Friday, October 31, 2014

Lake Arthur wears out Mamou in district play

            The Tigers of Lake Arthur came trick-or-treating in Mamou Thursday night for a Halloween eve contest in District 4 2-A. Knowing well that Tigers love pepper and hate cinnamon, the Green Demons had plenty of cinnamon candy for their visitors. However, Lake Arthur proved to be too much for the tricks and used its own mischief to get all the treats as they won by a score of 52-28.
            Mamou got the scoring started on its opening possession after returning the kickoff to the 39-yard line. Kendall Jack and Daniel Matthews carried the football for consecutive first downs gaining 15 and 10 yards respectively. On third down quarterback Dylan Duplechain escaped trouble and completed a pass to Nathaniel Holland setting up first down on the 22-yard line. An unsportsmanlike penalty against the Tigers moved the ball half the distance to the goal. Duplechain completed a swing pass to Holland setting up first-and-goal, and Jack took care of the rest as he rushed in for a 1-yard score. Following an off sides penalty, the Green Demons gambled and went for a 2-point conversion attempt that resulted in a fumble recovered by Lake Arthur. Mamou led 6-0 with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter.
            The lead would not last long for the Green Demons as the Tigers tied up the game on the next series. Damian Robinson on the first play from scrimmage handed the ball off to Trey Hargrave for a gain of 8-yards. Michael Ware then rushed for a first down at the Mamou 49-yard line. Hargrave again found running room for a gain of 15-yards down the right side. Ware on first down rushed for 7-yards, and Robinson ran a quarterback keeper picking a first down at the 20-yard line. The rushing attack of Lake Arthur continued veering all the way into the end zone. The Tigers’ 2-point conversion attempt was thwarted by Mamou senior Hunter Fusilier bringing the score to 6-6.
            The second quarter began with Lake Arthur having possession and with the ball resting on Green Demon 16-yard line. Ware rushed down to the 2-yard line and on first-and-goal carried the football into the end zone for a score. Hargrave then walked into the end zone for a successful 2-point conversion giving Lake Arthur a 14-6 advantage.
            Mamou answered the touchdown on its next possession. After Jack rushed for a gain of 14-yards, Holland got a block from Kendric Williams and picked up 32-yards. Mamou had it first-and-10 on the Lake Arthur 20-yard line. The Daniel Matthews touchdown was called back because of a holding penalty, but the Green Demons were not deterred. Mamou on second-and-19 carried the football down the right side into the end zone cutting into the Lake Arthur lead with 8:58 remaining before halftime. The score was now 14-12. Lake Arthur scored again before halftime giving the Tigers a 22-12 advantage.  
            The second half started with Lake Arthur returning the kick to its own 40-yard line. Ware found some running room down the left side to the 49-yard line, and Robinson ran another keeper for a first down at the Mamou 46-yard line. Much like in the first half, the rushing attack of Lake Arthur continued veering its way to find pay dirt and increased the score to 28-12. The 2-point conversion attempt this time was thwarted by Joab Perron.
            Mamou again answered the touchdown on its next possession. Starting at his own 35-yard line, Duplechain ran for a gain of 30 plus yards down to the Lake Arthur 30-yard line. Duplechian followed it up with another carry down to the 15-yard line. Daniel Matthews got in on the action setting up second-and-1 on the 6-yard line before Jack picked up enough for a first down and goal. Jack then ran down the right side for a score with 6:37 remaining in the third quarter. Holland got in the end zone on the 2-point conversion attempt bringing the score to 28-20.
            After Damian Robinson of Lake Arthur scored on a quarterback keeper, Mamou again answered the call with a score of its own. The Green Demons took over on the 31-yard line. Lake Arthur was flagged for pass interference on a pass intended for Nathanial Holland. The infraction brought the football down to the 46-yard line. Duplechain completed a stunt pass to Jacob Israel at the Lake Arthur 43-yard line. On second-and-10, Duplechain kept the ball himself down the right side all the way to the 14-yard line. A couple of plays later, Duplechain faced fourth-and-2. He then zig-zagged his way around eluding the Lake Arthur defense and ran into the end zone with mere seconds remaining in the third quarter. Daniel Matthews successfully ran in the 2-point conversion attempt, and Mamou again was within 8 points of Lake Arthur. The score was now 36-28.
            Lake Arthur began to wear out Mamou in the fourth quarter mainly on the feet of Michael Ware, who scored from 5-yards out and from 7-yards out each time.
            Coach Brian Brumfield after the game thought his “kids played hard tonight.” He went on to say, “We were in the ball game for the majority of the game. We just needed to find some way to stop them on defense, and we didn’t. We played well enough on offense to score some points to win. But we didn’t make the big plays, and we gave them some big third down conversions that we shouldn’t have.”

