Hot handed Bears welcome Bulldogs

After battling one of the best teams in Class 3A last week, the Ville Platte Bulldogs (3-4, 1-2) meet the Church Point Bears (6-3, 3-0). The Bulldogs fell to sixth-ranked Livonia last week 50-25 in Ville Platte, while Church Point went to Port Barre and took a 31-8 win. This week, the Bears welcome VPHS to their home stadium.
Church Point has seen a lot of success since current Head Coach John Craig Arceneaux took over a few years back. The Bears have put up some big wins and have managed to make the playoffs nearly every year since Arceneaux became the skipper.
The Bears run a modified wing-T version but use their powerful running back in several different fashions. Many of the backs catch the ball coming out of the backfield, which causes many teams to put linebackers on the running backs. If a team is not ready or expecting that, it can cause big issues.
Ville Platte played Livonia hard last week and never gave up despite some overwhelming pressure at times. That effort will need to be duplicated this week. The Bulldogs are going into Church Point at a good time. The Bears could easily overlook the VPHS team and be looking ahead to a district showdown with Livonia in week 10. If so, Ville Platte has the perfect setting for the win.
The Bears are giving up two scores per game on average. Most of the yards and points the Bears have given up have come in the air. Kaplan exposed that in one of the two losses the Bears have. Ville Platte has a very good passing game when everyone is healthy and the offensive line executes. To help, VPHS will need the running game to set things up.
Church Point puts up 29 points a game on a consistent basis. Their two losses have come to Kaplan and Loureauville. Both teams scored quickly on CPHS and put their backs against the wall, That forced the Bears to abandon their game plan and made them one dimensional. This is something VPHS also has the capability to do.
The Bulldogs are putting up 22 points a game and have some momentum after putting up a good showing against Livonia on the field, despite what the score said. The Dogs will have to play strong all four quarters. They can’t come out and sleep walk through the first half, which they seemed to do against the LHS team last week.
The Bulldogs are primed for a big win and this could be the week. A win against CPHS and then next week against Northwest would boost the VPHS status in the Class 3A power ratings.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.