Bearcats face Trojans in district duel

At this point in the 2014 season, the Basile Bearcat record (6-1, 3-1) was definitely foreseeable. What was probably not foreseeable was that they would have to face an East Beauregard Trojan football team with an identical record. The Trojans have not had much success prior to this season. But, with East Beauregard playing as well as they are this season, this game now has some very important implications. The winner of this game will not only gain much needed power points, but will also be one step closer to a possible district championship. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The Bearcats continued to assert their dominance this Friday in a 56-14 victory against an outmatched Grand Lake football team. The Basile offense did not miss a beat against the Hornets, even with Kendrick Ceasar out with a toe injury. The Bearcats rushed for 381 yards on 33 carries, an amazing 11.6 yards per carry average. Gabe Fontenot gave his usual workhorse effort, rushing for 173 yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns. Jarod Belle added another 78 yards on 10 carries.
“I was proud of how many other players stepped up and played when we needed them,” a pleased Basile Head Coach Kevin Bertrand stated. “Jarod Belle had a really good game in place of Kendrick. We played a freshman at corner. Being a 1A football team means that we do not have a lot of depth, so we must have confidence in other players to be able to put them in at any point of the game. I thought as a team we performed really well.”
Defensively, Basile gave up 233 yards of offense to the Hornets, most of that coming when the game was out of reach. There was a nervous moment in the game, as Grand Lake came out of half time and drove the football down the field to cut the Bearcat lead in half. However, the Basile defense bowed up and shut down the Hornets the rest of the year.
Bertrand knows how important this game is and has much respect for the Trojans. “They are a good football team,” said Bertrand. “They are going to create problems for us with their size. East Beauregard runs the football extremely well. Even though they do not have a lot of speed, they will pop out at anytime from that double wing set and break one on you. They tackle really well on defense. It is going to be a tough game.”
In order for the Bearcats to win the district, they must win out and hope that the Hamilton Christian Warriors slip up in the next three games. More importantly, Basile is looking to sneak in the top six of the LHSAA power rankings. That would give the Bearcats a first round bye in the playoffs and a home game in the second round.