Stone wall

BASILE -- In one of the most highly anticipated games of the 2020 season, the Sacred Heart Trojans put up a defensive stone wall, as they dominated the Basile Bearcats in a 28-0 win Friday.
On the night, Sacred Heart held Basile to 18 total yards (including zero passing yards), forced the Bearcats to punt the ball on eight different drives, and caused three turnovers, two of which led to scores.
After the game, Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper praised his defensive unit for its commanding performance.
“I thought the defense played lights out for us tonight,” stated Harper. “We played fast, played simple and seemed to have 11 hats to the ball on every play. It was a team effort and I was very proud of the guys for stepping it up in the first game of the season.”
On the other side of the field, Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand talked about the need to get back to the basics.
“There is no doubt in my mind that we can rebound from this loss,” said Bertrand. “We saw some things that we have to do differently, and we saw who we thought we were. I don’t think we’re that team. We are meeting as coaches early (Saturday) morning, and we are going to get the ship right.”
The tone of the game was set early on when the Bearcats were forced to punt the ball away after gaining four yards on the opening possession of the contest.
Sacred Heart took over at their 46-yard line following the punt return and found itself having to punt the ball back to Basile.
On the next drive, Basile coughed up the football on the second play, and the Trojan defense was there to pounce on the ball at the Bearcat 26-yard line.
Five plays later, Sacred Heart quarterback Ethan Karonika hit slot receiver, Peyton Feucht, on an out route at the one-yard line. Feucht ran untouched into the end zone, and, with the extra point from Karonika, the Trojans took the early 7-0 lead with 5:55 to go in the first quarter.
Basile’s next drive did not yield much, forcing the Bearcats to punt once again.
Sacred Heart re-gained possession at its 41-yard line following the kick. A mixture of run and pass brought the Trojans down to the Basile six-yard line.
On fourth-and-three, Karonika tried to fit a pass into the end zone, but Bearcat safety Cole Manuel stepped in front of the throw and picked the ball out of the air. Manuel brought the ball up to the two-yard line, where Basile began their next possession.
A couple of runs and two false start penalties put the Bearcats at their five-yard line. Facing a third down and seven. Basile quarterback, Manuel, dropped back for a pass, but was inundated by the Trojan pass rush and lost the ball in the end zone.
Sacred Heart’s Gabe Fontenot hauled in the ball, scoring the second touchdown of the night for the Trojans. Karonika tacked on the extra point, and, with 7:56 left in the second quarter, Sacred Heart led 14-0.
The Trojans did not waste anytime extending their lead. After forcing another Basile punt, Sacred Heart took over the ball at the Bearcat 48-yard line.
A 22-yard pitch and catch from Karonika to Landon LeBlanc from the 36-yard line put the ball at the Basile 11. Three plays later, Gabe Fontenot punched his way over the goal line for a four yard touchdown run. Karonika’s extra point gave the Trojans a 21-0 lead at the 1:14 mark of the second quarter.
The two teams traded possessions to open the second half. However, the second drive of the third quarter proved to be rewarding for the Trojans.
Taking over the ball at the Basile 48-yard line following another Bearcat punt, Sacred Heart mounted a 10-play drive that ended in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Karonika to Bryce Deville. The extra point was good off of the foot of Karonika, and, with 4:28 to go in the period, the Trojans had extended their lead to 28-0.
The rest of the contest consisted of the same dominance by the Sacred Heart defense and the milking of the clock by the Trojan offense.
Leading the way on the ground for Sacred Heart was Fontenot who carried the ball 11 times for 41 yards and one touchdown.
Karonika ended the night nine for 18 passing for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Feucht hauled in four of those passes for 62 yards.
Ethan Bazinet finished the game with 23 yards on 15 carries for the Bearcats.
Sacred Heart will travel to Rosepine for a date with the Eagles this Thursday night, while Basile opens up district play on the road when they face Hamilton Christian in Lake Charles Friday night.