Defensive domination

VILLE PLATTE -- The Sacred Heart Trojans held Basile to 60 total yards and picked off four passes, one for a touchdown, as they completely dominated the Bearcats defensively in a 20-0 shut out victory Friday night.
The win moves Sacred Heart to 1-2 on the year. The Trojans will host Rosepine Friday night in a non-district contest.
With the loss, Basile dropped to 1-2 on the season. The Bearcats entertain Hamilton Christian Friday night in their first district game of the season.
After the game, Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper praised his defensive unit for their stellar play.
“If I had to pick an MVP for tonight’s game, it would be the entire defensive unit,” stated Harper. “Coming into the game, we had tendencies on them, and I thought we diagnosed them well. They played like the defenses of the last three years. They were able to keep us in it enough for our offense to get going.”
Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand was very frank about his teams play following the game.
“We could not get anything going at all against them,” said Bertrand. “We had trouble running the ball and had trouble blocking. We just did not do a whole lot right, and when you don’t do things right against a quality team, that’s what happens to you.”
The first half was a defensive battle from both ball clubs. With the exception of a 65-yard run from Sacred Heart, the two teams could only combine for 109 total yards.
Basile received the ball first and after picking up an initial first down was forced to punt the ball away. A partially blocked kick allowed the Trojans to take over right at the mid-field stripe.
Sacred Heart drove the ball down to the Bearcat 18-yard line in nine plays, mostly behind the running of Alex McElwee. Facing fourth and 16, the Trojans threw a pass that was picked off by Basile’s Keeman Ivory and taken back to the 34-yard line.
Three plays later, an errant pass from Basile quarterback Cole Manuel was snagged out of the air by Trojan safety Ethan Karonika, who brought it up to the Bearcat 46-yard line.
Sacred Heart drove the ball down to the Basile 29-yard line, but turned the ball back over on downs when the Bearcat defense stopped a Noah Soileau run short of the first down marker.
The Bearcats were unsuccessful on their next drive, having to punt the ball away after only three plays from scrimmage.
The Trojans took over at the Basile 40-yard line following a punt of only 14 yards. A holding call on Sacred Heart and a nine yard loss on third down forced them into a fourth and goal situation from the Bearcat 27-yard line. On the pass attempt from Gabe Fontenot, Basile defensive back Isaiah Ceasar jumped in front of the ball and brought it up to the 39-yard line.
Four plays later, Karonika stole another long pass attempt from Manuel and settled at the 27-yard line of the Trojans before he was tackled. Two plays later, a direct snap to Lucas Vallet, the up back in the single wing, resulted in a 65-yard touchdown gallop. Sam Hollier tacked on the extra point and with 1:55 to go in the second period, the Trojans led 7-0.
Basile got the ball back one last time before half, but just as their previous possessions, could not move the ball at all. Thus, the two teams headed into the locker room with Sacred Heart holding a slim halftime lead.
The second half began with three straight changes of possessions. Drive number three for the Bearcats in the third quarter ended in another Karonika interception, this time taking it back to the Basile 20-yard line.
Two plays later, Fontenot found pay dirt as he slithered through the right side of the Bearcat defense untouched from 15 yards out. The extra point was no good, leaving the score 13-0 in favor of the Trojans with 18 seconds left to go in the third period.
Basile was forced to punt the ball away on the ensuing drive, as the third quarter turned into the final quarter of the game.
Taking over at their 23-yard line, Sacred Heart found the going rough. A holding penalty and a loss of yardage on second down set up a fourth and 15 for the Trojans.
On the punt attempt, the ball slipped through the hands of Vallet, who was able to pick it up and kick the ball away. However, the ball only traveled to the eight-yard line, setting the Bearcats up with a first and goal situation.
A false start call on the first play from scrimmage set Basile back five yards. Three plays later, the Bearcats had the ball fourth and goal from the Sacred Heart four-yard line.
Basile called a time out and when they got back on the field set up in a swinging gate. The Bearcats attempted a swing pass out to their left side but Karonika was there to pick the ball off and rumble 94 yards for the touchdown. Hollier added the extra point and with 6:58 left in the game, the Trojans held a 20-0 lead.
Basile had one last possession but once again could not move the ball, allowing Sacred Heart to come away with the three touchdown win.
“We tried something new this week,” commented Harper. “We started substituting up front on the offensive line to keep guys fresh. I think that is why we were able to run the ball so effectively in the second half. After the half, we just we back to basics and do what we do best.”
“We did not play with a whole lot of emotion especially in the second half,” said Bertrand. “Hats off to Sacred Heart, they came out ready to play. We are going to have to go back to square one and re-focus on every aspect of our game.”
McElwee finished the night with 86 yards on 17 carries. Vallet had the one carry for 65 yards and a touchdown. Fontenot collected 36 yards.