By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
BASILE – The Basile Bearcats clinched at least a share of the district championship Friday night on Homecoming, blowing away the Merryville Panthers by a 41-12 margin.
The game was never in doubt for Basile (8-1, 5-0), who held a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Bearcats took advantage of two Merryville interceptions in the game.
Those turnovers paved the way for Basile’s well-established duo of senior running backs Ashton Deaville and Horace Edwards.
As they have all year, the two combined to be a deadly combination Friday night. While neither topped 100 yards, they did combine for all six of Basile’s touchdowns.
Most of those came on Deaville’s legs. His four touchdowns were a season-high.
But it was his running mate Edwards who got the Bearcats started with a 21-yard touchdown run with 9:40 left in the first quarter on the game’s opening possession.
Basile’s next two scoring drives were capped by Deaville. His first touchdown of the night was from nine yards out and the second from seven as Basile closed the opening quarter out with a 21-0 lead.
Deaville’s three-yard plunge with 1:58 to go in the first half gave the Bearcats a comfortable 28-0 lead as they headed into the locker room.
Edwards and Deaville each scored in the third quarter, with Edwards getting in from five yards out and Deaville adding a 17-yarder to allow Basile to rest its starters for the remainder of the game.
Merryville prevented the shutout with a pair of late touchdowns.
Basile remains unbeaten in district play heading into the final week of the regular season. While it has clinched a share of the crown, both Oberlin and East Beauregard are trailing the Bearcats with one district loss each.
The Bearcats have the opportunity to leave nothing to chance next Friday, traveling to East Beauregard with the opportunity to clinch an outright district crown.
June 20, 2026
