VILLE PLATTE -- This past offseason, the Sacred Heart Trojans found out that False River Academy had dropped their football program, leaving a hole in their schedule for week four of this season.
As luck would have it, the Menard Eagles also had an opening that same week because University Academy in Alexandria also dropped football. So, head coach Josh Harper made a quick call and the match-up was finalized.
The two teams will battle it out on the gridiron tomorrow night at Soileau-Landry field with Sacred Heart hosting Menard in a non-district contest. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
“When False River discontinued their program, I was worried at how we were going to fill that open date,” stated Harper. “Fortunately, Menard was in the same boat. I think this is a good pickup for us because Menard is a good team and will allow us to play against a quality opponent. Besides, they are only an hour away, so the fans do not have far to travel, which should make it a tremendous atmosphere.”
Last week the Trojans went down swinging in a hard fought 13-6 loss to the Basile Bearcats. In that game, starting quarterback Wesley Launey went out at halftime and did not return to the game because of some heat related problems.
Because of that, Sacred Heart had to rely almost exclusively on the running game and became a one-dimensional team. Despite that, the Trojans still had an opportunity to tie things up late in the ball game, but a crucial penalty killed that chance.
“We’ve been struggling offensively lately,” said Haper. “I think part of it is the line is struggling a bit and the vision of our backs in seeing the holes is not quite where it needs to be. Also, we are not making people miss when we have the ball in our hands. So, when all of this is happening, we can’t kill ourselves with penalties, especially in crucial situations.”
According to Harper, it looks as if Launey will be back this week in his familiar signal calling position. If Launey is able to return, Sacred Heart’s passing attack that put up over 190 yards just two weeks ago should be back on display.
“We held Wesley out on Monday, but we began to slowly ease him in on Tuesday,” commented Harper. “This week we really worked on different scenarios in case he could not go. But, I think he will be ready come game time.”
One area that has not been a concern for the Trojans has been their defense. Over the last three weeks, excluding a busted play that resulted in a 74 yard touchdown run against Basile, Sacred Heart has been stingier than the Grinch at Christmas.
In that stretch the Trojans have only surrendered 23 points, a 7.3 point per game average. Sacred Heart has also held opponents to an average of 178 yards per game.
“I think we have played extremely well on the defensive side of the ball,” said Haper. “Our defense had kept us in games and given us a chance to win. But, they have to have some help from our offense.”
Their opponent this week, the Menard Eagles, come into town sporting an overall record of 2-1, beating Bolton 45-0 and Avoyelles 21-6. Their lone loss came at the hands of Buckeye two weeks ago by a score of 7-0.
“Menard is a mixture of Basile and St. Ed’s in terms of the way they play hard every down and the type of athletes they have,” Harper stated. “They will be the biggest team we have faced so far this season. They have a couple of linemen that go about 280 and 300 pounds each. Menard is a spread team that likes to put the ball in space with hitches, screens and bubble passes.”
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TRACEY JAGNEAUX Sports Editor