Down right dominant

BASILE – The Oberlin Tigers scored on seven of their first eight possessions and rushed for 557 yards on 43 carries as they blew past the Basile Bearcats 48-12 in the Class 1A quarterfinals Friday night.
With the loss, Basile finishes the season with an overall record of 8-5. The win for Oberlin allows the Tigers to advance on to the semi-finals for the first time since 2010.
Oberlin will host White Castle this Friday night for the right to move on to the All-State Sugar Bowl Prep Classic to be held in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
After the game, a humble Oberlin head coach Durell Peloquin talked about his team’s journey to this point in the season.
“This is a special team that we have this year,” stated Peloquin. “Since June we have created common goals for ourselves and it is just a great feeling to come on the road and be able to execute in all three phases of the game.”
“Right now we are all playing together and for each other,” Peloquin continued. “I am just fortunate to be the head coach here. I cannot say enough about this whole group of players, especially the seniors. We get after it from the start and play with tremendous heart.”
On the other side of the field, Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand sang the praises of his team’s resiliency this season, including the seniors that helped lead the Bearcats through some adverse times.
“We have had so many ups and down this season, but the seniors have shown true leadership and took it upon themselves to get us through those times,” said Bertrand. “They were able to keep us positive throughout the year. To see them grow from their freshmen year to now has been a tremendous pleasure.”
“You have to tip you hat to Oberlin, they have a great ball club,” Bertrand continued. “We can’t say we should have did this or should have done that because there was not much we could do to slow them down. Offensively, we just could not block them up front. They played and exceptional ball game.”
It was all Oberlin from the start to the finish and the first couple of drives by both teams proved that point. Basile took the opening kick-off and was held to a three and out after picking up only six total yards.
Oberlin gained possession at their 38-yard line following the punt and proceeded to run the ball at will against an out-matched Basile defense. Picking up huge chunks of yardage, the Tigers marched down to the Bearcat 10-yard line in four plays.
On the fifth play of the drive, Oberlin’s Trevor Rider bolted his way in from 10 yards out to give the Tigers the early lead. Jared Joubert tacked on the extra point and with 8:13 to go in the first quarter, Oberlin led 7-0.
The Tiger defense once again asserted themselves on the ensuing Basile drive. In three plays, the Bearcats lost 16 yards and was forced to punt the ball away once more.
Oberlin took over at their 29-yard line after the punt and returned to a pounding running game that reeled off 67 yards in four plays. On first and goal from the Bearcat four-yard line, fullback Collin Chatman barreled his way into the end zone for the second Tiger touchdown of the night.
Joubert was true on the extra point, giving Oberlin a 14-0 with 4:59 left in the opening quarter.
Basile pride took over on their next possession. Utilizing a ground game that had found success all year long and a quick screen game, the Bearcats marched from their 43-yard line down to the Tiger 19 in seven plays.
However, on fourth and four, a Cole Manuel pass to Logan David fell to the ground, causing a turn over on downs and killing a promising Basile drive.
It did not take Oberlin long to put more points up on the board. Runs of 31, 8 and 36 yards put the Tigers on the Bearcat six-yard line as the first quarter came to a close. On the second play of the second quarter, Chatman pounded his way over the goal line from six yards out to push the Tiger advantage to three scores.
Jouberts’ extra point was good and with only 26 seconds gone in the second quarter, Oberlin’s lead increased to 21-0.
The Tigers would score just 2:48 later when Rider sprinted past the Basile defense for a 59 yard touchdown run. The scoring drive, which lasted three plays, came after Oberlin held the Bearcats to another three and out. This time the point after failed, however the Tigers now led 27-0.
Basile finally got their offense going on their next possession. Starting on the Oberlin 47-yard line following the ensuing kick-off, the Bearcats methodically marched down the field.
Eight plays into the drive, Manuel’s plunge hit pay dirt on a quarter back sneak to give Basile their first points of the night. The two-point pass fell incomplete making it a 27-6 game in favor of the Tigers with 3:37 to go in the half.
The quick scoring Oberlin offense wasted no time in increasing their lead. Taking over at their 20-yard line following the kick, the Tigers used only three plays to find their way back into the end zone.
This time Rider was able to slice his way in from 21 yards out on a first and ten play. The extra point was good from Joubert allowing Oberlin to take a 34-6 lead with 3:37 to go in the second quarter.
Basile answered on their next drive. Beginning at their 11-yard line, the Bearcats, behind a 51 yard screen pass to Isaiah Ceasar, found themselves at the Tiger 20-yard line in seven plays.
On play eight, Manuel found tight end Justin Smith all alone in the end zone for a 20 yard touchdown pass. The two-point run failed and with 51 seconds to go before half, the scoreboard now showed 34-12 in favor of the Tigers.
That score remained as the two teams headed to the locker room.
The final two touchdowns of the game for Oberlin occurred rather quickly in the second half of play. On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Tigers went 80 yards in four plays and capped off the possession with a four yard run by Chatman. With the extra point by Joubert, Oberlin extended their lead to 41-12.
The Tigers finished out the scoring after Jonathan Cole intercepted a Manuel pass on the first play of the next Bearcat possession. Cole took it to the Basile 25-yard line and five plays later, quarterback Levi Peloquin dove in from one yard out.