Panthers’ defense improves but not enough for a win

ARNAUDVILLE -- The Pine Prairie Panthers showed signs of improvement Friday night, but it just wasn’t enough to secure a victory.
Pine Prairie was gauged for 428 total yards, including 385 on the ground, in the team’s 48-14 season-opening defeat to Bunkie. Pine Prairie fared much better defensively on the road at Class 4A program Beau Chene Friday as the Panthers gave up only 282 yards of offense and less than 30 points.
That unfortunately wasn’t enough though as Pine Prairie was held to 93 yards of offense and committed four turnovers in the 26-8 loss.
Despite the defeat, Pine Prairie head coach Yves Prince was pleased with his team’s effort.
“I am proud of these kids,” Prince said. “They don’t give up and they keep fighting. I was impressed with how they played tonight. We are taking some punches right now but we will get better. I can promise you that.”
Pine Prairie (0-2) had opportunities in the first half of Friday’s contest as the Panther’s defense did a nice job of bottling up the Gators’ run-based offense. Beau Chene’s first three possessions resulted in a lost fumble, a missed field goal and a punt.
“They got nothing to be ashamed of,” Prince said. “We played good defense tonight. Beau Chene likes to toss the ball to the outside and we took that away.”
“I will give credit to where credit is due,” Beau Chene head coach Josh Guidry said. “Pine Prairie played disciplined football on defense. If they had assignment then they played that assignment. They stopped us from doing what we like to do.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Beau Chene (2-0) finally broke through for a score. On the 25-yard line, the Gators faced a 4th and 14 and opted to go for it. After having two possible touchdown scores fall short on a pair of previous drives, Beau Chene senior quarterback Savion Broussard found Braylon Gregory near the left pylon for six points.
While Pine Prairie’s defense did a better job against Beau Chene (2-0) than they did against Bunkie in the opener, the Panthers offense struggled to get anything going in the first half. Led by the strong play of linebacker Konnor Darbonne and defensive back Markeille Richard, the Gators held the Panthers to a mere 27 yards of offense while forcing three turnovers.
“We got some young guys out there, especially on the offensive line,” Prince said. “They are trying to find their way right now.”
Beau Chene broke things open in the third quarter with a pair of touchdown runs by Charles Williams and Jylon Henry. Early in the fourth, Kenneth Folse added a 36-yard touchdown run to give the Gators a comfortable 26-0 lead.
Aided by a two 15-yard penalties on Beau Chene, Pine Prairie managed to get on the scoreboard midway through the fourth as Dylan Doucet ran it in for a four-yard score. Doucet then connected with Brandt Deville for a successful two-point pass play.
“He is putting it all on the line for us,” Prince said. “We can line him up anywhere and he steps up for us. He is a great athlete.”
Broussard led the Gators on the ground with 12 carries for 74 yards as the team rushed for 251 yards in the victory. Doucet led the Panthers with 14 carries for 57 yards.
Pine Prairie will look for its first win of the season on Friday as the team hosts Class 4A program Pearl River.