Ville Platte takes to the road seeking second win of year

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LAKE CHARLES -- After evening out their record to 1-1 on the young season last Friday with a 28-13 win over Pine Prairie, the Ville Platte Bulldogs will hit the road to face off against Class 3A Washington-Marion tomorrow night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The win over Pine Prairie was huge for Ville Platte considering that they did not want to start the season 0-2 like they did in 2017. Not only that, but that victory erased a loss to the Panthers suffered last year; the first time in school history that Pine Prairie had beaten Ville Platte.
“For us to get this win was big in terms of confidence” stated Ville Platte head coach Jorie Randle. “After losing to Sacred Heart in the first game, we did not want to lose to someone else in the parish two weeks in a row again. I really feel that win allows the players to relax and not press as hard for a win this coming week. When you press for a win, bad things can happen. You want to go into a game with the attitude that you have been there and done that.”
Against the Panthers, Ville Platte was able to make tremendous strides on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs got the chance to re-group offensively and defensively, proving to themselves and everyone else that they can play a complete game.
Offensively, the Bulldogs found the running game they were searching for at the start of the season. Running back Jahmal Byers touched the ball 23 times, gaining 116 yards and scoring a touchdown. Meanwhile, back-up quarterback Terrian Roy guided Ville Platte like a veteran player, completing 15 of 16 passes for 225 yards.
“Terrian did a tremendous job despite being thrown in a tough situation,” said Randle. “I thought overall our offense played well. We were able to sustain drives and come away with points; something we could not do against Sacred Heart.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs held one of the top running backs in the area in check most of the night, holding Pine Prairie phenom JJ Sims to only 103 yards on 27 carries. No doubt Ville Platte will need that and more to control a Washington-Marion squad that put up 44 points in a loss to DeRidder this past Friday.
“They have a bunch of great athletes,” commented Randle. “I believe they have three D-I prospects on their team. They are quick and will spread you out. They just hired their coach right before the season started, so they are a little behind. But, they continue to improve each week. It would be nice to go over there and steal a win. I think if we can punch it in the first drive, we may just take some of the wind out of them. We are starting to become a very close knit group and a resilient one at that. I find that those guys that came out for the first time last year are starting to become football players.”