Ville Platte needing to rebound against Huntington

The 1-1 Ville Platte High School Bulldogs have proven to be an offensive enigma so far this season. In the opening game against Westminster, the Bulldogs put up 38 points and over 500 yards of offense in a dominating performance. Last week, against Basile, the Ville Platte offense only managed six points and 218 yards of offense. Which version will show up this week at home against the Huntington Raiders? Only time will tell. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The frustrating part for the Bulldogs against the Bearcats was the absence of the running game that was featured so prominently against Westminster. Ville Platte ran for over 360 yards against Westminster, but found it tough on the ground against Basile, only gaining 166 yards. The injury to one of the featured backs could have had something to do with the drop in yardage. Terese Thomas rushed for 250-plus yards versus the Crusaders, but was limited in his playing time due to an injury suffered during the game. Backup running back Daylon Jones was held to 84 yards on the night.
“I really think we were impatient on offense against Basile,” Ville Platte Head Coach Jorie Randle explained. “We tried to force things too much once we were down 8-0. I really believe that Terese Thomas being out caused us to panic a little. The offensive line did a really good job opening up holes, but our other backs still need to understand where the holes are. There were a few times, we tried to bounce the ball outside when the hole was on the inside. Our passing game was a little off as well. We are going to continue to work on that aspect of our offense at practice. When you have a young quarterback like Terez Alfred, it takes time for him to understand the footwork needed at that position.
“Defensively, the Bulldogs have stayed steady throughout the first two contests. Ville Platte pretty much shut down Westminster, only allowing a little over 100 yards of offense. Last week, the senior-laden Bulldog defense limited a vaunted Basile offense to 266 yards. The only two scores came on long touchdown runs by one of the best backs in the area.
“Our game plan going into the Basile game was not to let Ceasar get to the outside,” stated Randle. “For the most part, we did our job. The defensive line, linebackers and strong safeties did a really good job of carrying out their assignments. We just had a breakdown on the two long runs from our secondary. They just over-pursued and Ceasar took advantage of that break down.”
Special teams, which were an area of concern for the Bulldogs, gave Ville Platte the field position it needed to score their lone touchdown Friday. A 49-yard punt return by Shabby Moore set up the only touchdown of the game for the Bulldogs. “I am very impressed with the play of the special teams last week,” said Randle. “Special teams coach Ervin Wilson has done a really good job getting our guys ready the last few weeks. At the beginning of the season, our focus was on offense because of the young players on that side of the ball. Special teams play was not an area we worked on a lot. However, the last few weeks, we have really placed an emphasis on that part of the game and it showed on Friday.”
The Huntington Raiders come to town Friday in a replacement game for the Tee Cotton Bowl. Huntington is from Shreveport and competes in class 4A. They are 1-1 on the season, losing to Bastrop 56-7 and defeating Bossier 26-14. The Raiders run a very familiar style of offense that is known all too well to the Bulldogs. “It is like looking at a mirror image of ourselves on offense,” said Randle. “They run a spread look, but just like us, they are a running team. They want to focus on the quarterback and get the ball in his hands as often as possible. He is a tremendous athlete. He is about 6’1” and runs about a 4.4 forty. This guy can score from anywhere on the field at anytime. We will have to try to contain him if we want to have a chance to win. They run a 3-3-5 on defense and are athletic. They are not afraid to blitz and play man-to-man. It looks like their defense is still trying to learn the system. Hopefully, we can get back on track on offense and do what we do best, control the football.”
Ville Platte most definitely has the ability to put up yards and points on offense. It may seem like they are running an up-tempo type of offense. But, in reality, the tone set by the Bulldogs is one of controlled tempo. With the defense playing at the level it has been, Ville Platte needs for the offense to become a stable part of the game. If that can happen there is no telling how successful the Bulldogs can be in 2014.