The journey begins

For the Basile Bearcats, the wait is over.
After receiving a bye for the first round of the 2015 LHSAA Class 1A playoffs, the Bearcats now know their opponent.
The Bearcat’s journey into the second season will see them take on the Homer Pelicans this Friday night in Basile. Game time is 7 p.m.
Basile used the off week for a number of purposes according to head coach Kevin Bertrand.
“We took this week to heal a few bumps and bruises,” said Bertrand. “We also went back to the basics and tried to make sure that we were doing the little things right again. It was a way to fine tune things before we started the playoffs.”
Basile comes into the regional round of the playoffs with an impressive overall record of 9-1 and the number two ranking. The Bearcats have utilized a senior laden defense that has held opponents to eight points per game and has recorded four shutouts this season.
“Our defense has been tremendous all season long,” stated Bertrand. “Because we have a number of veterans on that side of the ball, it makes coaching a lot easier. Those guys know how to adjust on the fly without us having to tell them what to do. It is fun to watch them swarm around and play loose.”
Offensively, it has been the ground and pound show for Basile this year, who has rushed for over 2,000 yards as a team. The Bearcats will wear an opponent down up front, patiently waiting until that opponent is subdued.
Leading the way for Basile is senior running back Gabe Fontenot. Fontenot has rushed for 1,610 yards on 188 carries and 20 touchdowns.
“Our offensive line has really progressed this year,” commented Bertrand. “The running backs have so much confidence in those guys up front that they explode through the hole. What has impressed me has been our pass protection. Even though we don’t throw a lot, when we do our quarterback knows he will be protected.”
The journey to the playoffs for Basile began slowly, as they were hit with a number of injuries at the beginning of the season. Those injuries hurt the development of the Bearcat offense, especially in the trenches.
“Overcoming those injuries at the beginning of the season only made us stronger as a team,” said Bertrand. “It gave us a chance to play a lot of guys, which gave us some depth. I am proud of all the players that stepped up this season for us.”
Basile’s first two games were barn burners, as they defeated Vinton 20-18 and outlasted Ville Platte 7-0.
The Bearcats began to show improvement in the offensive cohesiveness in a 29-7 win over South Cameron and a 26-18 win over South Cameron.
The only glitch in an otherwise stellar season came in week five, as the Bearcats took one on the chin to Class 3A playoff participant Port Barre. Basile lost 18-7, but used that game as a springboard into district play.
“The Port Barre game was in a way a wake up call for us,” commented Bertrand. “After that game we went back to the drawing board and began working on the fundamentals that had carried us throughout the first four games.”
Basile dominated District 5-1A. The Bearcats outscored their last five opponents 154-27, going 5-0 in that stretch.
That dominate play along with a near perfect season propelled the Bearcats to the number two ranking they now occupy.
“I really had not realized that we had scored that many points in district,” said Bertrand. “We never really looked at it in those terms. We were just determined to take it one game at a time all season long. It just goes to show you what can be accomplished when everyone, including the coaching staff is on the same page.”
The Bearcats will now try to continue their winning ways against the Homer Pelicans. Homer defeated Montgomery 41-12 this past Friday to earn the right to face Basile in the second round of the playoffs.
The Pelicans ended the season with an overall record of 2-7. Homer comes into the game against Basile averaging 19.2 points per game and yields an average of 27.9 points per game on defense.
“Homer is a run-oriented team,” stated Bertrand. “They will be bigger than us up front. We are going to have to find a way to control the line of scrimmage. They have some really good athletes. However, they do play a lot of players both ways.”
“Hopefully we can wear them down late in the game and enforce out will on them.”
Should Basile win, they would face the winner of the Arcadia and Delhi game. That game would be in Basile also.