By Sylis Manuel
Ville Platte Gazette
VILLE PLATTE – Eunice High grounded out 350 yards of rushing that resulted in the Bobcats taking a commanding 47-6 victory over the Ville Platte Bulldogs Friday night.
Ville Platte slides down to 1-2 on the season and will travel to North Central to take on the Hurricanes next week.
Eunice improves to 3-0 on the season and will host a tough opponent in Breaux Bridge next week.
“We base our offense on the running game,” stated Eunice High head coach Paul Trosclair. “We can throw it, but we definitely want to try and run it first.”
Eunice established their run game very early on.
Starting at their 41-yard line the Bobcats marched the ball all the way to the Bulldog two-yard line off the back of running back Deon Ardoin.
From there, Deon Ardoin punched in the final yardage for the Bobcat’s first touchdown of the game.as Eunice led 7-0 with 9:50 left in the quarter.
The Bulldogs tried to answer back, but the Eunice defense held up strong, stuffing all run attempts. Eunice was able to get the ball back at their 25-yard line after stopping a fourth down conversion from Ville Platte.
The Bobcats managed to take things up to the 37-yard line, where Deon Ardoin was able to rocket past the Bulldog defense for a 40 yard pick up, setting Eunice up at the Bulldog 23-yard line.
On the next play, Eunice’s Treylon Cooper found the opening and ran in the second touchdown for the Bobcats.
The PAT was good, improving the score to 14-0 with 3:09 left in the first quarter.
Ville Platte once again could not find an answer and was forced to punt the ball over. Eunice was able to hold this possession going into the second quarter.
Eunice took their drive to the Bulldog three-yard line where Bobcat running back Jeoul Hill was able to tack on the touchdown, finalizing the drive. Eunice held a 20-0 lead with 9:28 left in the first half.
Yet again the Bobcat defense was able to shut down the Bulldog offensive, who were starting to look visibly out of it.
Eunice started off with great field position, at the Ville Platte 40-yard line. Bobcat quarterback Simeon Ardoin found Deon Ardoin down field, who raced the rest to bring Eunice their fourth touchdown of the game. The Bobcats went for a two point conversion and were successful, setting the score at 28-0 with 5:12 left in the half.
Ville Platte tried to go back to the run but were having no success.
The Bulldogs made the decision to pass, however they would ultimately pay for it, as Eunice safety Zach Suire picked off the pass, setting the Bobcats up at their own 35-yard line.
Eunice’s drive started off rough, but was quickly opened up when Deon Ardoin broke away for a huge 34 yard gain to bring the Bobcats to the Bulldog 27-yard line.
A short pass brought them to the 16-yard line, where running back Devin Richardson capped off the drive with a touchdown. Brown’s extra point was good, improving the Eunice lead to 35-0 with 45 seconds left in the half. That lead held as the two teams headed into the locker rooms.
At this point, the referees kept the game clock running. Ville Platte started things off, but were still not able to generate any offense.
Eunice’s following drive was riddled with penalties, but they were ultimately able to bring things from mid-field to the Bulldog one-yard line, where Simeon Ardoin kept the ball to himself, marching into the end zone. Brown’s foot struck true on the extra point, and Eunice’s lead grew to 42-0 with 4:51 left in the third period.
On Ville Platte’s next drive, they were finally able to open things up. Running back Jahmal Byers, who had been stuffed the majority of the game, was able to help piece together a decent drive for the Bulldogs. Along with help from quarterback Terrian Roy, Byers helped take Ville Platte from their own 30-yard line to the Bobcat 12-yard line.
The clock wound into the fourth quarter as Ville Platte geared up to put some points on the board.
Terrian Roy snuck around the side to give the Bulldogs their first touchdown of the game. Ville Platte attempted a 2-point conversion, but it was unsuccessful, and the score sat at 42-6 with 11:15 left in the game.
On Eunice’s next drive, both teams put in their juniorvarsity squads to give them some much needed playing time and their starters a rest.
The Bobcats were able to march up to the Ville Platte one-yard line. There, Hayden Darbonne closed out the game, setting the score at 47-6.