Advancing on

BASILE – A resilient Basile Bearcat football team was able to overcome a shaky first half and picked up a big 14-8 win over the Montgomery Tigers in the regional round of the LHSAA playoffs here Friday night.
The win extends the Basile High win streak to eight games and advances the Bearcats onto the quarterfinals this coming Friday night where they will travel to Oak Grove to take on the No. 2 seeded Tigers. Oak Grove defeated Lincoln Prep 48-20 in its regional playoff game.
“I am so proud of these kids,” stated an elated Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand. “In 23 years of coaching, I don’t think I have seen a bunch of players over achieve like these guys have. They play like they are 6’3” and 230 pounds every week. It is great to see them get after it week in and week out.”
It did not look like the Bearcats were going to raise their record to 9-3 in the first half of play, as Basile could not get much going on the offensive side of the ball.
Not that the Bearcats did not have ample opportunities with the great field position they owned in those first two quarters. Out of the five drives began by Basile in the first half, three of those started inside of Montgomery territory. But, every time the Bearcats got something going, a penalty or a negative play would kill their momentum.
“Give Montgomery a lot of credit, they came ready to play,” said Bertrand. “They took away some of the best plays that we run and forced us into some things we don’t like to do.”
Despite all of the offensive woes for Basile in the first two quarters, the Bearcat defense did a tremendous job of keeping them in the game. In fact it was the defense that came up with the first points of the game.
After a short drive ended for Basile at the Tiger 27-yard line, the Basile defense stood tall forcing a third and 12 situation for Montgomery on its 24-yard line.
The very next play, an errant snap sailed over quarterback Logan Graves’ head and trickled into the end zone. Basile’s Cameron Berzas was there to fall on the ball and with 2:10 left to go in the second quarter, the Bearcats were on the score board with their first touchdown of the night. The extra point was no good, but Basile led 6-0.
Montgomery got the ball back at its 20-yard line on the touchback and somehow found the offense that had alluded them all night long. A 49 yard gallop by JT Turner on the first play of the drive gave the Tigers a first down at the Bearcat 39-yard line.
Three plays later, Graves scrambled to his right, and finding no receiver open, sprinted his way in to the end zone from 13 yards out to tie the game up with 50 seconds left in the half. Running back Jarred Henry blasted his way in for the two-point conversion giving the Tigers an 8-6 lead; one they would keep as the two teams headed into the locker room.
The second half pretty much mirrored the first half with one exception. After forcing a Montgomery punt on the Tiger’s initial possession of the third quarter, Basile showed that they were not happy with their first half effort.
The Bearcats took over at their 46-yard line to begin their first drive of the second half. With that drive, Basile did what it has been doing all year long, moving the ball very methodically, mixing in the run and pass and dominating up front.
On the twelfth play of the possession, facing a fourth and goal from the one, running back Andre Reed bowled over the right guard for the score. Quarter back Dawon Ashford found wing back Logan David in the corner of the end zone for the two-point pass, and Basile regained the lead, 14-8, with 1:48 left to go in the third quarter.
“The players really made up their mind at half time that we were going to take this game by force and do anything necessary to win,” commented Bertrand.
From that point on, neither team could mount much of a drive, with the Tigers reaching the Basile side of the field only once the rest of the game.
On the night, Basile was only able to manage 235 yards of total offense. However, the Bearcat defense held Montgomery to a measly 124 yards of offense with only 80 yards of that coming on the ground.
Leading the way on the ground for Basile was Logan David, who accumulated 72 yards on 13 carries. Ashford finished the night six for 12 passing for 70 yards. Jaylen Thomas had four receptions for 54 yards to lead all Bearcat receivers.
“Now our focus becomes Oak Grove,” stated Bertrand. “It will be a tough test, but we are going to definitely be up for the challenge. We have been all year.”