Lady Warriors suffer their second loss of the season

Lady Warriors suffer their second loss of the season
The Oakdale Lady Warriors on December 13, 2016, suffered their second loss of the season as they lost a two point game against the Kinder Lady Yellow Jackets 58-56.
"The (game) came down to the last basket, and on this night Kinder made the last one," head coach Ted Fontenot said. "I think we came out and started the game with some good intensity and carried that all the way through the first half. Kinder made a run at the end of the third quarter to tie the game going into the fourth. In the fourth quarter, we played hard but came up short at the end. We made some mistakes during the fourth quarter that cost us the game and Kinder shot the ball well from the outside."
The team collectively shot 40 percent from the field as compared to 36 percent shooting in its first loss of the season against Pineville. Shooting percentage from three point range increased from 14 percent against Pineville to 22 percent against Kinder. One key stat that went down in the loss against Kinder was free throw percentage. Against Pineville the team shot four for six from the charity stripe at a 66 percent clip as compared to going 12 for 29 at a 41 percent clip against Kinder.
Individual scoring leaders against Kinder were Sanaa St. Andre with 22 points and KeMaesha St. Andre with 19 points. Setorie St. Andre led her team in rebounding with seven, and the next highest was Brianna Hargrave with six. Sanaa St. Andre and Setorie St. Andre were each credited with five assists, and on defense Treshunda Joseph and Sanaa St. Andre each recorded three steals.
The two teams met up again three nights later in the Allen Parish Tournament, and this time Oakdale got the win by a score of 59-33. The Lady Warriors then lost 98-44 to the host team Fairview. More information from the tournament will be in next week's paper.

Warriors improve to a 7-4 record on the season

Warriors improve to a 7-4 record on the season
After beating the Montgomery Tigers 71-64 at home on December 8, the Oakdale Warriors dropped back-to-back games on the road in Baton Rouge against Family Christian and in Lake Charles against Lake Charles College Prep before rebounding for a 92-89 overtime win against Kinder at home.
"It's always good when you can beat your rival and especially since they were selected the number one seed in the parish tournament coming up soon," said head coach Dustin Howard. "Kinder is a senior laden well coached basketball team that can really shoot the ball. They came out and handled us in the first half, but our guys never quit believing in each other and responded in a big way."
Sophomore Raymond Guillory scored 36 of his team's points on the night. He shot 11 for 30 from the field at a 37 percent clip including two of eight from behind the arc. He added 12 points from the charity stripe in 17 attempts. "(He) is currently averaging 28.9 points per game, and that ranks him 79th in the nation according to MaxPreps, "Howard said.
Malcolm Pugh was the second highest scorer against Kinder with 25 points at a 45 shooting percentage from the field. He went four for 11 from the three point line and batted three for five on free throws.
"This was a team effort, everyone played their role tonight," said Howard. "Some people got points, some people played great defense, and some rebounded the basketball like they were on a mission. I hope our young team takes away from this game that it takes a great team effort like this to win a game like that, no matter what."
Oakdale then went on to Grant to compete in the Allen Parish Tournament December 15-17. The Warriors defeated Reeves 71-52 in their first game on Thursday. The next night they met Kinder in a rematch and lost 75-52. They then defeated host team Fairview in overtime 62-53 for third place Saturday. "First time Oakdale has beaten Fairview since they won the parish tournament in 2008," Howard said.
More information about the tournament will be in next week's paper.

Warriors unwrap All District Honors

Warriors unwrap All District honors
Christmas came early for Oakdale football as several Warriors unwrapped All District honors in District 3-2A including seniors James Evins and Terrance Holmes who took home first team honors on both sides of the ball.
"All district meetings are tough for coaches because we want all our guys on first team because we know how hard they work," said coach Randall Gordon of Oakdale. "If you don't win district it's harder to get votes. All district is voted on by head coaches in your district, but you can't vote on your own players. So you have to catch the eye of the other head coaches by superior play, attitude, and leadership."
Evins made first team All District at running back and line backer. He "impressed the coaches of the district by how hard he ran the ball and how he made it a chore to tackle him for four quarters and displaying the speed to score from anywhere," said Gordon. "(He) was normally found around the football when the opponent was on offense. He led our football team in tackles and was third in district in tackles."
Taking home first team honors at wide receiver and defensive back was Terrance Holmes, whom his coach described as "able to take over a game by being able to out jump the defense to catch a big pass or the quickness to catch a quick pass." Gordon went on talk about Holmes' defensive play. "(He) was the 'ball hawk' of the defense. When the offense threw a pass they had to contend with Holmes. He was second in district in interceptions."
Joining them on first team defense was junior defensive lineman Jonathan Johnson. "(He) played with energy which made him hard to block for four quarters," Gordon said. "His energy made 'hustle plays' which is tackles for loss, sacks, forced fumbles, fumbled recoveries, and interceptions."
Miliak Hayward and John Ross Williams both garnered second team honors at defensive back and offensive lineman respectively. "Hayward was the versatile guy on defense playing linebacker but also guarded receivers which caught the other coaches eyes," Gordon said. "Williams was the brains behind the operation on the offensive line. He understood what the defense was trying to do and knew what everyone on the offensive line was suppose to be doing."
Coming in at honorable mention were quarterback Slate Jordan, offensive lineman Zach Ross, and linebacker Jalin Russell.

A potential relic returns home to Ville Platte

A potential relic returns home to Ville Platte
 A novena was published in 2006 with ecclesiastical approbation from Bishop of Lafayette Michael Jarrell that begins with the following: "O, God of Goodness, You never tire of sending us examples of Your love. You called Your servant Father Verbis Lafleur to the Priesthood from an early age and kept him in Your sight. In the fulfillment of time, he willingly offered up his life for his God and his country."
 Seventy-two years after his death aboard a prisoner of war ship, Lafleur's chalice that he used daily to consecrate the water and wine into the Blood of Christ has come home to Ville Platte and now rests at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church. The church plans to use it on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and other solemnities.
 Father Tom Voorhies is the pastor at Sacred Heart and explained what is so special about any chalice. "A priest's chalice is kind of like a wedding ring is to a married person," he said. "It's a sign of their commitment. So every priest has his own personal chalice, and as a sign of his ordination which is his marriage to the Church, the Bride of Christ because we stand in for Jesus our Lord."
 Lafleur received his chalice when he was ordained April 2, 1938, at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Lafayette. He was the fourth of eight children born to Valentine Lafleur and Agatha Dupre and received the three Sacraments of Initiation as well as First Confession at Sacred Heart. His family moved to Opelousas when he was 14 years old and became parishoners of St. Landry Church where he celebrated his first solemn mass three days after his ordination. 
 He served as a priest at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville before he felt the call to join the army roughly six months before the United States entered World War II. His first assignment was in Albuquerque, N.M, before being reassigned to Clark Field in the Philippines. The Japanese attacked the field on December 8, 1941, a day after they had bombed Pearl Harbor. Lafleur was eventually captured and became a prisoner of war with stays at Davao and Lasang. 
 More than two years passed by before he along with 700 other prisoners were being transported by ship from an airfield in the jungle to another Japanese occupied island. This ship was struck by an American torpedo and began to sink. Lafleur began pushing his fellow prisoners through the hatch to safety risking his own life as the ship began to sink and perished with the ship September 7, 1944.
 "So apparently he didn't bring his chalice with him when he went to war," said Voorhies while displaying Lafleur's chalice and telling the story on a Friday afternoon inside his office. "So he probably left it with a family member, and then his nephew Wilfred Sylvester became a priest (on May 10, 1952), so he had the chalice."
 Sylvester kept the chalice and then gave it to a seminarian from Illinois named Carl Beekman who came to Eunice after serving in the Marines. Beekman then returned to his home Diocese of Rockford where he was ordained May 20, 2000, and took Lafleur's chalice with him. Voorhies said, "Carl
had stayed with me when he was a seminarian one summer when I was the pastor in Delcambre, and so that's how I knew him." 
 Upon hearing the story of the chalice from Lafleur's nephew Richard Lafleur, Voorhies called Beekman. "I called Carl and talked with him just to reestablish communication with him because we hadn't talked in a long time," Voorhies said. "I think towards the end of that conversation he said like 'What you want me to give that chalice back?' and I said 'No, I'm just calling to say hi and get reacquainted.'"
 Beekman decided to go ahead and send the chalice back to Sacred Heart. "He really felt like he should give it back to the diocese for a possible canonization process," Voorhies said. "It would be a valued piece of memorabilia of Father Verbis' priestly life and a relic if he becomes canonized."
 Voorhies said, "Bishop (Douglas) Deshotel is open to continuing the process, and so things are looking good for his canonization process." 
 He then explained the two processes for Lafleur to become a saint: "The bishop has to open up his own investigation in the Diocese of Lafayette, and once that is completed, then he can present it to Rome. The pope would then have to declare him a person of virtue, then venerable, then beatified. Then you would need a miralce for beatification and then another miracle for canonization. Or if the pope should say that he was a martyr for charity and for the faith, then the pope could dispense with the need for any miracles and just say he's a saint."
 Bishop Jarrell that same year gave his ecclesiastical approbation to publishing a Prayer of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament in honor of Father J. Verbis Lafleur which in part goes, "We ask that the whole Church can know him and be inspired by his priesthood and victim-hood to follow You more intensely in a loving example. May Father Lafleur be declared a 'Servant of God'. May he be Beatified and raised to the Alter of Sainthood."

