EUNICE -- Down 15 points with 8:02 left in the game, the Ville Platte Bulldogs mustered a valiant effort that fell just one yard short in their 35-33 heartbreaking loss to the St. Ed’s Blue Jays Friday night.
With the loss, Ville Platte fell to 2-3 on the season. The Bulldogs will host Mamou this Friday night in the first district contests for both teams.
After the game, Ville Platte head coach Jorie Randle addressed his team’s never give up attitude and the controversy that surrounded a few of the calls made by the officiating crew.
“When you put in the work and prepare all week long for a game and your team shows the heart it did to mount a comeback, to get some stinky officiating like this is unbelievable,” stated Randle. “I have never been a part of a worse football game my entire career. That first half was pitiful on the part of the officials. But, we did not let that get us down, and the players continued to fight the entire game. I am so proud of their effort tonight.”
One of those controversial calls came on the very first drive of the game. Ville Platte took possession of the ball at its 10-yard line following the opening kickoff.
Five plays into the drive, Bulldog running back Jahmal Byers seemed to have busted out of the pile of St. Ed’s defenders and sprinted his way for a 71-yard touchdown run. However, an inadvertent whistle took the score off the board and put the football back at the Ville Platte 29-yard line where the down was replayed.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were forced to punt on that drive and give the ball to the Blue Jays.
Ville Platte stopped St. Ed’s on its first drive of the night and got the ball back after a 21-yard net punt from the Blue Jays. The Bulldogs took full advantage of their next possession when quarterback Terrian Roy blew past the Blue Jay defense on a veer option for a 46-yard touchdown run.
The extra point was good off of the foot of Anthony Johnson, and, with 5:42 left to go in the first quarter, Ville Platte led 7-0.
St. Ed’s would tie things up three possessions later. On second and 20 from the Blue Jay 47-yard line, freshman running back Kieran Davis motored 53 yards for the touchdown. Josh Landry added the extra point, and the game stood at seven apiece with 10:21 to go in the second quarter.
After an exchange of possessions, Ville Platte took over at its 44-yard line. On the third play of the drive, Roy found junior wide out Ernest Byers for a 55-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs the lead once again. Johnson’s extra point was true once more and Ville Platte now led 14-7 with 4:11 to go in the second quarter.
On the ensuing kick-off St. Edmund’s do-it-all athlete, Peyton Marcantel, raced past all Bulldogs kicking team players for a 78-yard special teams touchdown. The extra point snap was mishandled making it a 14-13 game in favor of Ville Platte with 3:59 left in the first half.
Undeterred by the quick strike of the Blue Jays, Ville Platte went to work on the very next drive. Taking the ball over at their 38-yard line, the Bulldogs needed only three plays to put up another score.
This time it was Byers who did the heavy lifting, carrying the ball twice, the second time for a 49-yard touchdown run at the 2:42 mark of the second quarter. The kick failed, sending the teams into the locker room with Ville Platte leading 20-13.
St. Ed’s came out of the half time break with a renewed sense of urgency and completely dominated the entire third quarter and the first part of the fourth quarter.
Starting with their first drive of the second half, the Blue Jays rolled up three unanswered touchdowns, with the first coming at the 5:18 mark of the third quarter.
That score, an eight yard pass from Henry Brown to Gus Brown, was only able to occur because the Blue Jays faked a punt on fourth and seven earlier in the drive. The extra point snap was fumbled for the second time, giving Ville Platte a one point lead, 20-19.
Feeling the momentum swinging its way, St. Ed’s decided on an on-side kick and recovered the ball at the Ville Platte 45-yard line. Two plays later, Marcantel barrelled in from seven yards out and then scored on the two-point conversion to give the Blue Jays a 27-20 lead with 4:42 to go in the third quarter.
On its next possession following a Ville Platte punt, St. Ed’s methodically drove the ball down the field, and put together a 12-play, 55-yard scoring drive that was capped off by an eight yard run by Davis. The two-point pass was good and the Blue Jays now led 35-20 with 8:02 remaining in the game.
Ville Platte did not flinch. On the ensuing possession, the Bulldogs used six plays to march 71 yards for their fourth touchdown of the game. The final play of the drive, a 62-yard run by Roy, cut the lead down to 35-27 with 5:52 remaining in the contest.
St. Ed’s moved the ball to its 43 yard line on their next possession, but was forced to punt. The ball rolled down to the Ville Platte 10-yard line with 3:01 left on the clock.
The Bulldogs mounted once last drive and were able to push the ball 91 yards in nine plays, capping off the possession with a five yard Roy touchdown run with 29 seconds left in the game. Ville Platte went for the two-point conversion to tie the game up, but Byers was stopped one yard short of the goal line, thus ending the comeback attempt and the game.
Roy ended the game with 183 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns
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TRACEY JAGNEAUX Sports Editor