            Mamou looks to rebound next week as the Green Demons host the defending state champion Kinder Yellow Jackets in the final regular season game.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Ville Platte battles district rival Livonia


            Ville Platte High came into this district game Friday night like giants after beating division foes Port Barre and Pine Prairie in consecutive weeks. Livonia came into the game as royals of Class 2-A. The Wildcats are state runners-up from a year ago and are ranked first in the current polls. The first half in Livonia was a proverbial pitchers’ duel much like Game 3 of the World Series with Tim Hudson pitching against Jeremy Guthrie in San Francisco.  The second half; however, was the Malcolm Dedrick show as the Wildcat running back ran up-and-down the field. The game ended with Livonia pitching a shutout and winning 21-0.
            The Bulldogs gave the football to quarterback Rodricus Fontenot. Head coach Jorie Randle said of his freshman signal caller, “Our starting freshman had to step up and give us some good quality minutes. He did a good job. I couldn’t ask more out of him; he played well. To tell a freshman that he’s starting on Monday against a number 1 team in the state I think that will put anybody in a deer in the headlights type of mentality… I expect big things from him in the future.”
            Ville Platte received the opening kickoff and started its drive on its own 20-yard line. Dayton Jackson carried for a gain of 2 yards. Then the Wildcat defense held forcing a Bulldog punt. Livonia began its opening drive on the Bulldog 37-yard line and ended it a yard farther away as Anderson and Freeman combined for a tackle in the backfield on 3rd down.
            The Bulldogs started the next series on the 15-yard line but was backed up all the way to the shadows of their own goal line. Another punt set up 1st-and-10 for the Wildcats on the Bulldog 37-yard line. Facing 3rd-and-16, Wildcat quarterback Cee Jay Powell connected with Christian Edwards bringing Livonia to the 25-yard line. Oxzabein Serie and Dylan Jones combined on the stop. The Wildcats scored 2 snaps later on a pass completion to Derrick Wells with 4:48 left on the clock in the 1st quarter and missed the extra point attempt.
            Shabby Moore for the Bulldogs received the kickoff and returned the football to the 33-yard line. Dayton Jackson carried down the right side and converted on 3rd down. Rodricus Fontenot ran a quarterback keeper close to the first down marker. The drive stalled on fumble recovery by the Wildcats. Meanwhile in San Francisco, Lorenzo Cain gave the Kansas City Royals a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout in the top of the 1st inning.
            Dayton Jackson combined with a couple other Bulldog defensemen to force another Wildcat punt. Ville Platte then mounted a drive into Wildcat territory. Fontenot kept the ball for a 1st down to the 31-yard line as the 1st quarter came to a close. Fontenot then handed off to Terese Thomas who carried for a 1st down to the 42-yard line. Moore and Thomas combined to carry down to the Wildcat 39-yard line. But that it where the drive stalled causing a Bulldog punt.
            The Wildcats began the next drive on their own 9-yard line and were forced to punt. The football was fumbled on the catch and was returned for what appeared to be a Wildcat touchdown. However, a fair catch interference penalty gave the Bulldogs the football on the Livonia 26-yard line. The Bulldogs lost a yard and ultimately turned the ball over on downs and failed to capitalize on another turnover before the halftime whistle blew.
            The 2nd half is when Malcolm Dedrick put the other 10 offensive players from Livonia on his back and carried them to the win. He scored on a 2-point conversion attempt after Powell connected to Stephen Guidry for a touchdown.
            Randle said of the touchdown, “Football is a game of inches. We had a blown coverage. They took a split screen to the house for 7-yards that made it 14-0, and I feel that was the game winning play.”
Livonia after a Ville Platte punt began its next drive on the 35-yard line. On 2nd-and-10, Patrick Queen caught a pass for a 1st down at the 49-yard line. Dedrick gained 4 yards on the ground, Christion Edwards gained 4 yards through the air, and Powell took care of the rest for a 1st down at the Ville Platte 29-yard line. Following a Wildcat timeout, Dedrick ran all the way into the end zone. Livonia now led 21-0 with 9:39 remaining in the game. Moments later in San Francisco, the Royals scored on an Alex Gordon double to centerfield and led the Giants 2-0 in the top of the 6th inning. They would add another run as Eric Hosmer singled in Gordon as the game in Livonia drew to a close.

