Bulldogs host Bears with playoffs in sight

The Ville Platte High Bulldogs went into last week’s game against second-ranked Livonia hoping to sneak past the heavily favored Wildcats. Even though the 21-0 score did not favor the Bulldogs, Livonia came out of the game knowing they had just been through a war. Now, Ville Platte must face the number-one ranked Church Point Bears. If Church Point learned anything from film study, it’s that you should not doubt the bite of the Dogs. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Against Livonia, the Bulldogs’ game plan was to slow down the pace, as the Wildcats were a fast moving offense. That game plan almost worked for the upset. The Ville Platte defense was a big part of the reason why the game was closer than most people thought it would be. Livonia had a really tough time scoring in the game. In fact, the Wildcats only led 7-0 at halftime. Starting in the third quarter, the Bulldogs held the Wildcats at bay for most of the second half, not really allowing Livonia to cross mid-field very often. Even the Livonia coaches were impressed with the effort poured forth by Ville Platte.
“We went into the game thinking the best chance we had was to slow the game down,” stated Ville Platte Head Coach Jorie Randle. “With us facing a very explosive offense, we were trying not to give them the chance to run 70 plays in the game. They really can put points up on the scoreboard in a hurry. I was proud of our players for giving everything they had against a highly ranked opponent. I received a call the next day from the Livonia head coach and he told me that we really gave them a wake-up call. He gave us a big complement on how hard we played.”
Offensively, the Bulldogs just could not put enough together to put points on the board. It was not because of effort, but rather inexperience that kept Ville Platte out of the end zone. Starting a freshman at quarterback will make things tough when a team is trying to run an offense, no matter how talented that freshman may be. Timing is a very important part of a successful offense and it takes time for guys to gel when you constantly have to replace veterans because of injury. Consistency is very reliant upon having players who can basically read each other’s minds and synchronize the parts that make the offensive motor run.
“We are just not in sync with each other on offense yet,” said Randle. “We have had a number of injuries on offense this year and moving people in and out of position does not allow us to get in sync. If we could put together some consistency in who we play and they can play together for a while, it would go a long way toward our offense getting better.
Now, Ville Platte must try to find a game plan to try and upset the undefeated Bears. Church Point comes into the game averaging 45.6 points per game, scoring over 50 points the last three games. The Bears only allow 14.9 points per game. For the Bulldogs, a win would be one of the greatest in school history. However, a loss only means that they will probably have to come up with a victory in the final game to make the playoffs.