Platte offensive momentum. The Bulldogs thwarted the Mamou offense the rest of the first half and went into the locker room with a 14-point lead.
The second half pretty much followed suit with the end of the first. Neither team could gain a foothold on the other. A late miscue by the Bulldogs allowed Mamou to gain hold of the pigskin deep into Ville Platte territory. An errant snap bolted off of Thomas’ helmet and the Demons took advantage of the Bulldog mistake and pounced on the football at the Ville Platte 15 yard line. Backup quarterback Robbie Deshotel darted for nine yards on first down. On second and one, Nathaniel Holland plowed his way through the defense for one yard and a Demon first down at the Ville Platte five yard line. Deshotel then threw a perfect strike to Holland on the slant route for the Demon touchdown. Mamou lined up for the two point conversion, but Brenton Williams was stuffed by Justin Ardoin just before the endzone. Ville Platte now led 14-6 with 2:26 left in the second half.
The remaining time left in the second half was dominated by Ville Platte’s run game. The Bulldogs were able to control the ball on the ground and run out the time. The big play for Ville Platte that allowed them to keep possession of the football was a 49-yard sprint by Terese Thomas on third and nine from the Bulldog 21 yard line. Ville Platte ran one more play to end the game.
Terese Thomas rushed for 117 yards on seven carries and a touchdown for Ville Platte High. Terez Alfred added 61 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while Tyler Fontenot toted the rock for 43 yards on three carries. Alfred was 0-2 passing with an interception. Robbie Deshotel led Mamou on the ground with nine yards on one rush attempt. He was also 1-4 through the air for five yards and a touchdown.
Mamou Head Coach Brian Brumfield knows his team still has a lot of work left to do if they are to become a good football team. “It is going to take a team effort moving forward for us to get to the level we want to be at,” said Brumfield. “I thought our kids played hard. It is going to take us focusing on the little things that will make us a better team. When you try to run the spread offense, you have to be able to throw and catch the ball. If you can’t do that, the other teams will key on the run. I was really impressed with the way Robbie came in and took control of the offense. The penalties, especially the unsportsmanlike penalties, were very concerning. We will address those things at practice this week. We have to keep our composure during the game.”
Coach Randle was very impressed with his defensive unit after holding Mamou to only 20 yards of total offense. “We are a veteran group on defense and I think it showed tonight,” said a pleased Randle. “It’s going to be important for us to play solid defense at the beginning of the season so that our offense has a chance to come together more. The seniors on our defensive unit display a leadership quality that I really like.”
Ville Platte will host the Westminster Crusaders on Friday. Mamou has a date with the Pickering Red Devils at home on Friday. Go out and support your team this Friday as the regular season gets underway.