Vinton and Montgomery boys at Oakdale

Vinton and Montgomery boys at Oakdale
Six games into the season the Oakdale Warriors are poised to eclipse their win total from last season. The team won seven games last season and now have a record of 4-2. "It would be great to have more than seven wins before Christmas break," said head coach Dustin Howard. "We have a shot, but we have work to do."
After winning the first game of the season against Basile, the team suffered a 72-45 loss at Avoyelles Charter in Mansura on December 1. They rebounded the next night in their home opener and garnered a 61-58 win against Lake Charles College Prep. "Crazy home game tonight," said Howard. "Huge win!"
Howard continued, "A game like that shows the progress our young team is already making. Being able to finish a game like that which went down to the wire means we grew up a little, very valuable experience."
A week later the Warriors went 2-1 at home and started the week with a 65-55 win against Vinton in front of a packed house. "The crowd at the Vinton game was amazing," Howard said. "Our student section was great. It really was a great basketball environment."


Brandon Berry provided all the Lions' offense scoring 9 points to begin the game. James Evins scored cutting into the Lion lead, and Guillory then tied it up at 10 and stole the ball away to score for the 12-10 lead. Berry sank another three to quiet the Warrior crowd, but the crowd roared back as Guillory hit a three ball from long range as the clock expired on the opening quarter.
Guillory in the second quarter scored an acrobatic layup giving his team 25 points, then he pushed the lead to nine at 31-22. Vinton went on a 6-2 scoring run coming out the gate of the second half and went on a 6-4 scoring run that has the score 39-34. Oakdale lead 43-39 heading into the last eight minutes of regulation and held on for the win.
"We started the game a little slow defensively, but a good run in the second quarter gave us a little cushion going into half," Howard said. "We came out the second half and took control of the game. We took enough of a lead into the 4th that we were able to withstand a couple of Vinton runs to finish the game."
Two nights later Howard's team picked up a win against the Montgomery Tigers 71-64. "Montgomery was a team that beat us last year at their place, so just like the Vinton game, this was one the players wanted to win," Howard said.
Guillory started the game with an effortless floating three ball from the top of the key, and Malcolm Pugh added back-to-back threes to go up 9-2. Oakdale added six quick points in the waning moments of the first quarter. Pugh scored a three pointer on a fake move to go up 23-15, and Guillory added another three giving his team more separation between them and. Montgomery. At the half the Warriors lead 29-20.
Montgomery matched Oakdale score for score in the early moments of the second half. A voice cries out in the stands "Kyris with the move" as he found his way to the basket for the score. Both teams scored 20 points in the third quarter, and it ended with Oakdale up by nine points at 49-40. Montgomery began the final eight minutes with a basket from beyond the arc, but Oakdale banked three baskets from beyond the arc including two from Josh McDaniel. Montgomery scored a layup as time expired, but Oakdale held on to earn the W by the final score 71-64.

Vinton and Montgomery girls at Oakdale

Vinton and Montgomery girls at Oakdale
Coming off a road trip to begin the season where they won eight of nine games, the Oakale Lady Warriors began there first homestand with wins against Vinton and Montgomery.
Ted Fontenot's team concluded the road trip on December 1 and improved to 8-1 with a 45-23 over Avoyelles Charter. "It was a low scoring game like we expected, but we were able to play together and finish the game for the win," said the Oakdale coach. "Treshunda Joseph had a great defensive game, and KeMaesha St Andre and Sanaa St Andre were the two leading scorers."
The homestand started the following Tuesday night with an overwhelming 64-21 win against Vinton. "Our team played well in our first full home game of the season," said Fontenot. "I think the girls were a little nervous with the big crowd that came out to see us play their support of our girls team, and I hope they continue to come out and give our players a great support."
Two nights later the Lady Warriors took on the Lady Tigers of Montgomery. "Well we knew that they would play well on defense, and it would be tough for us to score," Fontenot said. "I think we came out to a slow start, but once we got some transition baskets from our defense, we got things going in a positive direction. Our defense is really good, and we do a good job of playing together."
Sanaa St. Andre got a steal and converted it for points for the 2-0 lead then drove coast-to-coast for the basket. KeMaesha St. Andre would later get the offensive rebound and put the ball through the hoop as a timeout was called at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter with Oakdale leading 9-0.
Montgomery got on the board with two and half minutes remaining in the quarter before Sanaa St. Andre scored a three pointer to reach double digits on the scoreboard. The first quarter ended with Oakdale leading 12-3. Montgomery then scored on a three-point play after Oakdale missed both free throws for a five point swing. The score at the 5:47 mark of the second quarter was 15-6 in favor of Oakdale as Montgomery was controlling the game on defense.
Oakdale went on a 9-0, and the Lady Warriors controlled the scoreboard at the half leading 25-6. Montgomery scored a three ball from the side of the key making the score 29-9. Sanaa St. Andre nailed back-to-back threes from the top of the key, and Oakdale was up 45-9 after three quarters of play as it held Montgomery to three points every quarter. The visiting team scored six points in the final stanza, but the clock struck midnight on Montgomery as the Oakdale Lady Warriors won 54-16

Oakdale boys at Basile

Oakdale boys at Basile
In his first game coaching boys basketball, Oakdale coach Dustin Howard led his team on the road to Basile and picked up a 73-45 win. "We have plenty things to work on but it's always good to win the season opener," he said. "It's something to build on for sure."
Raymond Guillory in the first quarter banked three three pointers in a row all from the far end of the left key. Basile then got a three pointer of its own at the 3:24 mark of the 1st quarter with the score 13-9 and then tied it up with a ball that plinkoed through the net then before taking the 17-15 lead. The first quarter ended with the score 18-15 in favor of the Bearcats.
It was a defensive beginning to the second quarter before Nick Davis tied it at the 5:20 mark. "We got some help on the boards off the bench with Nick Davis," said his coach. "He is our spark plug right now with his rebounding"

Malcolm Pugh retied the game at 20 as he sank both free throws. The rest of the quarter went back-and-forth, and at the half Oakdale trailed 31-26. "I liked the way we overcame a little adversity in the first half," said Howard. "We came out the second half and executed the game plan defensively and got a few easy buckets and we really got going."
Guillory scored the first points of the second half then Pugh nailed a three to tie the game at 31 at the 5:49 mark of the third quarter. Then on the next possession Oakdale took the two point advantage, and the rout was on. The Warriors held their opponents to four point in quarter number three while scoring 21 points. Howard said of the quarter, "They had some foul trouble early in the third, and we put them away."

Oakdale girls at Basile

Oakdale girls at Basile
Coach Ted Fontenot's basketball team continued its hot start to the season with a commanding 31-point win at Basile as the Lady Warriors won 68-37 and improved to 7-1 closing out the month of November.
"I think (the) game was a challenge for us playing on the road and Basile coming out shooting the ball as well as they did," said a humble Fontenot about his team's performance. "We were down early, and we responded by staying together and we kept fighting through the deficient. That is the sign of a team learning to play together. Alexis Davis gave us some good minutes and scored 18-points by playing hard. Sanaa and KaMesha St Andre had good scoring nights also."
The road team tied the game at 17 at the end of the first quarter on a buzzer beater from Treshunda Joseph. Sanaa St Andre then lead off the second quarter with a three pointer. A scoring run followed on the part of the Lady Warriors before a timeout was called by the Basile coach at the 4:44 mark of the second quarter with his team down 28-17.
Coming out of the timeout, Basile hit a three making it an eight point game then got a layup. Sanaa St Andre then scored on back-to-back baskets to get her team back on track as it ended the first half leading 34-25.
At the end of three quarters of play in Bearcat country, Oakdale led 48-31. Sanaa St Andre got a basket ending about a two minute scoring drought beginning a 6-0 scoring run. Basile called a full timeout at the 4:50 mark down 56-32 and then scored a basket from beyond the arc in a last ditch effort of a losing battle.
Fontenot said after his team got the win, "I think the best is yet to come for our team."

