Balancing act

VILLE PLATTE -- It definitely has been an up and down season for the Ville Platte High Bulldogs in 2018.
After losing an emotional game to the Sacred Heart Trojans in week one, the Bulldogs bounced back the following week with a 28-13 win over the Pine Prairie Panthers.
This past week, despite leading the Washington-Marion Indians 8-6 at halftime, Ville Platte surrendered 52 second half points to fall 58-8.
The Bulldogs now seek to regain the balance that produced the win over the Panthers as they host the Pickering Red Devils here tomorrow night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“I am hoping we can bounce back like we did after week one,” stated Ville Platte head coach Jorie Randle. “Sometimes you need to have a short term memory and forget what happened the week before. Maybe playing them last year and defeating them will be the confidence boost we need to get it going this week.”
Last week against the Indians, Ville Platte’s lone score came on a 29 yard pass from Terrian Roy to Tyler Jones. Roy, getting his first start of the season after replacing Brandon Veazie who was out due to violations of LHSAA policies, completed five of nine passes for 49 yards.
The passing game was not the only area of concern for the Bulldogs in that game, as the rushing attack produced less than 100 yards with last week’s Player of the Week Jahmal Byers collecting 52 of those yards on 20 carries.
However, according to Randle, the one bright spot in the offense was the play of junior running back Montique Goudy, Jr.
“Montique ran the ball well when Jahamal was out of the game,” said Randle. “He showed some promise and gives us another player to rely on. I think that is going to take some pressure off of Jahmal and will force opponents to have to worry about more than just one person.”
That extra offensive output will be needed against their next opponent Pickering. Despite their 0-3 record, Randle is concerned about the size of the Red Devils up front and their scheme on the defensive side of the ball.
“Pickering is big up front on defense,” commented Randle. “Their nose tackle is about six foot and weighs about 260 pounds and their defensive tackle is six-two and comes in at about 300 pounds. They love to blitz early and often. We are going to have to be able to make sure we pick up those blitzes and give our offense a chance. The one good thing about playing a team that likes to blitz is that if you catch them the right way, it can be a long play for you.”
The Red Devils have not had much success on offense this season, only scoring 21 total points in three games. Nevertheless, Randle sees some team speed from Pickering and the ability to take it all the way on any given play.
“They will spread you out and try to get it in the hands of their best athletes, “ said Randle. “The scary thing is that the two slot guys, Evan Fernandez and Gregory Jones, have the capability to beat you on one play. It will be up to us defensively to bottle those guys up and not let them beat us with big plays.”
The difference in the game tomorrow night could be the turnover margin. Against Washinton-Marion, the Bulldogs fumbled on three straight possessions in the second half. Ball control and getting the offense headed in the right direction will be the test for Ville Platte to even their record on the year.