            Randle called the game a “tale of the tape.” He said, “It’s been the tale of our whole season. We just have a little problem on offense. We just can’t seem to get some consistency on offense… Our defense played lights out. That’s been our (modus operandi) all season. We have a very veteran group on defense.” He concluded, “As a whole I’m proud of my guys. They’re very resilient. The kids don’t quit. They fought, and we just live to fight another day. We’re just trying to get a few more district wins, and next we face Church Point. We’ll just fight to make the playoffs.”

Friday, October 17, 2014

Welsh let the dogs out against Mamou

            A greyhound dog can reach speeds of 43 MPH and is the second fastest land animal behind the cheetah that reaches speeds of up to 75 MPH. A greyhound bus weighs in the ballpark of 11 tons. The force of one of these buses is approximately 605,000 newtons. The greyhounds of Welsh used the speed and force of their namesakes and opened up a big can of Alpo raking up 55 points against Mamou Friday night.
            Mamou coach Brian Brumfield stated after the game… “Tonight was about speed and strength. Welsh is a very physical ball club. They’re strong, and they’re fast. I told our players that this is a type of game we have to get better at. We have to hit the weight room hard. We’re gonna gave to be able to a great offseason to maybe be able to play with a caliber team like this.”
            Welsh scored early and often beginning with its opening possession on the evening. After Mamou went 3-and-out, Hayden Freeland completed a pass to Garrick Gray for a 50-yard touchdown.
            Mamou appeared to respond on the next series. Kendal Jack returned the kickoff to the Mamou 22-yard line. Robbie Deshotels on 3rd down launched a pass to Daniel Matthews causing the ball to rest on the Welsh 33-yard line. Again on 3rd down, Deshotels launched a pass to Jacob Israel bringing up 1st and goal on the Welsh 5- yard line. Deshotels’ next pass was intercepted by John Simon, who returned the interception all the way for a touchdown. Welsh went up 14 points on the Green Demons.
            The Green Demons went 3-and-out on the subsequent possession. Welsh scored on its next set of downs on a pass complete from Freeland to Brandius Batiste in the corner of the end zone. This scene of Mamou going 3-and-out and Welsh scoring a touchdown was repeated 4 times before halftime. Welsh scored on back-to-back touchdown completions to Batiste, a 5-yard run on the feet of Kyvonte Eaglin, a pitch back to Keshon Bell, and another run on the feet of Eaglin.
            Welsh received the 2nd half kickoff and possessed the football for nearly 9 minutes of the 3rd quarter. Welsh called off the dogs for most of the 2nd half and scored a final time in the waning moments of the game bringing the game to the final score of 55-0.
           