Lady Warriors defeat Sacred Heart in the Turkey Tourney Finals

The championship game of the 2016 Turkey Tournament pitted the Oakdale Lady Warriors against the host Sacred Heart Lady Trojans. After 32-minutes of physical play, it was the Lady Warriors who emerged victorious winning 57-37 and bringing home the trophy.
"In the finals we got to meet up with Sacred Heart which I knew would be tough to (beat) being they are the home team," said head Lady Warrior coach Ted Fontenot. "I think we came out fired up and played some great defense. The game was back and forth in the second half, but our team was able to control the game to win it."
The Lady Warriors began the tournament in the opening game Monday morning at 9:30 AM with a win against Crowley. "Well last year we came to this same tournament and lost to Sacred Heart and Crowley in the same day and were out of it in one day," said Fontenot. "That is a testament if how young we were. This year I was happy to be playing Crowley first so our players could remember. We controlled that day from the beginning."
They then defeated Pine Prairie in the semi-final matchup the next afternoon. Fontenot said about the game, "I knew it would be a good test for us by the way they play." He continued, "After the first quarter, I think we took control of that game and went on to win."
The Lady Trojans began the tournament with a win against St. Ed's Monday evening at 6:30 and needed an overtime period to defeat Oak Hill 46-44 in their semi-final game.
In the finals Ke'Maesha St. Andre scored the opening basket and was fouled. The three point play was good. Sanaa St. Andre on the next possession drained a layup then got a steal and went coast-to-coast for the score. Andie Landry for Sacred Heart scored on the assist from Catherine Poche to trim the lead to four at 7-3.
Setorie St. Andre scored to get the two points back. Ke'maesha St. Andre made both free throws to put her team up 13-5 before scoring to go up 15-5 as a timeout was called on the court at the 2:22 mark of the first quarter. At the end of the first quarter, Oakdale led 15-5.
Ke'Maesha St. Andre scored the first points of the second quarter and followed it up with another basket. Tresunda Joseph got in on the scoring to go up 21-5. The Lady Warriors clearly started to out physical their opponent.
Landry scored a trey making the score 23-8, and Sydney Shiver hit another trey on the next possession as the Lady Trojans reached double digits in scoring. Poche got two more points for her team as the Lady Trojans were down by 10 at 23-13 before the Lady Warriors extended the lead to 12. At the half the Lady Warriors led 26-13.
Sanaa St. Andre hit a trey coming out of the halftime break. A timeout was called on the court at the 6:09 mark of the third quarter with Oakdale leading 33-18. Sanaa St. Andre drained a three pointer from the corner of the key to go up 36-19 and added to her point total with another basket. Oakdale maintained the momentum as it was getting all the rebounds
Poche was at the line for two shots at the 3:28 mark of the third quarter with the score 38-24 and the student section starting to come to life. A timeout was c.alled on the court with 24.9 seconds on the third quarter clock as Lady Warriors lead 38-26. Poche was at the line and split the pair before Alexis Davis got the offensive rebound and the basket closing out the third quarter. After three quarters of play, the Lady Warriors led 40-27.
Annabeth Briley scored an old fashioned three point play to begin the final quarter for the Lady Trojans. Later in the quarter Ke'Maesha St. Andre stole the ball away and capitalized at the basket to go up 47-30. She then lands hard on the court and went to line where she made both free throws. Shouts of "you gotta get the rebound" echoed through the Trojan stands as the coach Stephanie Fontenot implored with her team. Shiver in a last ditch effort hit a three making it a 20-point game with under a minute left, which was the eventual final point margin.
"I was proud of the way we competed in this tournament," Fontenot said. "And I was glad for the players that we won it. We do need to work on staying out of foul trouble, but with that I saw some good play from our bench players like Annishia Moton and Alexis Davis. Overall I feel all five starters played well all three games, and our two seniors really stepped it up in these games with their leadership and play."
The Lady Warriors have two more road games against Basile on November 29 and against Avoyelles Charter on December 1 before heading home to begin a homestand against Vinton on December 6.

Lady Warriors begin the season with a 3-1 record

The Lady Warrior basketball squad kicked off its regular season going 3-1 in the opening week.
The week started Tuesday night with a 48-25 win on the road at Opelousas Catholic. "I took control of the game from the tip off, and (we) played well," said head coach Ted Fontenot. "Sanaa St Andre had a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 steals.  KaMeasha St Andre had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds."
KaMeasha St Andre shot 10 for 17 from the field at a 59% clip, and Sanaa St Andre shot six for 16 at a 38% clip. Sanaa St Andre added to her point total by going two for six from the three-point range. Leading the way from the free throw line were KaMeasha St Andre going one for three and Treshunda Joseph who went one for two.
A night later Fontenot's team began play in the Avoyelles Tournament with a 72-46 win against host Avoyelles. "We had 18 turnovers in the first half which found us down by 3 at the half," said the coach. "(But) we only had three turnovers in the second half. We pulled away in the fourth quarter outscoring them 24-2."
Propelling her team to the win was KaMeasha St Andre with her second double-double in as many nights. She scored 38 points to go with her 12 rebounds. Twelve of her points came from the free throw line in 14 attempts. Joseph was next in line in the scoring leader category with her 17 points, and Sanaa St Andre also added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The tournament concluded Saturday with the team going one and one in the Win-Loss column. The loss came by one point to Pineville by a score of 41-40, while the win came in the night cap agaist J.S. Clark as the Lady Warriors dominated 46-8.
"In the Pineville game, we came out slow," said Fontenot. "I think we were intimidated by their post player so we did not want to take the ball inside the lane. In the second game, we were better than (J.S. Clark), and we took control from the start. In the second half, our young players got to play which was good for them to get experience."
The team competes Thanksgiving week in Sacred Heart's Turkey Tournament in Ville Platte where it meets up with Crowley in the opening contest.

The Lady Warriors kick off the season in the jamboree

The Lady Warriors of Oakdale got the basketball season kicked off last Thursday night as they played host against Elton in the jamboree and came away with the 33-11 win.
"On jamboree night the girls played well, and we lead the entire game," commented head Oakdale coach Ted Fontenot. "I am very pleased with our team and the way they played tonight."
Leading the way on offense for the Lady Warriors was KeMaesha St Andre with her 11 points in the two 10-minute halves. Sanaa St Andre scored nine points and recorded five rebounds along with four steals, and Brianna Hargrove scored five points to go with her six rebounds. Setorie St Andre recorded eight rebounds and Treshunda Joseph got three steals, and each scored four points.
Fontenot's team gets the regular season started at Opelousas Catholic before travelling to Marksville for the Avoyelles Tourney at Avoyelles High. The tournament wraps up Saturday, November 19 as the Lady Warriors play Pineville at 10:30 AM and JS Clark at 3:00 PM.

The Road to the Dome begins for Oakdale

The Road to the Dome began Friday night for the sixteenth seed Oakdale Warriors as they hosted the seventeenth seed West St. Mary Wolfpack, but the clock struck midnight on the home team's season as it lost 14-13.
"You can never be satisfied in the playoffs unless you win your last game," said head Warrior coach Randall Gordon. "We lost our first game so you can imagine our disappointment. It was great to have a home game even though our crowd wasn't as large as we had hoped. We knew going in we had a tough task. West St. Mary was very talented at the skill positions which we knew but their lineman played better than we expected. The problem was our offense played behind the chains all night, and On defense we made them drive the field but busted plays is how they scored."
The game remained scoreless eight minutes into the second quarter. That is when Jason Pierre squirted along the left side on a quarterback keeper for a 22-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive was aided and abetted by a facemask penalty against the Warriors. The two-point conversion was good as the Wolfpack led 8-0 with 4:02 on the second quarter clock.

Terrance Holmes then returned the kick to the 38 yard line. He crossed midfield as a flag went down for holding against Oakdale. On first and 20 from the 28, Slate Jordan completed a pass complete to Holmes as the Warriors got back to the original line of scrimmage. After a loss of eight yards, Jordan's pass was thrown into coverage and was intercepted. The Wolfpack took over inside Warrior territory on the 48.
The Warriors got a breath of fresh air as they picked up a Wolfpack fumble, but Jordan's pass was intercepted on the next play from scrimmage. The time on the first half clock expired, but two seconds were put back on the clock following an unsportsmanlike penalty against the Wolfpack. Oakdale got the ball back, and Jordan found James Evins in the end zone for the score. The extra point was good as Oakdale trailed 8-7 at the half.
Each team went three-and-out to begin the second half. On the Wolfpack's second possession, Holmes picked off the pass from Pierre and returned it 80 yards for the score to give the Warriors the lead. The two point conversion attempt was no good as the Warriors lead 13-8 at the 5:20 mark of the third quarter.

