Bearcat defense stonewalls Panthers in win

To say that the Basile defense was dominating Friday night would be an understatement. The Bearcats held the Merryville Panthers to a meager 23 yards of total offense and an amazing one first down en route to a 29-8 victory. The win raises Basile’s record to a perfect 4-0 on the season. More importantly, the Bearcats are 1-0 in district, as this was the first district contest for both squads.
“Our defense was amazing tonight,” said a very pleased Basile Head Football Coach Kevin Bertrand. “They really played exceptionally well. Our coaches had a great game plan and the players carried it out to perfection. Honestly, the defense gave our offense a chance to get going. It was just a great performance.”
Basile would get the first opportunity to put points on the board. After deferring to the second half, the Bearcats kicked off to Merryville. The Panther return man was stripped of the football and Basile was in business, recovering the fumble on the Merryville 38 yard line. The Bearcats surprised many by coming out in a shotgun spread offense, foregoing their traditional I formation to start the game. Using this formation to mix the run and pass, Basile was able to move the ball down to the Panther five yard line in eight plays. On first and goal, quarterback Mark Ivory handed off to running back Gabriel Fontenot for a two-yard gain. Bearcat running back Kendrick Ceasar was stopped for no gain on second down, as he tried to run it around the left side of the Panther defense. Another hand off to Fontenot on third down was stuffed by Merryville for a two-yard loss.
Coach Bertrand decided to put the first points of the game on the leg of Mark Ledoux, as Ledoux attempted a 23-yard field goal. The kick was wide right and the Bearcats could not capitalize on the Panther miscue.
After exchanging the next few possessions, Merryville was able to pick up the first touchdown of the night early in the second quarter. The Panther score did not come in the traditional offensive way. Facing a fourth and 10 from their 35 yard line, Basile was forced to punt. A bad snap sailed over Bearcat punter Blaise Hebert’s head. Hebert tried to pick the ball up, but it was kicked around until it went into the end zone. A Merryville player fell on the ball for the touchdown, giving the Panthers a 6-0 lead. Merryville tried to run it in for the two-point conversion, but the Bearcat defense stopped the running back two yards short of the goal line. With 11:30 left in the second quarter, Merryville took the early lead.
The Bearcat offense, which had been stymied up until this point, took over possession at midfield after a 35-yard kickoff return from Ceasar. A big eleven-yard first down run by Fontenot put the ball on the Merryville 40 yard line. An unsportsmanlike penalty against the Panthers tacked on another 15 yards. A short run by Troy David and a personal foul on Merryville gave the Bearcats a first and 10 from the Panther 11 yard line. Negative yardage on two consecutive plays and an incomplete pass on third down, put Basile in a fourth and 29 situation from the Merryville 30 yard line. Basile decided to forego the punt and kept its offense on the field. Fontenot was handed the ball on a perfect draw play and he was able to break loose over the left side for a 30-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good from Ledoux and with 10:14 left in the second quarter, Basile took the lead 7-6. This would be a lead that the Bearcats would not relinquish.
The Basile defense was able to throttle Merryville once again, as the Panthers were forced to punt. The Bearcats took over possession at their 24 yard line and began to take control of the line of scrimmage. Two huge runs by Fontenot on the delayed draw, netted Basile 41 yards. The Bearcats were able to bring the ball to the Panther 27 yard line, but negative yardage brought a fourth and 14 from the Merryville 31 yard line.
After a Basile time out, Coach Bertrand and his staff decided to put a wrinkle in the offense. The Bearcats lined up in a swinging gate formation with Fontenot in the shot gun behind center. Fontenot rolled right, faking the run, pulled up and threw a perfect pass to Ceasar over the middle. Ceasar was hauled down at the Panther one yard line, after a 30-yard gain. The very next play, Ivory called his own number and dove over the right side for the touchdown. Ledoux was perfect on the extra point and Basile led 14-6 with 1:41 left in the half. The Bearcats would hold strong on the ensuing Panther possession and Basile would take the lead into half.
Basile and Merryville traded possessions to open the second half. A poor punt by the Panthers on their second possession gave the Bearcats excellent field position at the Merryville 38 yard line. A huge personal foul penalty against the Panthers, after a long Ceasar run, allowed Basile to have the ball at first and goal from the Merryville 10 yard line. Three plays later, the first play of the fourth quarter, Ivory once again carried the ball into the end zone for the score. The Ledoux extra point was no good and with 11:59 left in the game Basile led 20-6.
After the Bearcats halted the next Panther possession, Basile took over on offense. Basile was able to move the ball to their 32 yard line. A huge loss and a personal foul penalty on the Bearcats’ very next play put Basile in a third and 22 from the 20 yard line. On the next play, tight end Ty Walker was able to get behind the Panther secondary and Ivory threw a picture perfect waggle pass that hit Walker in stride. The big tight end rumbled his way to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown reception, out running a defender to pay dirt. Ledoux’s extra point was good and Basile led 27-6 with 7:19 left to go in the game.
The final score of the night came via the Bearcat defense. The Panthers faced a fourth down and 15 from their seven yard line with 5:00 left in the game. As they had done all night, Merryville lined up in their offensive set and attempted a quick kick, as the quarterback was also the punter. This time, the punt was blocked and rolled back into the Panther end zone. A Merryville player was able to fall on the ball, but was tackled for the safety. Basile now had a 29-6 lead. No other scoring drive could be mounted by either team and the game ended with that final score.
Offensively, the Bearcats managed a total of 397 yards and 10 first downs. Gabriel Fontenot led the Bearcats on the ground, rushing for 131 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Ivory ended the night with four completions on nine attempts for 103 yards and a touchdown.
“Our offense took some time to get going tonight,” said Bertrand. “Thankfully, the defense played like they did until we were able to get going. Gabe had a great night running the ball. It is good to have someone to carry the load when other teams key on Kendrick. I thought Mark threw the ball efficiently tonight. We came out in a spread offense tonight to help out our linemen. We were one man short because of an injury and with our line going both ways, it allowed us to keep our guys up front fresh. It feels so good to be 4-0, but more importantly we have to win number one in district.”
Basile now travels to Lake Charles to take on the Hamilton Christian Warriors. The Warriors are now 3-1 and 1-0 in district after drumming South Cameron 39-7 on Friday. The Bearcats will once again face a tough challenge. This will be an early showdown between two of the district favorites. Another performance from the Bearcat defense like the one Friday and Basile will be nearly unbeatable.