Bearcats looking to finish off district at East Beau
By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
DERIDDER – The message has always been consistent for Basile football, and it’s a formula that works.
One week at a time. Step by step. Brick by boring brick.
The Bearcats have built a dominant season on a powerful run game and stifling defense. It’s led them to tomorrow night, when the Bearcats hope to take down the East Beauregard Trojans and take the District 5-1A crown outright.
Unsurprisingly, the message out of Basile has nothing to do with championships. It’s simply business as usual.
“We’re just plugging along like we always do,” head coach Kevin Bertrand said. “We’re focusing on beating East Beauregard, not what comes out of it.”
The Bearcats have been workmanlike all year in how they has done things. Its singular focus on constantly getting better has reaped benefits.
Basile has long been known as a run-first, run-often, run-always split-back veer team. It’s worked as usual this year, with running back Ashton Deaville totaling over 1,000 yards and 17 touchdowns through nine weeks and running mate Horace Edwards adding nearly a thousand of his own with another 12 touchdowns.
However, it’s been the emergence of wide receiver Gage Craton that has added an element of danger to the Basile offense over the second half of the offense.
It’s encouraged Basile to do something it rarely does, open up the playbook, and explore new ways of getting a dynamic playmaker the ball.
“I think our offense has gotten so much better as the year progressed,” Bertrand said. “We can get a lot of different people the ball, more so than in a long time. It’s not focusing on one aspect.
“(Craton is) the fastest guy on our team. We’re getting creative on how we’re getting him the ball. We’re doing a great job of mixing it up, and the more we can get him the ball the better.”
Having weapons is nice, but getting stops is equally important. Basile will have its work cut out in doing so against a no-nonsense East Beauregard offense.
“They just do what they do,” Bertrand said. “They’re a double wing and foot to foot. They’ve got big boys and just run the ball. They played some good teams at the beginning of the year. What it boils down to is not letting them get started. It’s going to be tough because of their size.”
Basile will be smaller than East Beau, something Bertrand plans to combat with an old standby of his: discipline.
“We really focused in on where they’re trying to run the ball and make sure we have guys there,” Bertrand said. “They don’t need a big gap. We’re focused on being in the right spot. It’s like playing against an option team. It’s playing responsibilities and everyone doing their responsibility. If not, it’s a long night for us.”