How the Ville Platte Bulldogs handle themselves tomorrow night will go a long way in determining if they can somehow sneak into the Class 2A playoffs.
Last week Ville Platte (2-4, 0-1) was shredded by the Lake Arthur Tigers from the opening whistle, scoring on every possession but one. Right now, the Bulldogs are the No. 25 team in the state in terms of power ranking, just seven spots above where they need to be to make the 2A playoffs.
However, if you take away the devastating loss last Friday, Ville Platte has played good football at times. Case in point, their opening loss to the Sacred Heart Trojans. In that game, the Bulldogs fought hard to the end, even having a chance to tie things up late in the game.
Ville Platte will have to get things going this week if they wish to take down one of the perennial powerhouse teams over the last eight years, the Kinder Yellow Jackets.
Kinder has had an up and down season compared to seasons past. Nevertheless, the 3-3 Yellow Jackets have played one of the toughest schedules in the state, facing off against the likes of Iowa, Breaux Bridge and Kaplan.
Kinder fell last week to one of the best teams in the state, regardless of class, the Notre Dame Pioneers. Notre Dame handed the Yellow Jackets a 49-3 loss.
Offensively, Kinder does not put up a ton of points on the board, averaging only 19.5 points per game. The Yellow Jackets are a run based team, led by Ty Fusilier and Elijah Lavan, who have combined for over 600 yards of rushing on the season.
Kinder yields 22 points per game on the defensive side of the ball, but can be stingy at times. In their three wins of the season, the Yellow Jackets have only allowed a total of 15 points, while in their three loses, Kinder has given up a combined 115 points.
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TRACEY JAGNEAUX Sports Editor