Tom Dodge
Basile – St. Edmund.
That’s all that needs to be said as the Blue Jays visit rival Basile Friday night.
There will be chants of “Bearcat boudin” and “Blue Jay gumbo” all game as two teams for the upper hand in the District 4-1A opener.
The series started in 1961 and was played every year until 2009.
After a four-year break, the two teams renewed the rivslry in 2013.
St. Edmund leads the series (37-16-1) and holds a 17-8-1 advantage at Basile.
But since 2013, the Bearcats are 3-2 over the Jays.
“We know this is a rivalry game but we are looking at it as just the next game,” St. Edmund head coach Andy Hargroder said. “We expect a good game.
Last year, St. Edmund rolled to a 28-7 win over Basile as the Blue Jays went on to win the district championship.
After the loss to the Jays, Basile then went on an eight game winning streak as the Bearcats advanced to the Class 1-A state quarterfinals.
“This is a big game for both schools as we go forward through the rest of the district,” the Blue Jay coach said.
Last week, St. Edmund (2-1) shut out Mamou 27-0, while Basile battled for a 13-6 win over Sacred Heart.
Bearcat Andre Reed ran for 130 yards on 11 carries, including the 74-yard game winner in the fourth quarter.
“They have a lot of weapons,” Hargroder said of the Bearcats. “Their quarterback (Dawson Ardoin) can run and throw; they have good receivers and multiple running backs who run the ball well.
“We can’t give up big plays,” Hargroder said. “We need to contain them at the line of scrimmage.
“In football, it is usually the team that makes the least mistakes who wins the game.”
In the win over Mamou, the Jays finished with 261 yards of total offense but also fumbled eight times and had 150 penalty yards.