Disaster strikes Bearcats

By: RHETT MANUEL Sports Editor BASILE — Football games are, more or less, often decided in a span of about five plays over the course of four quarters. They are the ones that swing momentum. They are the ones where disaster strikes at the wrong time. They are oftentimes swift and decisive. All of those descriptors stood true when No. 4-seeded Basile had its season ended at the hands of the No. 5-seed Haynesville Tornado by a 31-7 margin Friday night. Big plays, particularly ones by Haynesville sophomore standout Jayden Green, provided all the difference needed for the Tornado to advance to the Division IV non-select semifinals to host Oak Grove next Friday. The Bearcats were by no means outmatched by Haynesville. Despite not matching up size and speed-wise, Basile was more than up to the task physically against one of Louisiana’s storied football programs. However, it mattered little in the end, as missed chances in the first half and a disastrous third quarter doomed Basile to yet another quarterfinal playoff exit. Basile, looking to seize early momentum, took the opening kickoff but missed on a deep pass to Gage Craton on a 3rd-and-7 play and forced them to punt the ball to Haynesville. The Bearcats then forced a turnover, their only of the game, to set themselves up on the Haynesville 33-yard line with a chance to take an early lead. A pair of Haynesville offside penalties on third downs allowed the Bearcats to keep the drive going. But, ultimately, a missed field goal by Ross Cortez had the Bearcats come up empty after making something happen. When Haynesville found its bearings early in the second quarter it was behind a 22-yard touchdown run by Green that put them up 7-0 with 11:42 left until halftime. Basile, unusually, struggled to find its running game all night so had to turn to the pass game for big plays. It found some success there, connecting with Ashton Deaville on a 15-yard wheel route and with Gavin Ardoin for a 45-yard reception on a third down to put the Bearcats within striking distance. Ardoin, however, dropped a potential touchdown catch. In all, Basile left 10 potential points on the board in the first half to give the Tornado a 7-0 lead heading into the locker room. Haynesville took the second-half kickoff and drove it down, capped by Green’s second touchdown of the night. His 11-yard run put the Tornado up 14-0 with 7:13 left in the third quarter. That’s when things went from bad to worse. After another Basile three-and-out, Green took a punt return to the end zone to increase Haynesville’s lead to 21-0 with 5:16 left in the third quarter. On Basile’s next possession a pass attempt went through Ardoin’s hands and into Green’s, who returned that interception back for a touchdown and a commanding 28-0 lead. It was a game-turning sequence of plays that reflected poorly on how well Basile’s defense actually played over the course of the contest. “We know they’re a great team and there’s no secret to what they do,” Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand said. “They could score quickly like they did. But, I’m very proud of our defense. They really only gave up 17 points. They fought all night, but our little guys fought. I can’t begin to say how proud I am of our guys.” Haynesville would add a 27-yard field goal for good measure before Basile’s Horace Edwards broke the shutout with 2:15 remaining. Friday’s loss capped another successful Basile season, one that Bertrand will remember fondly for years to come. “I’m so proud of them,’ he said. “They always fought. Even tonight, being down, they fought and they did it the right way. It just shows what these young men are going to be. “I was talking to one of our coaches before the game, this is one of the most enjoyable seasons I’ve ever gotten to coach.”