The Warrior defense was pitching shut down innings until just over five minutes left in the game as the Wolfpack regained possession on the Warrior 31-yard line. The visitors gained 13 yards to the 16 yard line. Evins stopped the run for 2nd and 10, before the Wolfpack was flagged for illegal substitution. Pierre's pass was complete for third and three from the eight yard line for a first and goal. A timeout was called on the field after a gain of 1 with 3:09 remaining in the game. West St Mary then scored on a busted play from two yards out. The two-point try was stopped as the Wolfpack led 14-13.
"At the end they outplayed us and their speed was too much for us," Gordon said. "We made too many mistakes mentally, physically, and in preparation to win a playoff game. Our younger guys will have to learn from this experience where we don't have this let down again. We are losing 10 seniors who played their last game and they will be missed."

Oakdale Lady Warrior preview

                Ted Fontenot begins a new season at the helm of the Oakdale Lady Warrior Basketball program and has high expections.

                "This season I am looking for some good things from this team," Fontenot said. "We return four starters from last year and three other players that played a lot last year.  We added a good ninth grade class to our roster which makes for a good mixture of 15 total basketball players."

                Returning to the starting lineup are seniors Treshunda Joseph and Setorie St. Andre, junior Brianna Hargrove, and sophomore KeMaesha St. Andre. Fontenot said his seniors, "had good seasons for us last year, and I’m looking for them to lead our team in the right direction this season." He went on to say, "I could not ask for better young women to captain our team this year. Treshunda (Joseph) is one of the best defensive players I have ever coached and I am looking for her to produce on the offensive side of the ball this season. Setorie (St. Andre) is one of the best shooters on our team, and I know she will improve her game as the year goes on."

                 "Brianna (Hargrove) is our starting center and does a good job on rebounding and blocking shots in the middle for us, I am looking for her to score more points for us this season," said Fontenot about his junior starter. "KeMaesha (St. Andre) started last year for us, and I am looking for some great things from her this season."

                Also returning for the 2016-2017 season are juniors Alexis Davis and Ayana Jones and sophomores Annsia Moton, Asiauna Baltzar, and Destiny Monday. "Alexis Davis is our first player that comes off of the bench and is a very good defensive player also," Fontenot said. "Ayana (Jones) has improved her game this year and I am looking for her to give us more minutes this season. Annsia (Moton) is a player that improved a lot this summer, and I look for her to give us some good minutes this season."

                Joining the squad this year as freshman are Sanaa St. Andre, Carlissa Spikes, Trenika Joseph, Lauren Holmes, Tynisha Murray, and Stassi Adams. "We also added a good ninth grade class highlighted by Sanaa St. Andre and Lauren Holmes who played well this summer," said Fontenot. "Overall we have the team that can win the district championship and go deep into the playoffs."

                The Lady Warriors kick off the season with the Oakdale Jamboree November 10, 2016, and close out the month with a trip to Opelousas Catholic on the 15th before competing in the Avoyelles and Sacred Heart Tournaments. District play commences December 27, 2016, with a road contest against the Eagles of Menard.

Oakdale boys basketball preview

Changes are coming to the corner of 13th St. and Warrior Dr. this season for the Oakdale boys basketball team. Some changes will be more obvious than others such as new uniforms and a new head coach.
"Going into my first season at Oakdale, I wanted to try to generate some excitement about the upcoming season and a new beginning for the Oakdale Basketball Program, said first year  head coach Dustin Howard. "I thought new uniforms were an immediate need as well as something the players would be excited about and could be proud of.  I contacted Mr. (Kelly) Brown and spoke with him about helping us out."
Brown is the project manager at Roy O. Martin and presented a check to Howard and six of his players for $1000.00 to purchase an away set of basketball game uniforms. "Roy O. Martin is proud to support our educational partners," he said in a statement. "Investing in our local youth, such as through our Wood Works program and involvement with various athletic programs, speaks to out value of commitment to the communities we serve. Good luck to Coach Howard and his hard working team of Warriors in their upcoming season."
"Huge thanks to Roy O Martin Oakdale for helping us out, we are very appreciative," said Howard. "When the Oakdale Booster club found out Roy O. Martin was helping us with an away set of uniforms they decided to buy us some Home White Uniforms to match. It is great to work and coach in a community that is so supportive. I'm very excited about the future of Oakdale Basketball."
The Plainview native Howard comes to Oakdale via East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Tx., where he was head women's basketball coach. His first year there in 2013 he earned the American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year award. Prior to that he was head girls coach at Plainview where his team won the Class C State title in 2010 and was state runner-up in 2011.  Howard was awarded Coach of the Year honors while there in 2010 and 2012.
The difference now for Howard is that he is now coaching boys basketball. "After 15 years coaching girls basketball, the switch to boys has been a breath of fresh air," he said. "It's something I've always been interested in doing, and this was the perfect time."
Howard is appreciative of the opportunity here coaching at Oakdale. "My wife and I recently had our first child (a son) and we wanted to share that with family so with both our families living in the area, becoming the boys basketball coach at Oakdale was the only job in the area that I was interested in. When it came open, I called and talked with Mr. (Brad) Soileau and Coach (Randall) Gordon, and I'm glad they considered me. I already love it here and it's somewhere I want to be a long time."
While in college at Louisiana State from 1999-2003, Howard was on the front row of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for every basketball game watching Stromile Swift, Toris Bright, Collis Temple, III, Ronald Dupree, and Darrell Mitchell. "I'm still angry about Ball State beating (LSU) in the NIT at home," he said. "But I'll never forget beating Number 1 Arizona and rushing the court."
Howard hopes to bring that brand of exciting basketball to the Oakdale program. "I am very excited about this season," he said. "We are a young team over all with so young players with a lot of potential. We also have a mixture of older guys that are solid basketball players and strong leaders. This first season is going to be fun. Our goal as a team is to have a winning season, compete in the district and make the playoffs."
When asked about the style of play he brings to the table, Howard responsed "We plan to play fast when it benefits us and plan to focus on half court defense and rebounding." He continued, "We can shoot it a little outside and have a couple players that can flat score. If we really work on defense, we should be fun to watch."
The season kicks off with the Oakdale Jamboree November 10, 2016. The team then closes out the month of November with a game in Basile on the 29th and begins the month of December at Avoyelles Charter on the 1st. The home opener is the next day on December 2, 2016, as the Warriors host Lake Charles College Prep, and district play begins December 30, 2016, with a home game against Pickering. The December schedule also includes a homecoming for Howard as his team visits Plainview December 20, 2016.

Sacred Heart visits Delcambre with playoffs on the line

The regular season came to an end Friday night as the Sacred Heart Trojans went on the road and defeated the Delcambre Panthers 48-27. With the win the Trojans evened up their overall 2016 record to 5-5 and improved their stock regarding playoff implications.
The two teams traded scores early as the game was tied up at 13 to close out the first quarter. In the second quarter, Delcambre found some momentum scoring on back-to-back possessions. The Panthers went up 27-13 with 4:11 on the clock before the half. The rest of the game was all Trojans as the defense came up big after a slow start and as the offense continued to fire on all cylinders.
"We wanted to establish our run," said Trojan head coach Josh Harper. "The main focus was running out of our spread formation, which is what hopefully springboards us to next year."
Harper went on to credit his offensive line. "But none of that can be done unless the offensive line does what they did," he said. "We finally moved some pieces around during the week. We found a group that kinda was gelling, and those guys can't do what they do if it wasn't for the guys up front."
On the other side of the ball, Harper made a few adjustments between the halves that paid dividends for his team. "We just told the guys to play hard, play fast, play physical and go hit somebody," he said. "And they did. They hit them in the mouth in the second half, and the defense stepped up big. We didn't give up a point in the second half. I'm proud of the defense and the total effort by the team."
"I thought our kids played hard,"conceded head Delcambre coach Marc Broussard. "We came out and played well in the first half, and in the second half Sacred Heart came out and just moved the football. Hats off to them. It was a good football game. They played better than us tonight."
The Trojans tied the game at 27 with 6:05 on the third quarter clock. The drive began as the football came to rest on the Trojan 44 yard line following a Panther punt. J.T. Harper carried across the 50 for a second and three before Wesley Launey completed a pass to Daniel Scully for a first down on the Panther 40. Launey then pitched back to Gautreaux who picked up enough for another first down at the 29 yard line. Launey completed two consecutive passes before Harper gained six yards to the eight yard line bringing up second and four. Launey then kept the ball himself as he ran in for the score.
Harper got the fourth quarter started with a touchdown run from 13 yards out as Sacred Heart took the 33-27 lead at the 11:31 mark of the final quarter of play in regulation. The Trojan defense then pitched a shut down inning as Delcambre went three-and-out. After a Delcambre miss play on the punt, the Trojans scored a quick touchdown on a run from Harper and extended the lead to 41-27 following the two-point conversion reception to Alec Gotro.

After another shut down inning from the Trojan defense, the offense picked up a first down on the 39 yard line. Harper on the next play from scrimmage took the football 36 yards to the three yard line for a first and goal situation. The Trojans scored another touchdown earning style points in the rankings, and the point after was good for a 48-27 Trojan advantage with 6:31 remaining in the game.
With the win against Delcambre and with Pine's 19-17 win over St. Thomas Aquinas, Sacred Heart got a bump in the rankings and now awaits its fate when the playoff seedings are announced.

