Bearcats take on Tarpons after first loss

The Basile Bearcats face unfamiliar territory going into week three of the district schedule. Last year at this time, Basile was 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in district. The 22-8 loss to Hamilton Christian temporarily derailed the Bearcat express, as Basile could not get much going on offense this past Friday. The Warriors were able to control the veteran Bearcat offense that had accounted for over 350 yards per game this season. Basile still has the opportunity to win the district title, as Hamilton Christian still has to run the gauntlet that is district 4-1A. Basile continues its quest for that title at home Friday, as they take on the South Cameron Tarpons. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“I thought that Hamilton Christian was more physical up front than we were,” commented Basile Head Coach Kevin Bertrand. “We made some assignment mistakes and had a few mental breakdowns and that was the difference in the game. Hats off to those guys they had a good game plan and executed it. We are going to have to bounce back mentally this week against South Cameron.”
Offensively, Basile totaled a season low 189 yards. Of those total yards, the running game was responsible for 163 yards. The Bearcats were only able to muster 26 passing yards. Leading the way for Basile on offense was senior running back Kendrick Ceasar. Ceasar rushed for 132 yards on 20 carries. Basile was able to collect 11 first downs on the night.
“They really stacked the box against us,” said Bertrand. “Both Kendrick and Gabe had a tough time trying to get going. They forced us to pass the football and that is not our strong suit. We will continue to work on the passing game so that teams cannot key on our run game as much.”
The Bearcat defense, who has been pretty solid all year, gave up 232 yards of offense to the Warriors. Basically, it wasn’t the total offense that allowed Hamilton Christian to put up 22 points, but it was the big plays that spelled disaster for Basile. The Warriors were able to score two touchdowns on passes of 57 yards and 36 yards. The Bearcat defense did hold the Hamilton Christian running game in check, only giving up 140 yards of rushing.
“I thought we played well defensively,” stated Bertrand. “The first touchdown pass they threw was just a great play by their receiver. We had it defended well; their guy just went up and got it. The second touchdown pass was a breakdown on our defensive assignment. Other than that I thought our defense controlled them for the most part.”
Basile now faces a Tarpon team that is 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in district. South Cameron’s only win of the season came in week one, as they defeated Gueydan by the score of 19-12. The Tarpons have a small number of players, but those few play really hard. Last week South Cameron gave Grand Lake all it wanted in a 28-21 defeat.
“South Cameron plays tough,” said Bertrand. “They just do not have a whole lot of players. We are going into this week focused more on ourselves than anything. I want to see how we respond to a little adversity. We are going to get prepared to play these guys as if it were any other team.”
There is no doubt the Bearcats have some great senior leadership. They will need that leadership to help put the loss to the Warriors behind them. It will be up to the veterans to help the younger players reset and refocus on the task at hand. If Basile returns to form this week, it may be a long game for the Tarpons.