No doubt the Ville Platte High Bulldogs will have a tough challenge tomorrow night when they travel to Eunice to take on a very talented Bobcat squad in their first game of the season.
Game time at Eunice High is set for 7 p.m.
Ville Platte comes into the year needing to replace a number of players lost to graduation. However, Ville Platte High head coach Jorie Randle believes his Bulldogs will be ready for the Bobcats when the lights come on.
“Eunice High is a premier program with a lot of tradition that schools hope to emulate,” stated Ville Platte High head coach Jorie Randle. “We know they will have more depth than us, but we cannot make excuses. They are physical team and one that will be tough to open up with. We are just going to have to find ways to win. It will be a challenge for us, but we are up to taking that challenge.’
Randle and his staff were able to see how far his ball club has come this past Friday when they took on Lake Charles College Prep in the fall scrimmage. According to Randle, the Bulldogs performed surprisingly well.
“All things considered, I thought we played much better than I expected,” said Randle. “With the limitations place on us with the COVID situation, we were just looking to find out how far we have come and exactly what we needed work on.”
“I found that the tackling wasn’t what it should be, but that is understandable because we haven’t been able to make contact until just recently,” Randle continued. “As far as play execution on offense, I thought we lined up in the right spot and got our assignments done. We still have a lot of work left to do.”
Ville Platte comes into the season having to replace an offensive dynamic duo, as quarterback Terrian Roy and running back Jahmal Byers are gone because of graduation. On Friday, the Bulldogs utilized the talents of converted senior wide out Ernest Roberts to take over the helm at signal caller.
After reviewing what he saw and seeing the game film after the scrimmage, Randle was pleased with the performance of Roberts and the passing game in general.
“I was very impressed with our passing game,” commented Randle. “I mean, we still have some work to do with the offensive linemen. Ernest threw the ball fairly well, considering it was his first time under center.”
What did not impress Randle was the Bulldog running game. The way Randle put it, neither the offensive line nor the running backs did enough to get a good grade from the coaching staff.
“We really did not come off the ball and drive defensive lineman back in our running game,” said Randle. “We are designed to be a run heavy team and that did not show through in the scrimmage. We are still trying to find that person that will step up and take over the running back position. It will be very important for us to be able to establish a good ground game.”
Defensively, Randle gave his unit a C because of some not so solid tackling and a just okay performance from the defensive line.
“We still have some important things to teach our defensive linemen in terms of making sure that they get their hands on the offensive line so that our linebackers can play free,” said Randle. “I was definitely please with the play of our secondary. Our defensive backs held their own and did not give up much with the exception of one play.”
Eunice High will come into the game with a new look on the sideline. Gone is long time head coach Paul Trosclair, due to health issues, and in his place will be former Eunice High alum and last year’s offensive co-ordinator Andre Vige.
Vige and his staff take over a team with a wealth of talent that finished 9-3 a season ago and went to the second round of the playoffs. The strength of the team this year is the experience the returning starters, according to the coach.
“We bring back a lot of experienced guys who have played in big games,” Vige said. “We have good leadership on this team. This group of seniors has a great work ethic. They come in ready to work with great attitudes – they want to play football every day.”
One of those players is senior quarterback Simeon Ardoin, who passed for 1,103 yards with 13 touchdowns and rushed for 475 yards and five touchdowns last season. Ardoin will by seven other returners on offense including running backs Deon Ardoin and Jeoul Hill.
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Tracey Jagneaux
Sports Editor