Oakdale visits Menard with much on the line

Playoff implications are on the line this week as the Oakdale Warriors travel to Alexandria to take on district rival Holy Savior Menard with both teams separated by a game in the District 3 2-A standings.
"We want to execute on all phases of the game to have momentum going into post season play," head Warrior coach Randall Gordon said. "If we win we will host a home playoff game, but if we lose we will possibly travel. With us controlling our own destiny in as far as where we will play is very exciting. We believe we have great fans and a great home game atmosphere and our seniors want to earn another home game."
Menard is coming off a game at Pickering last week where it came back from 14 points down at halftime to win 21-20. The Eagles of Menard with the win inched ahead of Pickering in the district standings, but the teams remain in a second place tie. The teams sit at 3-1 in district behind the undefeated Many Tigers.
Oakdale sits at third place in the district standings with a 2-2 record. The Warriors evened up their district mark with a 50-21 win over Bunkie last week on Senior Night. "On offense when you don't have to punt one time, you have had a great night on offense," said Gordon about his team's performance against Bunkie. "Our three main offensive stat guys James Evins, Terrance Holmes, and Slate Jordan had big nights with the support of the rest of the offensive players. I think we have a little more confidence on offense than we did earlier in the year which is showing as we execute our offense."
The line in the standings is not the only the line the Warriors have to contend with Friday night. Gordon says his offense will "have their hands full" on the line of scrimmage. "Their defense is lead by defensive tackle Will Bordelon and line backer Sean Badeaux, said Gordon. "Bordelon is 6'3" 300-pounds and is very aggressive on the defensive line. Behind him is  Badeaux who is a very aggressive line backer who we will have to find every offensive snap. Their defense likes to stop any big plays by putting two safeties deep and make you make mistakes."
Menard is as tough offensively as it is on defense. "They have one of the best running games in the district with running back Landon Baronne," Gordon said. "Quarterback Brenner Roy has a strong arm and a very good passing game. We will have to be ready to defend for four quarters."

Not many happy returns in Many

Oakdale coming off a Homecoming win against Rosepine rode a wave of confidence into Many to face the number one ranked team in the State and scored on its opening possession. But the tide was turned as Many capitalized on Oakdale's costly mistakes, and the Warriors left town with a blemish on its record after losing 68-19.
"To beat the number one (team) you have to play mistake free football, and we did not do that Friday night," said Randall Gordon. "We came out prepared and ready to play, but we had too many mistakes and turnovers which made the point deficit too large to overcome.  We struck first and put Many on their heels a little bit early, but every time we would get something going we made a costly mistake."
The Warrior offense found some efficiency through the air as Slate Jordan completed 11 of 28 passes for 236 yards and threw for three touchdowns. He connected with James Evins on a 33-yard pass reception for a touchdown to begin the game and capped off back-to-back scoring drives in the second quarter with touchdowns to Terrance Holmes. Along with their scores, Evins hauled in 106 yards on four completions, and Holmes hauled in 77 yards on three completions. Derrick Winnfield got in on the act catching three balls for 46 yards.
"We knew what to expect from their defense and we exploited a couple weaknesses for some first downs and even touchdowns, said Gordon. "The passing game was our best shot, and we found some holes."
The other side of the ball was not as efficient as the Warrior defense had the tall order of going against an offense that Gordon describes as,  "like none other we see and they run it fast."  He went on to say, "We were able to stop them a few times, but they were able to bust a couple big plays early to get ahead enough to get comfortable.  Then they really started to move the chains."
"We will have to learn from this game and be ready for the next week and the next challenge which is the Bunkie Panthers for Senior Night in Oakdale," Gordon said.  "We believe that if we win the next two games it is a good possibility for a home playoff game in the first round of the playoffs."

Oakdale looking toward Many

Oakdale improved its overall record to 3-4 and even up its district record at a game a piece with a dominating 45-0 win over Rosepine in Week Six. The Warriors are sitting tied with Menard for third place in District 3-2A behind co-divisional leaders Many and Pickering and will travel to face undefeated Many Friday night.
"We are thrilled to be traveling to the number one team in 2A this year," said Oakdale's coach Randall Gordon. "Many is 7-0 and are number one in the Class 2A non-select power rankings. We are excited about the challenge to to show what we can do against one of the best teams in the state."
The challenge facing Gordon's Warriors is stopping the Many running game. The lead dog is junior running back AJ Carter with his 832 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. He averages 8.4 yards per gain and 138.7 yards per game. Gordan said of the challenge, "The majority of our (players )have played in that atmosphere and know exactly what to expect so hopefully the new guys will be ready for the challenge."
Defensively Many features blitzes and slants what Gordon calls "unorthodox." He goes on to say, "It will cause chaos if you let it. We hope to neutralized the confusing fronts and blitzes and find the open holes."
"They are sitting where we want to be," said Gordon. "We will be ready to play come Friday."

Homecoming night in Oakdale

As alumni gathered at Curtis J. Cook Memorial Field for homecoming, the Oakdale offense exploded for six touchdowns in the first half en route to defeating Rosepine 45-0.
The game featured a balanced attack for 423 yards of total offense as the Warriors gained 212 yards on the ground on 28 attempts for two touchdowns and gained 211 yards through the air for three touchdowns. "It was a great effort in the first half, and the second half was mostly played by the second team group who was also able to move the ball against the Rosepine varsity," said Randall Gordon of his offense.
"Friday was a great day for the Warrior Nation on a beautiful homecoming day," added Gordon. "Being a graduate of Oakdale High School (Class of 1995), Homecoming means a lot to me because I am proud of my alma mater, and I want all our alumni to see how great our school is growing to be. We came out fast like we talked about all week to not give any hope or confidence to the visiting Eagles. We struck quick and on big plays to score 20 points in the first quarter and continued with 23 in the second quarter."
Running back James Evins reached the century mark in rushing yards on 10 carries and added a touchdown. His touchdown came on the opening drive of the game on a 39 yard carry. Fellow running back Miliak Hayward rushed for 66 yards on three carries and also contributed a touchdown. With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, he escaped traffic and cut downfield 60 yards for a Warrior touchdown.
Aerially the offense was propelled by Slate Jordan who went five for seven in passing and threw for 187 yards with three touchdowns. Two of Jordan's touchdown completions went to Terrance Holmes. The first of which came on a play action pass for 64 yards, and the latter came as Jordan found a wide open Holmes deep downfield for a 28 yard touchdown completion.
On defense Gordan described his team's performance as "dominant." He said, "The defense had a safety and held the Rosepine defense to under 100 yards rushing and only one yard passing. Rosepine rushed for the bulk of their 92 yards rushing on the second play on offense where they broke a long run. After we settled in we did an excellent job of stopping their offense."

Highlighting the defensive was Terrance Holmes who intercepted and returned the football 22 yards for a touchdown. Oakdale was then up 43-0 with 2:56 before the half. The second half scoring came as a punt was blocked in the end zone for another Warrior safety.
"It is always good to see alumni come home and look around and see that the Warrior Pride Never Dies," said Gordan. "It is always good to end the game by kneeling the football in the victory formation."


　
　
　
　

Kinder at Mamou

Mamou knew going in it would be a challenge Thursday night as it hosted the defending State Champion Kinder Yellow Jackets. The challenge proved insurmountable for the Demons as they fell 63-7.
Defensive lineman Kade Chatelain was out which made the game more challenging. According to his coach Brian Brumfield, "It hurt us as for as his experience because he's been playing for us for three years now."
Brumfield thought for the most part that his team did OK, but "It's just that we got to be able to play a whole football game." He went on to say, "We came out, and I thought we played well. We were able to have a few plays. They had a good defensive stand or defensive series against us, but we were able to get a few plays and get into the end zone."
Mamou's lone scoring drive came with Brumfield's team down 28-0 in the second quarter. Shawn Malveaux gained six yards to begin the drive and then received a pass from Levi Fontenot short of the first down marker. Mamou was forced to punt for the fourth time, but a 15-yard penalty for Roughing the Kicker resulted in a first down for the Mamou offense on the 26 yard line. Then on second-and-nine, Fontenot completed a pass to Joab Perron who rushed down the left side of the field for a Demon touchdown. Ahmad Guillian's kick was up and good as Kinder led 28-7 with 4:32 before the half.
On the other side of the ball, Brumfield said they also played OK. "We slowed them down enough to where we gave ourselves a chance to be in the football game," he stated. "But when we came out in the second half, we can't have the three big plays back-to-back-to-back."
Kinder opened the second half on a 65 yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Leonard Williams to go up 35-7. Kinder on the next series recovered a Mamou fumble and had a first-and-goal situation from the nine yard line. The series resulted in another Yellow Jacket touchdown. Mamou then turned the ball over on downs on its next possession giving Kinder possession on the 45-yard line to close out the third quarter. The quarterback ran a keeper down to the two yard line from where Taylor Johnson took it the rest of the way for the score.
Brumfield said of the kickoff, the fumble, and the long run, "That's something we cannot do. I think that was the turning point, and from that point on our kids kind of lost a little faith. They kept playing hard, but they lost a little faith and a little hope."
Next week Mamou squares off against Welsh who Brumfield believes is probably just as good as Kinder and is going to be a very tough opponent for his Demon team. Mamou then closes out the season with games on the road against the very athletic DeQuincy and against Vinton. According to Brumfield, "So we got opportunities to win the last three if we come out and play."

