Making the drive

Only a few power points separated Ville Platte High from the 2016 playoffs. And, in retrospect, it may have been only been four actual points that kept the Bulldogs from repeating another playoff appearance.
When Ville Platte head coach Jorie Randle looks back on last season, he sees two games that stand out more than the others, a 21-20 loss to Lafayette Christian and a 7-6 loss to Opelousas High that would have made the difference in staying home for the post-season.
“Against Lafayette Christian, we had the game in hand,” stated Randle. “But, some calls did not go our way and we fell late in the game. With Opelousas, we just could not finish drives. We had ever opportunity to win the game, but in the end we just could not close. When I look back at those two games, I think to myself that if we come away with one of those wins, we are in the playoffs for sure.”
For Randle and the Bulldogs, scheduling was a major factor in trying to make sure that they have a place at the playoff table when the dusts settles come the second week in November.
“As a coach, you have to be careful how you schedule your games, especially this year with the district that we are in,” said Randle. “We know that our district opponents are going to give us a ton of power points. All of those teams are established programs that will more than likely win seven to eight games,” “So, when it came to the non-district schedule, we wanted to play teams that would also give us some power points, but are close to our size in terms of the number of players they dress out,” he continued. “You have to be able to be competitive in those games. It’s great to play high caliber teams in non-district, but you also have to give yourself a chance to win.”
With that said, Ville Platte has a schedule that drives home Randle’s point. The Bulldogs open up with Sacred Heart in the re-birth of the Tee Cotton Bowl right out of the chute. They follow that up with an inter-parish rivalry game at Pine Prairie.
Class 4A Washington-Marion comes to town for week four. The Bulldogs follow that up with at trip to Pickering. Another team that has become a fierce opponent over the last two decades, Oakdale, will come calling in week five.
Ville Platte then opens up in a new district, 6-2A, with a trip to Lake Arthur. Perennial powerhouses Kinder and Notre Dame are on tap for weeks seven and eight. The Bulldogs will then take a break from district play to travel to Ascension Christian in Gonzales. Ville Platte finishes the year at home against Welsh for their last district contest.
If the Bulldogs are to be successful this year, they will have to rely heavily on the offense. That has been a change from the last several years, as Ville Platte has produced some vaunted defenses.
Offensively, the Bulldogs will lean on returning running back Jaishaun Doucet. The skillful runner played the quarterback position for the earlier part of the season. Doucet showed flashes of brilliance toting the rock in 2016.
That means that the quarter back position will be handed over to Brandon Veazie. The young gunslinger took over as the signal caller mid way through last season. Veazie has the talent to lead the Bulldogs, but will be counted on for leadership in the huddle more than usual.
Also returning on the offensive side of the ball is wide out Kaybrien Ardoin. The talented pass receiver has progressed steadily over the past year and made some great catches during the spring contest against Oberlin. Also in the mix at wide out will be Keenan Markary.
Up front Ville Platte has three players returning. Jalen Edwards, Davondez Doucet and Vontravious Joseph all come back to make sure that Veazie and Doucet are taken care of so that they can make the plays necessary for the Bulldogs to put a multitude of points on the board.
“Our offense is definitely ahead of our defense as of right now because of all the returners we have on that side of the ball,” said Randle. “As far as the offense is concerned, we are definitely going to stay with our same scheme. We had success most of the year with that offense. It allows us to get our athletes out in space and gives them a chance to make plays.”
“We use a lot of misdirection to try and confuse the defense,” he continued. “We also can utilize our zone run game. Off of that, I think it allows us to get into our play action passes easier. I am expecting a lot from the offense this season.”
Defensively will be a little tougher for Ville Platte this year. The Bulldogs graduated a number of important play makers including University of Louisiana-Monroe signee Tralon Thomas and defensive lineman Brashonski Jones.
However, Ville Platte returns a few key players off of last year’s defensive depth chart. Up front Travian Ardoin will answer the call at the defensive tackle position. Also, Jalen Edwards, who was a defensive end last year, will take over at the linebacker spots. Alex Griffith is another player that has some experience under his belt. Griffith will anchor one of the defensive end spots.
“Losing almost an entire defense is going to be a big hill to climb for us,” said Randle. “We were fortunate enough to have some guys that only played basketball last year turn out this season. There are some really good athletes in that group and we look to put them in positions that need to be filled. I think once they get into the mix and get hit a few times, they will be ready to play. It will just be a matter of them learning the scheme.”