Running on

At this point in the high school football, season every team hopes to be running on all cylinders.
One team that knows that feeling all too well is the Basile Bearcats. Since week five Basile has seemed to have found their stride, collecting seven wins in a row, including a resounding 42-19 win over Slaughter Charter Academy in last week’s first round Class 1A bi-district playoff game.
The Bearcats (8-3) will look to extend that streak tomorrow night as they host the Montgomery Tigers (7-4) in regional playoff action. Montgomery defeated Gueydan 38-30 this past Friday in their first playoff contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“I felt we took control of the game last week from the get go,” stated Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand. “We really won the battle in all three phases of the game. Because of that, it was a very relaxing second half not having to worry too much about them being in the game. For a first round playoff game, I don’t think we could have started off the post-season any better.”
One area that Basile has made tremendous strides in since week five of the season is the running game. The Bearcats have been able to dominate opponents on the line of scrimmage and controlled the tempo of the game with their ground game. Case in point, Basile ran the ball for 338 yards on 28 carries against Slaughter Charter, an average of 12.1 yards per carry.
“Our ground game has been improving week in and week out,” said Bertrand. “We know that if we can run the ball effectively, we not only keep the ball out of the hands of our opponents, but it opens up our play action passing game. For us, the key to any game is to be able to control the line of scrimmage.”
The two backs that have benefitted the most from the resurgence of the offensive line are Andre Reed and Logan David. Reed has toted the ball 138 times for 1,108 yards and 11 touchdowns, while David has gained 808 yards on 110 carries and scored three times.
“Andre and Logan both know that those guys up front are going the extra mile to get them into open space,” commented Bertrand. “So, they run with a purpose to get the extra yards for us. And, along with them, Isaiah Ceasar has given us three players to count on in the run game.”
Defensively, Basile has been on point the last seven games. The Bearcats have only surrendered 93 points, an average of 15.5 points per game, since their winning streak began. Most of those points have come when Basile has the game well in hand and have their younger players in the game.
The Bearcats will need that defense to rise to the occasion again this week, as the Tigers come in with a well- balanced offensive attack. Montgomery has compiled 3,107 yards of total offense with 1,679 of those yards coming on the ground. The Tigers average 5.2 yards per carry and throw the ball at a 47% clip.
Leading the way for Montgomery on the ground is Jerad Henry who has rushed for 678 yards on 19 carries and has scored 11 touchdowns. Following right behind is Mikel Auge who has produced 537 yards on 53 carries and has hit pay dirt 10 times.
Quarterback Logan Graves has thrown for 1,528 yards and 16 touchdowns while holding down a 76.1 quarterback rating. The leading receiver for the Tigers is Auge who has hauled in 25 catches for 394 yards. John Turner has added 352 yards on 19 receptions.
Montgomery averages 33.1 points per game on offense and gives up 29.1 points per game on defense. Their four losses this season came at the hands of Lakeside (38-14), LaSalle (19-14), Logansport (49-8) and St. Mary’s (56-6). All four of those teams made it into the post-season, with two (Logansport and St. Mary’s) advancing to the second round.
“Montgomery runs a different kind of offense than we have seen all year long,” said Bertrand. “They run a lot of motion and utilize the counters off of that motion. You can tell that they are well coached because they will check off plays at the line of scrimmage. It will be a challenge for us defensively to make sure that everyone is handling their own responsibility. Hopefully it is something we can adjust to very quickly.”
Bertrand has had his share of successful teams since he became the head coach at his alma mater back in 2014. All three of his previous Bearcat squads have made the playoffs, with the 2014 team getting to the quarterfinals.
When asked how this year’s team compares to previous squads he had coached at Basile, Bertrand was quick to note the differences rather than the similarities.
“Every year is different,” stated Bertrand. “What I have noticed about this team is how resilient they are. They truly trust each other. When we started the season 1-3, there was no lay down attitude. Rather, it was always an attitude of getting better. That attitude has continued the whole way through and they never stopped wanting to be coached. They know that they have a chance to do something special.”