Friday, October 10, 2014

DeQuincy rolls past Mamou to open up district play

            In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. On this Columbus Day weekend 2014, DeQuincy came into Mamou as the Green Demons crowned a new homecoming queen.
The DeQuincy Tigers with an overall record of 2-3 and the Mamou Green Demons with an overall record of 1-4 squared off against each other in the opening game of district play in Class 2-A. The modus operandi of DeQuincy was keeping the ball on the ground for gains of 40 yards or more resulting in touchdowns. The Tigers attempted 2-point conversions after each of their 6 scores and successfully completed 2 such attempts.
Mamou had a couple of nice possessions in the 1st half deep inside Tiger territory. The first was drive was credited to Kendal Jack who juked past a few DeQuincy defensemen for a gain of 11 yards. The other drive was credited to Nathaniel Holland who caught a pass from Robbie Deshotel and carried the ball across the midfield stripe. But each time Mamou was forced to turn the ball over on downs.
 In the end DeQuincy rolled past Mamou with a final score of 40-0 to open up district play with a record of 1-0; while Mamou fell to 0-1.
Mikey Hebert of DeQuincy recovered the opening kickoff and returned the football to the 35 yard line. Quarterback Chase Dyer handed the ball off to Samuel Whatley for a long gain. A facemask penalty on Mamou brought the ball inside the 10 yard line. Javion Leday carried the ball on consecutive snaps before finding the end zone. DeQuincy scored on its opening possession to go up 6-0, and the 2-point conversion pass attempt to Gabriel Rangel was good.
A long return of the kickoff on the part of Nathaniel Holland went for naught as Mamou went 3-and-out on its opening possession turning the ball over on downs on the 30-yard line. After the Tigers rushed their way down to midfield, Chase Dyer kept the ball himself and ran 50-yards for a touchdown. The pass attempt on the 2-point conversion was broken up by Daniel Matthews in the end zone. The score was DeQuincy 14 - 0.
Mamou forced DeQuincy to go 3-and-out on the Tigers next possession, and momentum began to switch to the offensive side of the ball. Daniel Matthews carried for a nice gain of 7-yards. A subsequent pass interference flag against DeQuincy brought the ball down to the Mamou 45-yard line. Deshotels handed the ball off to Kendall Jack who picked up steam for the nice gain of 11 yards. Matthews and Jack combined again to carry the ball down to the DeQuincy 34-yard line setting up 1st-and-10. Deshotels threw an incomplete pass to Christopher Pitre, ran a quarterback keeper for a gain of 3-yards, and again threw an incomplete pass that sailed over Pitre’s head. Mamou would go for it on 4th down, but Deshotels was wrangled down by Gabriel Rangel.
The Green Demons turned the ball over on downs, and Javion Leday of DeQuincy wasted little time carrying the ball 69-yards down the right side for another touchdown. The score was negated on a holding penalty. On the next snap, Chase Dyer kept the ball himself and carried all the way into the end zone for a touchdown of his own. DeQuincy lined up for another 2-point conversion try, but it was unsuccessful as Mamou stopped Leday just shy of the end zone. The score now was DeQuincy 20 –0 closing out the 1st Quarter.
Mamou had its best drive of the night in the 2nd Quarter. Robbie Deshotels began the drive with a pass completion to Christopher Pitre for a 1st down. Deshotels then ran an option play just shy of the Mamou 40-yard line. Two snaps later Deshotels completed a pass to Nathaniel Holland just across midfield and just shy of the DeQuincy 30-yard line. The Green Demons drove down to about the 10-yard line on carries by Jack, Deshotels, and Joab Perron. But again like before Mamou turned the ball over on downs. The Tigers were content winding down the clock going into the halftime break.
            The 2nd half was almost a mirror image of the 1st. Mamou appeared to be driving on its opening possession of the half but was forced to punt. DeQuincy took over and appeared to driving as well before Nathaniel Holland intercepted the pass from Chase Dyer deep inside Mamou territory. Mamou drove again into DeQuincy territory on a pass completion to Jacob Israel; however, they failed to capitalize on the momentum swing and were unable to find the end zone. DeQuincy scored 3 more touchdowns on the night and again like the 1st half went for 2-point conversions after each score.