Pickering outlasts Oakdale

The Oakdale Warriors began district play with a bang Friday night. The game featured strong physical play and big defensive stands, but Oakdale drew the short end of the stick as it lost to Pickering 30-13 and saw its record fall to 2-4.
The first half was dominated by the Pickering offense. Leading the assault was Cody Williams who scored three before intermission. He scored his first on the receiving end of a nine yard option pass at the 2:55 mark of the first quarter.
Nine minutes and change into the second quarter, he ran 45 yards down the left side for his second touchdown. On the next Red Devil possession, Williams ran into and out of traffic as he scored his third touchdown of the night. Pickering led 18-0 with just over 40 seconds remaining before the half.

The ensuing kick off went out of bounds, and Oakdale took over at the 35 yard line. On second down and ten, Slate Jordan's pass was complete to Derrick Winfield as the Warriors crossed the 50 yard line. Jordan's next pass was complete to Terrnance Holmes downfield for a 21 yard gain. James Evins then lumbered downfield on a draw play all way to the six yard line. Nick Doyle on the first snap after a roughing the passer penalty ran across the goal line for the touchdown. At the half Pickering led 18-6.
"We had a slow start on offense before we had to up the tempo before the half ran out," said coach Randal Gordon. "We went (into a) two minute offense before half, and it seemed to tire Pickering out and rejuvenate our guys. We went in the lockeroom with a little more confidence."

Pickering's Marcus Hill fielded the second half kickoff and returned it into Warrior territory at the 49 yard line. Williams on back-to-back rushes picked up enough for a first down at the 34 yard line. After a one yard loss, Williams ran for 30 yards inside the 10 yard line for first and goal. On fourth and goal from the shadow of the goal line, the Oakdale defense held as it turned away a quarterback sneak and forced a turnover on downs.
"The second half we kept the momentum going ... as our defense made one of the best goal line stands I have ever seen from a Warrior defense in Curtis T. Cook Stadium," said Gordon.
Later on in the third quarter, the Oakdale defense snuffed out a fake field goal attempt giving the offense the ball at the 28 yard line. A pass was complete to Doyle who scampered across the 50 to the 47 yard line. Jordon kept the ball and stayed on his feet as he runs down the left side for 12 yards before completing a pass to Holmes for a 12 yard gain and another Warrior 1st down. On second and goal, Jordon was in the end zone on a quarterback keeper. Oakdale was then down 18-13 with 1:24 in the third quarter.
Williams added two touchdowns for Pickering in the second half to preserve the win. He finished the night with five touchdowns and rushed for 236 yards on 28 carries.

Oakdale now turns its attention to Rosepine on Homecoming Night. According to Gordon, Rosepine "will give us problems if we are not prepared or focused on the game." He added, "Rosepine has a big front and runs a shotgun offense. They a have a few play makers that we will have to contain in order to have success. Their defense does some unusual things up front and plays a deep coverage over the top to not get beat deep. We will have to be patient in order to have success against the Eagles on Friday night."

Oakdale looks to derail Pickering's playoff chances

                The 4-1 Red Devils of Pickering came into the 2016 season saying  "this is their year to go to the dome.” The Warriors of Oakdale with a record of 2-3 host Pickering in the opening matchup of district play and look to derail their opponent's playoff chances.

                In doing so Oakdale will have to contain a team led by back-up field general Jordan Dowden pinch hitting for the injured Patrick Hinson. "Dowden ran the offense well, and their offense has not missed a beat without Hinson at quarterback," said Oakdale coach Randall Gordon of Pickering's offense.

                The change in quarterback has not affected the offense that runs the ball about 86 percent of the time. Leading the way in rushing is senior running back Codie Williams who gained 139 yards on 32 carries with two touchdowns in the 26-15 win last week against Mangham.

                Williams runs behind an offensive line that Gordon calls "massive" with 6-foot 3-inch 255-pound Azavier Carter and  6-foot 2-inch 275-pound Austin Talley. "They will be the largest offensive line we have seen this season," said Gordon. "(Carter and Talley) are the two large tackles that do a great job on both sides of the ball."

                Oakdale comes into the matchup after hitting its stride in a 52-13 win at Mamou last week. Leading the way on offense were James Evins with his 14 carries for 192 yards and 5 touchdowns and Terrance Holmes with his five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown Defensively the Warriors were led by Jonathan Johnson and Holmes who each returned a turnover for a touchdown.

                "Overall it was good night for our Warriors and hopefully it sparked a little confidence to carry over as we start district play next week," said Gordon. "We have to clean up penalties and fumbles as we host Pickering in our first district game Friday."

                The two teams square off at 7:00 PM Friday night in the annual pink out game to begin breast cancer awareness month.

Oakdale rushes past Mamou

James Evins scored five touchdowns Thursday night propelling Oakdale to notch its second tally under the Win column. He added 192 yards on 14 carries as his team defeated Mamou 52-13.

"Evins is one of our best players, and tonight he kinda showed it," said coach Randall Gordon of his senior running back. "We've been struggling the last three weeks. We had a lot of frustration building, and it felt good to get a win tonight. The win was huge for us tonight."
Evins' first score came on Oakdale's second possession of the night. The punt from Judd Wilkinson rolled down to the Oakdale 21 yard line. Evins took the ball from scrimmage and ran 79 yards down field for the early touchdown. Oakdale led 7-0 with 6:37 on the clock in the first quarter.

Mamou tied the game at seven on its next possession and forced Oakdale to go three-and-out getting a shut down inning. The Demons regained possession at the 25 yard line and marched downfield looking to take the lead. However the football was batted away and recovered by Jonathan Johnson on the Demon five yard line for first and goal. Evins on the next play ran into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night. After a missed extra point, the Warriors led 13-7.
The first half ended on Evins' third score of the night. The drive began with a toss pass complete to Evins for a gain of three yards. Terrance Holmes received the pass at the 15 yard line for a gain of 23 yards. Evins fumbled but was marked down by contact at the Demon five yard line for first and goal then ran it in for the score. At the half Oakdale led 19-7.
"We made a few adjustments at half, and our kids started playing a little harder," said Gordon. "They got a little more confidence in one another and started playing a little better."
Both teams jockeyed for position in the third quarter, but neither team could break through as their drives stalled on either penalties or turnovers. Late in the third quarter Oakdale capitalized on a Mamou punt that went a total of two yards. The Warriors got the ball following at the ten yard line, and Evins on back-to-back gains of five yards crossed the goal line for his fourth touchdown. After another unsuccessful two point conversion attempt, Oakdale led 25-7 with under minute left on the third quarter clock.
Mamou scored on a 56-yard kick off return from Jaylen Griffith to cut into the Warrior lead. Following a block in the back penalty, the ball rested at the 16 yard line. Evins then took a dive run and went 84 yards for his fifth touchdown in the game. The kick was good as Oakdale now led 32-13 as the third quarter came to a close.
It was all Terrance Holmes in the final quarter as the senior provided a score on both sides of the ball. His first score came as a wide receiver on a 13 yard pass reception in the end zone, and his second came as free safety. He intercepted the pass from Levi Fontenot and returned it for 49 yards and the score. Oakdale led 45-13 with 8:39 remaining in the game and went on to return a fumble recovery for the final score.
Oakdale now turns its attention to district play as it hosts Pickering Friday night. "We have a tough district," said Gordon. "We have Many, Menard, Rosepine, Bunkie, and no game is gonna be easy. Everytime we play it's gonna be somebody pretty good. We gotta play hard, and this game tonight gives us a little confidence going in."

