Ville Platte, Oakdale renews friendly all-star rivalry

There have always been sports rivalries that pique the interest of even the most casual of fans. These rivalries form at every level from high school to professional. There is also a local rivalry developing on the Dixie Youth level between two cities separated by 34 miles along Louisiana Highway 10.
Ville Platte’s Manager Lance Chapman said that the rivalry began years ago. “I remember in T-Ball we beat them, and they ended up winning district,” Chapman said. “Their only loss was against us, so I think it started in T-Ball a couple of years ago. Both teams want to beat each other, and both teams have.”
“We respect them,” Chapman added. “We know what we are getting into when we play them. They play the same kind of ball we play, and they have always been good from T-Ball to pitching machine. We are familiar with each other from a scouting standpoint because we know where some of the kids hit the ball. It makes the games that more intense.”
This year’s version of the rivalry kicked off in the Machine Pitch Sub-District Tournament held in Oakdale. “We played Oakdale American in pool play in sub-district, and we beat them,” Chapman explained. “We moved onto bracket play, and we played the Oakdale National team. We beat them on the Saturday, so we were feeling good and sitting nice.”
Ville Platte’s reward for advancing past Oakdale National in bracket play of sub-district was getting to face Oakdale American again, but the fortunes were reversed. “They were ready for us, and they beat us,” said Chapman.”
Chapman’s team went into the loser’s bracket then bounced back to beat a team from Vernon Parish. That win put Ville Platte in the championship game against an all-familiar team in Oakdale American. “We knew we had to beat them twice in pool play, and they beat us 17-3 to win sub-district,” Chapman said. “They humbled us.”
Oakdale American defeated Ville Platte twice in sub-district to win the tournament, and their manager Tim Walker explained how Ville Platte turned that championship loss into motivation for the District Tournament. “After we beat Ville Platte in sub-district, their coach told me that they went home and practiced with T-shirts that said 17-3,” Walker said.
The rivalry carried over to Leesville two weeks later in the District Tournament. Ville Platte and Oakdale American each won their pools and met up with each other in the winner’s bracket. With the loss in sub-district still fresh in his mind, Chapman used a wrinkle to get the win this time around.
“We ran a rover where we brought our left fielder in between third base and second base,” he said. “Basically we had two shortstops. We ran that against Oakdale, and we beat them.”
Ville Platte lost the next game to DeRidder and jumped into the loser’s bracket. “Oakdale American was sitting there waiting for us,” Chapman said. “We really thought we were going to win district. They knocked us out, so that stung.”
The loss knocked Ville Platte out of the District Tournament, and Oakdale American went on and became district champions. The two teams along with Oakdale National moved on the State Tournament in Rayville, and the rivalry followed.
TJ Robinson’s Oakdale National team entered the single-elimination consolation bracket and then had to face a familiar foe in Ville Platte. “We’re in the same district, so their head coach and myself were trying to figure out how we ended up having to play each other being that it was 24 teams there and two teams from the same district had to play each other,” Robinson said.
Ville Platte got the win and knocked Oakdale National out of the tournament. “It was a good game,” Robinson said. “Losing to a worthy opponent is something I can’t be mad at. I’m proud of my boys for being so young and going to the State Tournament their first year in pitching machine.”
The dreams of advancing to the AA Machine Pitch World Series in Cleveland, Miss., came to an end for Ville Platte and Oakdale American as well in the 2017 Louisiana Dixie Youth State Tournament. This year’s All-Star season may be over for these ball players, but the coaches like Chapman see the rivalry carrying over to next year. “Next year that National team is going to be eight-years-old, and they should be the favorites to go a long way,” Chapman said. “They’re going to be very impressive.”