Ten-mile battle

The two towns and schools are approximately 10 miles apart from each other. But, when it comes to Friday night football, both Ville Platte and Mamou share the same indisputable passion for their hometown team.
Come tomorrow night, the town of Mamou will be electrified with fans from each community, as long time rivals
Ville Platte High and Mamou High will do battle in an ever important regular season opener for both squads. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Each team has had a scrimmage and a jamboree to evaluate and re-focus their personnel and their schemes. So, as game time approaches both Ville Platte and Mamou know what has worked and what needed to be tweaked during the past week of practices.
For the visiting Ville Platte Bulldogs, one area of concern is the passing game. If Ville Platte hopes to get back to the playoffs again this season, head coach Jorie Randle knows that his team cannot be one dimensional. But, Randle feels his rookie quarterback, Jaishaun Doucet, will get the hang of a very difficult position.
“Playing quarterback is a pressure job,” said Randle. “Jaishaun is a good athlete and football player. He missed a couple of throws that probably should have been made in the jamboree, but that will come with experience. I told him after the jamboree game that I have confidence in his ability and that he is going to be ok and not to be distracted by outside pressures.”
By all accounts, Ville Platte High performed well in the jamboree, despite the loss to Pine Prairie. After giving up an opening touchdown, the Bulldog defense kept the veer offense of the Panthers in check. However, Randle wants his club to be a little more focused, regardless of the opponent.
“We made some good adjustments on defense after their first drive,” stated Randle. “I do not think that we executed poorly on either side of the ball. My main concern is that we have to play with the same intensity night in and night out. From here on out we have to have a laser beam focus. There is no doubt we have the physical attributes, we just need to work on our mental game.”
For the Mamou Demons and head coach Brian Brumfield, turnovers in the jamboree not only killed drives, but also gave Basile excellent field position. Brumfield acknowledges that giving the ball up, especially in your own territory, is not a formula for success.
“The turnovers definitely hurt us,” commented Brumfield. “It seemed as if every time we had a little momentum going, we would shoot ourselves in the foot. I know we had some timing issues with our younger quarterback in the game. But, that is not an excuse. We will need to clean those things up come Friday.”
Defensively against Basile, Mamou experienced some breakdowns that led to big plays from the Bearcats. Brumfield is hoping that some playing time for his young defense will help alleviate those situations.
“I thought we played well at times defensively,” said Brumfield. “They took advantage of our left side, where we have some sophomores and freshmen playing. I am hoping that playing experience will make up for that. What really stood out was the play of our linebackers. I thought they had an exceptional game.”
Both coaches know what is at stake for game one of the 2016 season and each one was very complementary of the other’s team.
“Mamou has improved a heck of a lot on both sides of the ball,” stated Randle. “They are very effective running the ball, especially with their fullback. I was impressed with the quarterback play and their receivers. We are going to have to be on top of our game defensively.”
“Ville Platte is very athletic and has a tremendous amount of speed,” commented Brumfield. “They are a team that likes to run the ball. They are very solid up front and will beat you deep if they get the opportunity. Our defense will need to step up this week.”
Last week, several key players were missing from action for both teams. Highly recruited Ville Platte linebacker Tralon Thomas did not play because of ankle issues. Mamou High was missing a few starters as well, including starting quarterback Levi Fontenot. Whether or not these players get a chance to see some action this week could spell the difference in the course of the game.
One fact is for sure, there will be some intense play when these two schools square off tomorrow night.