A Trojan jersey retired

A former two sport letterman at Sacred Heart took the field Friday night joined by his parents John and Bridget Fontenot, head baseball coach Gary Ashford, and pastor Tom Voorhies. Up in the press box, public address announcer Chris Bordelon read off the list of accomlishments as a pitcher for the Trojans and the McNeese State University Cowboys. At the end of the statement, Bordelon proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud and honored to officially retire Kaleb Jon Fontenot's Trojan jersey #1."
Going through the humbled Fontenot's mind was the time he spent on Soileau-Landry Field as a player. "I was just thinking about all the good times I had on the football field through high school here at Sacred Heart and the people I've met," he said while sitting in the bleachers during half time of the football game against Houma Christian.
While he took the field for the pre-game ceremony, he walked past the painted roof of the bathrooms that reads "Do or Die." For Fontenot this Trojan motto signifies a sense of pride in what he does. He said it means to him to "go out and play every day and give it your all on the football field, baseball field, no matter what it is." He continued, "You're doing something so you might as well give it 100 percent."
Fontenot takes this pride with him as he continues his career pitching for the Spokane Indians, which is the Class-A minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers. He says it "feels awesome" to be associated with former Ranger pitchers like Nolan Ryan and current ones like Colby Lewis. He also said, "It's awesome to see those guys here and have the very educated baseball coaches there helping you throughout your path."
This path has led Fontenot from Sacred Heart to McNeese where he became prepared for the atmosphere of professional baseball. He likened pitching in Spokane to pitching in the Southland Conference Tournment at Sugarland Field. "I think that helped me big time just with the atmosphere there," he said. "It prepared me just for the nerves to just calm down and pitch the ball."
As Fontenot continues his path to pitching in the Major Leagues, he will take with him his unwavering faith that he learned at Sacred Heart. He calls this faith, "very important because without praying to God I don't think you have that good foundation." Faith to him helps him along his path and getting through any struggles he may face. "But at the end of the day before you go to bed," he says, "say your prayers and feel some relief."

Mamou hosts East Beauregard

The Mamou Green Demons looked to even up their record after a tough opening loss against Ville Platte High as they hosted East Beauregard in front of a packed Demon Stadium. The home team kept the game close, but a prolonged Trojan drive in the third quarter combined with Demon missed opportunities resulted in a 26-14 loss and an 0-2 record for Mamou.
"At some point in the game we have to flip that switch and be able to take the game to the next level," said Brian Brumfield after the game. "We've got to dig deep somewhere down and get that desire to overcome some of the pain and some of the injuries and be able to play football. We just got to be able to come up with a win."
Mamou fielded the opening kick and began the night on the home 36-yard line. The opening drive resulted in a punt, and the ball came to rest on the home 48 yard line. Adam Chapman and Joab Perron combined for a two yard loss setting up 2nd and 12 at midfield. On third down, Ahmad Guillian was in on the tackle for the stop, but a flag went down on a personal foul penalty against Mamou setting up 1st and goal on the 10 yard line. Guillian was again on the stop for no gain, and Jaylen Griffith was in on the tackle in the back field bringing up 3rd and goal from the 13 yard line. But East Beauregard found the end zone on the next play. Mamou was down 6-0 at the 4:17 mark of the first quarter.
Griffith returned the kick off to the home 48 yard line. Shawn Malveaux was on the receiving end of a shovel pass for a Demon 1st down inside Trojan territory on the 33 yard line after an 18 yard gain. Malveaux again received a shovel pass, and the ball came to rest on the 15 yard line after a personal foul penalty against the Trojans. Landon Deshotels stayed on his feet eluding tackles running down to the 3 yard line for 1st and goal. On 4th and goal, the Demons scored a touchdown as Alex Chapman surged into the end zone. The game was tied at 6 with just under a minute remaining on the clock in the first quarter.
East Beauregard went on to recover a Mamou fumble at the 1 yard line resulting in the fullback waltzing into the end zone putting the Trojans up 12-6 at the 8:55 mark of the second quarter. East Beauregard lead by the same score at the half. The Trojans marched down field in a drive taking up most of the 3rd quarter and ended the drive by taking it around the right side for a touchdown to go up 18-6.
East Beauregard would later take over on downs to close out the 3rd Quarter with the score remaining 18-6. Mamou picked up a fumble in the 4th quarter and had it 1st and 10 on its 41 yard line. A pass was complete to Griffith who ran across the 50 for a 1st down. Joab Perron with a pass and catch ran down to the 16 yard line for another 1st down. Deshotels kept the ball for a gain of seven yards and then completed a pass to Nakyrien Jack for a touchdown. Deshotels ran in the two point conversion as the Demons trailed 18-14 with 6:45 remaining in the game.

The onside kick was fielded by East Beauregard. They went on to go three-and-out but intercepted a pass from Deshotel returning it for a touchdown taking all the air out the balloon of the Mamou faithful. The two point conversion was good as the Demons trailed 26-14.
Mamou next travles down Highway 104 Thursday night to take on Oberlin with a similar 0-2 record after losing 28-25 to Oakdale and losing 41-0 to Kinder.

Sacred Heart Football Preview

"Fear not. I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." Isaiah 41:10
The first two words from Isaiah was the motto for the Sacred Heart Trojans a season ago in Josh Harper's first season as head football coach at the Halls of Troy. He admits his first season here was disappointing but sees some things that were successful last year. "I thought the kids did buy into what we were doing," he said. "Offensively we probably ran about 50% of what we could have run just for the timing. But I thought the kids' attidudes were good, and I thought they bought into what we were doing."
Now in his second season, much has changed on Trojan Lane from new coaches on the staff to the motto itself. Harper admits, "The biggest thing from last year to this year is you can't replace the knowledge of what Coach Glen Lafleur knows."
In Lafleur's stead the Trojans brought in three more coaches. Joining the staff are Dusty Collette who played quarterback at Teurlings and coached at Notre Dame, Brett Doucet who played at McNeese, and Chuck Monier who won a national championship at Univeristy of Louisiana-Monroe. "I think we brought in a lot of knowledge," said Harper of the additions to his staff. "We brought some youth in, so I think the kids have responded well."
Another change from last season is having a summer camp for the first time and big gains in the weight room. In a word Harper describes the summer as "awesome." According to Harper, "I think it's attributed to where we are right now compared to where we were last year going into fall camp."
The roster has changed from a year ago and has brought in a freshman class strewn about with players who have won Dixie Youth championships and competed in the Dixie Youth World Series. Harper credits these kids for having a winning attitude and says, "They're coming into a program where there hasn't been a lot of success in the last few years, and hopefully these kids bring a winning tradition and a winning mentality which carries over to others."
The motto has changed as well and is now "Be strong and courageous." This phrase is found three times in the Book of Joshua and "goes in line to what we preached this summer in the weightroom and being mentally strong and physically strong and being strong and courageous in everything you do" according to the head coach.
As the eyes of the Trojans turn from summer camp to the season ahead, a better product will emerge onto Soileau-Landry Field. "I think going out there we'll be better prepared," commented Harper. "We're going to be mentally tougher and physically stronger than they were last year, and the product on the field will be better this year than it was last year."
The starting quarterback this year is Wesley Launey who his coach calls "a competitor" and "a gritty kid." Harper went on to say of his signal caller, "He gives us a running option at quarterback and throws the ball very well. He's just a good all around athlete."
Protecting Launey is an offensive line that is coming together because of new kids playing different positions, but again Harper said they are buying into the process that all starts up front. As far as the the the rest of the offense, the skill players at running back and wide receiver such as J.T. Harper, Julian Vidrine, Daniel Scully, and Brandon Fontenot are the strength of the team according to Harper. But as the head coach puts it, "We just got to get better up front."
Defensively the Trojans will have players who play both sides of the ball like many other 2-A schools in the area. In spite of this, Harper says he has seen success. "They're starting to grasp what we are doing and now just putting it into play and just being physical."
Josh Harper knows he is at a small school in a small community but says, "The supporters and the boosters and the fans do a great job giving us the tools and everything to win, and we just need to get better."
The team opens up the season at home against Iota September 2, 2016.
The schedule includes non-district games at Port Barre on September 8, 2016, and home against Houma Christian on September 16, 2016.
District play begins September 23, 2016, as the Trojans travel to Jeanerette.
Homecoming is scheduled for October 21, 2016, as the Trojans welcome district rival West St. Mary.
The regular season ends on November 4, 2016, with a game against Delcambre.

