Bulldogs trying to get back on winning track

A new team with a familiar face is coming to Bulldog Stadium Friday night, hoping to catch the ’Dogs still licking their wounds from a self-inflicted loss last week.
Lafayette Christian Academy will make its first trip to Ville Platte. But, the Knights are led by head coach Derek Landry, who played quarterback for the Bulldogs in the late 1990s. In fact, Landry was the QB when Bulldog head coach Jorie Randle was just a freshman pup on the Bulldog squad.
“It will be nice to have Derek back here,” Randle said. “It creates a little bit of a friendly rivalry.
“But,” he added, “make no mistake: he’s coming here to win, not to exchange old stories.
Lafayette Christian has a lot of motivation on their side. They have great athletes, a good coach, and a winning record in the last couple of years.”
Although the Knights are 0-2 on the season, they’re catching Ville Platte (1-1) after a tough loss to Basile last week, in a game that the Bulldogs dominated.
The ’Dog’s defense only allowed 66 total yards, and Basile crossed midfield just twice.
Offensively, Ville Platte was inside the Bearcats’ 30-yard line six times, but failed to score every time.
Penalties, turnovers, and unforced errors plagued the Bulldogs. Basile scored after recovering a fumble inside Ville Platte’s end zone.
“We had plenty of opportunities to score,” lamented Randle. “We’ve got to stop hurting ourselves. Our playmakers have to make the plays, and let our nerves stop getting the best of us.”
Despite the negative aspects of the game, Randle found a way to spot the silver-lining of the loss.
“We knew that Basile was going to be a good early-season test for us,” he said. “We were tested, and now we have the experience of failing to live up to our potential.”
If offensive success eluded Ville Platte last week, then the Knights might just be the remedy for the Bulldogs’ woes. In the last two weeks, the Lafayette Christian defense has given up 75 points against Elton and Loreauville.
Following the last two games, Randle expects the Knights to plug up the leaks against Ville Platte by stacking the box and forcing the Bulldogs to pass.
“They play a traditional 4-2-5,” he said, “but they scheme up and do different things. They’ll try to blitz a lot and force us to throw.”
“The bottom line,” Randle admitted, “is that from here on out, opposing defenses will line up against us to stop the run, daring us to throw. We’ve got to be ready for that opportunity when it presents itself.”
Meanwhile, the Knights’ offense is going to provide Ville Platte’s young defensive backs with an opportunity to grow.
“Lafayette Christian is not a real ground-and-pound kind of team,” Randle described. “They like to throw the ball, play pitch-and-catch.”
Randle has faith in his secondary, but he’s also counting heavily on the most experienced part of his team: the defensive line.
“The first line of defense is the big guys down in the trenches,” Randle explained. “Our D-line can help our D-backs out by pressuring the quarterback, disrupting timing.”
Three games into the young season, Randle has preached the importance of player development. Against the Knights, will individual development pay off into total team development?
And, will the former pup’s bite be worse than his bark against his old pack-mate?