            Thirty years ago this week, Rod Stewart had a hit song with “Some Guys Have All the Luck.” He sings a chorus that goes, “Some guys have all the luck. Some guys have all the pain. Some guys get all the breaks.” This chorus applied to the game Friday night as DeQuincy had all the luck and got all the breaks; while Mamou had all the pain. The Green Demons travel to Welsh next week hoping to even out their record in district play of Class 2-A.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Panthers prevail in overtime

            This time of year as the calendar turns to October evokes different things for different people. Some think of the Major League Baseball postseason, others think of heading into the woods for the opening weekend of squirrel season, and still others think of harvesting cotton. But for the Pine Prairie Panthers and the Sacred Heart Trojans, the beginning of October means Thursday night football.
            The game at Soileau-Landry Field from the start was a game of cat and mouse. Both sides were plagued with miscues, penalties, and missed opportunities all night. In the end; though, it was Pine Prairie that capitalized as Javon Ardoin caught the pass from Douglas Fontenot in the end zone for the go-ahead and game winning score as the Panthers prevailed in overtime 12-6.
            Panther head coach Yves Prince called the game “one of the biggest wins in Pine Prairie history” and “a great win for our kids to go 3 and 2 for the first time.” Prince went on to say, “I’m proud of these young men. They became men tonight. They played hard. We fell behind, we didn’t quit, and we came back to beat a good team. It was a job well done by the players and coaching staff.”
            The game began with the Trojans going 3-and-out on the opening stanza, and the subsequent punt went straight up. The Panther drive began inside Trojan territory on the 42-yard line.  Douglas Fontenot ran a quarterback keeper for a gain of 9-yards. Javon Ardoin then moved the chains for a 1st down to the Trojan 22-yard line. The Trojan defense then stepped up led by Wacen Fontenot and Phillip Vidrine. The Panthers turned the ball over on downs.
            The next couple of possessions saw many of the same missed opportunities. The Trojans would go 3-and-out, and the punt rolled just shy of midfield. The Panthers again began their drive inside Trojan territory and again turned over on downs.
            The Trojans turned on the jets as the tandem of Dylan Scully and Garrick Fontenot took care of business closing out the first 15 minutes of play. Scully opened the 2nd Quarter with a huge gain around the right side down to the Panther 15-yard line. Fontenot picked up 8-yards, and Scully ran the rest of the way for a touchdown.
            The Panthers got the ball back on their own 33-yard line down by 6 points. Allen Myles converted on 3rd down before the Trojan defense stepped up again. Wacen Fontenot brought down Douglas Fontenot behind the line of scrimmage, and Jacob Lafleur stopped the opposition’s reverse. The Panthers missed more opportunities and were forced to punt.
            The miscues and penalties crept up on the Trojans as the first half came to a close. The Scully and Fontenot tandem drove the Trojans down to the shadows of the goal line. A holding penalty backed them up 10-yards. Scully ran down the left side for a first down. Two snaps later the Trojans were penalized 5-yards for a false start. Javon Ardoin intercepted the pass, but the Trojans got the ball back as Sam Tuminaro recovered a fumble. Scully ran again as a penalty flag flew for another Trojan holding penalty. Keenan Roy then sacked the quarterback backing up the Trojans to the midfield stripe. Sacred Heart was forced to punt.
            Wacen Fontenot, Brandon Hudspeth, and Caleb Soileau combined to stop Pine Prairie on its opening possession of the 2nd half. The Trojans took over on their own 45-yard line. Joshua LaHaye on a quarterback keeper joined in on the Scully and Fontenot rushing party as the 3 rushed for about 20-yards.  Scully scurried into the end zone like a squirrel with a nut in its mouth. The scoring play; however, was negated on a personal foul blow to the head penalty backing up the Trojans 15 yards. Dustin McDaniel sacked Joshua LaHaye to set up 4th down. The Trojans botched the fake punt attempt, and the ball eventually landed in the hands of Javon Ardoin at midfield.
            The Panthers tied the game two possessions later on a 47-yard carry by Douglas Fontenot. The final 10 minutes of the game had more of the same miscues and missed opportunities, and regulation ended with a tied score of 6-6.
            Overtime began with Sacred Heart having the football 1st-and-goal on the 10-yard line. Scully and Fontenot carried inches shy of the west end zone before the Trojans turned over on downs. Pine Prairie likewise had the football 1st-and-goal on the 10-yard line, and Javon Ardoin capped it all off.

            And the award for most succinct quote by a head coach so far goes to Gary Adkins of Sacred Heart. He said just four words after the game… “Too many penalties. Period.”