Fr. Taj Gladd

"You're new parochial vicar has finally arrived," boisterously acclaimed Reverand Taj Van Courtlan Gladd as he introduced himself during his first mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church on a Monday in late June. A day later in his first homily, he proclaimed, "Today's Gospel passage serves as an example to learn from. For the Christian life and as well as the Church can certainly be compared to that boat that we read about this morning because just like that boat the Church and the Christian faithful who make up the Church have to go through many storms that will threaten to capsize and sink it." He continued, "But 2000 years later, we are still standing for the Lord Jesus promised Peter that the gates of Hell will never prevail against His Church, and we can certainly take Him at His word."
The thirty-two old Crowley native earned a Bachelor in Philosophy from St. Joseph's Seminary College in 2009 and earned a Master's Degree in Divinity from Sacred Heart Seminary in Hales Corner, WI. The 2002 graduate of Crowley High School has come full circle from his first assignment as a priest at St. Pius X in Lafayette to serve the parishes of Sacred Heart and St. Joseph along with the mission chapel in Belair Cove. He feels very much at home here coming  from Crowley and is looking forward to learning French.
Fr. Gladd described how to weather these current storms such as police shootings and civil protests and how to transform our society.  He said the foundation for the Christian life especially during these storms is prayer. "Prayer is of the utmost importance," he said. "That one-on-one relationship with the Lord is not only important in the Christian life, but prayer is our answer against Satan and the world and all of their attacks because we've become indifferent to the reality that Satan is at work."
Related to this is the importance of praying as a family "because we see in our day and time the family is under a blatant violent attack never before seen in the history of our nation." He went on to say, "Marriage and family is the basis of every single society, and it continues to be so. It's no surprise that Satan is going after the family because that's at the very core of society. If he can take down the family that is the foundation of everything, then everything else goes with it."
He then stressed the importance of not only the family Rosary but the family devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "One of the devotions that has been around for some time is enthroning the family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary for that the family will always be guided by His teaching and His guidance," he said. "When we stop praying, we're leaving our families and those that we love unprotected, and Satan can go right at them without any problems. So it's important to keep these devotions that the power of Satan will not overcome even with his attacks."
The next step in building the foundation of the Christian life as Fr. Gladd noted is the importance of bringing our children to mass and building that foundation in them at the earliest age possible. "It's important to plant that seed at the earliest age possible and to nurture it that it may grow in them," he said. "And once they stand in front of the bishop when they're sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit at their Confirmation they can say with great fervor and devotion and love for God that great Amen with such faith and devotion."
Once that foundation is instilled in our lives and the lives of our family, then can we go out into the world and transform it. As Fr. Gladd often stresses, "The Second Vatican Council has been clear on this that transforming the society is not the job of priests and the monks, but that responsibilty belongs to the faithful." In doing this responsibilty we need to continually pray for the virtue of courage "for our Lord sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves." Fr. Gladd describes this courage as "not a mere absence of fear as the world tells us but true courage is doing what is right in the eyes of God in the face of that fear in spite of that fear."
As the new parochial vicar puts it, "One of the latest dismissals we have in the latest Roman Missal is 'Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life.' If we do not live the faith, how do we expect to give it? As our Lord says, 'Nemo dat quod non habet.'" This means nobody can give what he does not have.

Chataignier Council Meeting

The Chataignier Village Council met in its regulary scheduled meeting Monday night and discussed a half-shell business coming to the village that is turtle powered.
Village Clerk Rhonda Miller reported to the council, "a new resident in town (Leo Bayard, IV) is wanting to open a turtle farm." She commented, "that is quite a business."
Miller reported the business is very regulated.  "They have specific things that they have to pay attention to," she said. "They have to filter the water through a system so it's constantly clean."
The clerk went on to report Bayard is fully licensed, and the business is regulated by the State. The purpose of the farm according to Miller is to harvest turtles with a clean bill of health to ship overseas for cancer research.
Mayor Jackie Thomas commented the council will "bring it back to next month's meeting or whichever time that (Bayard) will actually think that he will be available to present all of his information to us and then therefore we can move on and vote."
Thomas then reported the village came out third place in a hen cookoff this past weekend in Ville Platte. She said the cookoff could spark a similar contest in Chataignier. "The person sponsoring the hen cookoff said why don't you come and represent your village and then in turn we'll come and maybe do something and help you guys out to start some kind of cookoff or some type of entertainment here in the Village of Chataignier as to where we don't have anything to offer, so I figure that could be an opportune time to go out there and in turn they may just come here," said the mayor.
Gale McDavid, the village administrator, quipped, "If we get the turtle farm, we could have a turtle cookoff."
In other business
The council approved hiring Justin Darbonne as a seasonal worker for grass cutting.
The council approved to continue using The Gazette as the official municipal journal.

Allen's Barber Shop

                Years ago small town America was dotted with mom-and-pop businesses all along the main streets. The Andy Griffith Show regularly captured this piece of americana in a fictional town of Mayberry with such places as Floyd's Barber Shop.

                Through the years these businesses have been replaced by "big box stores" that left main streets looking more like ghost towns. However; on Main Street in downtown Ville Platte there is one business that reminds people of a time long ago in Mayberry. This business is Ville Platte's version of Frank Lawson's shop and is called Allen's Barber Shop.

                Allen Monier on a Thursday afternoon sat down on an old bench in the corner of his shop and shared his thoughts on why his business has remained open all these years. With pride in his shop he brags, "I think we have one of the best shops in town plus we have some people that are very dedicated to it."

                He also attributed it to the fact that he has a "very clean shop." Monier pointed out a sign above the barber chairs that reads "Family Barber Shop Watch Your Language Please." He added, "Mommas can come in with their young child and not be afraid of hearing bad language."

                One can argue the main reason it has stayed open is that it has adjusted to the times and has employed a new kind of worker that was once foreign to the barber shop. This new kind of worker is female barbers. "Beauty shops were beauty shops, and barber shops were all barber shops," explained Monier. He loves the fact that people's attitudes are changing "big time" about having women cutting their hair. It was once considered taboo for a woman to go into a barber shop.

                Working at the shop now are Brittany LaFleur, Emily Knowles, Rebecca Rozas, and Samantha Fontenot. They went to beauty school, and Monier pushes them to go before the barber board to get their licenses. As he put it, it is "for their own good because when I'm gonna be gone they'll be able to make a living."

                This new workforce creates a new line of services provided in the barber shop such as provide highlights, coloring, and perms along with the traditional cuts. Knowles joined the conversation and described the process of highlighting hair. "We section it how we need it," she began. "Then we take out the pieces, apply the bleach, let that process, then wash it out and style it." She went on to describe the difference between a highlight and a lowlight. "Highlight is like when  you apply bleach so you're making it lighter," she pointed out. "Lowlight is when you're making certain pieces darker."

                Monier provided a another reason of his business's success, which is "keep things the same as they are now." He added, "I don't see any changes. We do everything so why change when something is good going."

                His son David, who now owns the barber shop, came in and sat on an old school desk adding his thoughts on his dad's place of business. He credits it to "friendliness of the staff and customer satisfaction." He also credited it to his dad's "hard work in building this business up for many many years and keeping it going."

                Allen Monier, the son of Marcellus Monier and Izola Soileau, was married to Genevieve Monier who died in 2009. He also has a brother Ellis who lives in Lafayette. He joined the National Guard after high school, and then the Korean War began. Being one of the few in his unit able to type, he became company clerk for his company operating out of battalion headquarters taking care of all the paperwork.

                Returning to Ville Platte after his time in the service, he worked five years at Cabot and got laid off twice before going to barber school in Beaumont in 1958. "I got married, and had a child, and built a house, so I thought it was time to do something else," he explained. "So I went to barber school."

                He began cutting hair at Deluxe Barber Shop between the old Cleco and the Rexall Drug Store. "Mrs. G. Ardoin owned that property, and it was passed down to her only adopted daughter," recalled Monier. "She was a New York train orphan. That's Burke Eastin's momma."

                Monier recalled one instance cutting hair back then that is called "The Miracle on Christmas Eve." Shoppers at G. Ardoin's and West Brothers lined the street in the area of the shop. The shop was full then as Monier was cutting a flat top for the old fire chief Rynell Smith. The old police chief Robert Landreneau was still in high school at the time. Monier recalled "he was sitting in down in the first chair, and he was a tall lankey fellow." Lloyd Joubert and his son were also waiting.

                A truck pulled up and "parked right in front of the shop." A guy from Turkey Creek got down with his wife to go shopping G. Ardoin's and left their two children in the truck with a shot gun in the gun rack. "These kids were playing, and one of them hit the trigger," recalled Monier. "That shot went underneath the chairs all the way and lodged in the end of the shine stand."

                David Monier says it is called a miracle because "nobody got killed, and nobody got hurt." His dad added, "I promise you it seemed like 30 seconds before there were two couples that met and stopped, and they talked right in the line of fire. They just moved away and bam it went off. Lloyd Joubert said, 'I believe we'll come back another time.'"

                While his dad said this, the junior Monier laughed saying, "I think so."

                The elder Monier said how he worked 10 years at the Deluxe Barber Shop before he bought the property and opened up his current shop. He reflected on what he wants his legacy to be. "I want this shop to stay a barber shop for a long long time after I'm gone," he said. "I gave it to my son David, and I would like for him to keep operating it as a barber shop. I would like for this to stay the way it is for a long time."

                Charles Kuralt hosted a segments on CBS Sunday Morning called "On the Road." For these segments he travelled the back roads of the country in search of real American people and their way of life. He never came to Ville Platte, but he would say of Allen's Barber Shop, "...it is as it was meant to be..."