Morgan City man charged with stealing vehicle driven in fatal crash
October 6, 2009
James "Jim" Templet
October 8, 2009
If Friday night’s District 8-5A showdown between the H.L. Bourgeois Braves and the Central Lafourche Trojans proved anything, it’s the race for the district crown is still wide open.
The Trojans entered the game 3-1 overall but 0-1 in district while the Braves mirrored the Trojans’ overall record but were 1-0 in district.
By night’s end, the Trojans proved they were still a team to watch with a convincing 34-0 win, putting them right back where they expected to be when the season started – in the district race.
After a wakeup in the district opener against South Terrebonne, head coach Chad Callais was pleased with the way his team responded with their backs against the wall.
“We don’t want to necessarily say it was a must win but we treated it that way,” he said. “It was great to be able to get that first win in district and put ourselves in a tie for second.”
Unlike in their loss to the Gators, the Trojans were able to move the ball down the field on offense and control the line of scrimmage on defense.
The aggressive Trojan defense has yet to allow over 13 points this season and has so far proven they can match up with teams in the district.
“They’ve been doing a great job,” Callais said. “They’ve been aggressive and have really sparked this team. Our defense is really playing.
Despite earning the victory Callais admitted there is plenty of work to be done.
The Trojans’ fumble woes continued, as they put the ball on the ground 10 times against the Braves.
It’s something the coach said the team needs to be fixed heading into another tough district contest against Thibodaux Friday.
This week of practice would be devoted to working on the quarterback and center exchange, he said.
“It’s most definitely something we are going to address,” he said. “It’s been on one play so we’ll either get it fixed or drop the play. It’s something that can’t continue.”
H.L. Bourgeois head coach Joe Riley said his team needed a punch in the mouth after a tough week of practice.
He plans to use the loss as a lesson his team can learn as they prepare for another district contest Friday.
“In a way we needed this,” he said. “We had a tough week of practice because we were 1-0 in district the team got a little lax. This is something we will use to build on the rest of the season. It was a bit of a wake-up call.”
With the Braves’ offense struggling to run the ball Riley was forced to turn to the passing game. While it wasn’t the best performance he still saw some positives.
Defensively he said the team has to eliminate the big play.
“If we give up the big plays we are going to lose, so we have to find a way to eliminate that this week,” he said. “On offense, we have to be more consistent in what we do. We threw the ball ok; we just didn’t do it consistently. We have to find a way to move the ball.”
With both teams’ record sitting at 1-1 in district play, they both addressed the importance of maintaining their composure the rest of the way.
“There’s still a lot of football left,” Riley said. “It’s a grind every week.”
Central Lafourche running back Brian Thomas scampers past the goal line Friday for one of the Trojans five scores. The Trojans put themselves back in the district hunt with the 34-0 win. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
