BB, Cecilia prepping for homecoming foes

It’s homecoming week at both Breaux Bridge and Cecilia high schools as the two teams prepare for the second round of District 5-4A competition.
The Tigers and the Bulldogs find themselves tied for first place in the league standings after victories last week. Breaux Bridge got a very satisfying and much needed win over parish rival St. Martinville and Cecilia survived a shoot out with an improving Abbeville team.
The wins left The Bridge at 2-4, 1-0 while the Bulldogs stand at 3-3, 1-0.
Meanwhile, St. Martinville must regroup as it prepares for a road trip to challenge a strong Class 5A Comeaux team.

BB vs. Abbeville
Coach Terry Martin was feeling good about his team after the come-from-behind win over St. Martinville.
“Things were looking pretty bleak going into that game,” he admits. The Tigers were 1-4 for the first half of the season.
“But our kids never quit,” he added. “They’ve overcome a lot of adversity and put themselves in good position as we get into the meat of the district schedule.”
Martin pointed to several key plays in the SM win, including a couple of stops of The ’Ville in the red zone and the fumble recovery on the first play of the second half that set up BB’s first touchdown.
The Tiger defense bent a little but didn’t break in holding St. Martinville to three scores in spite of giving up 350 yards.
Senior linebacker Tyler Wiltz missed the game with a head injury and coaches had to plug in freshman Tyrese Martin to take his place.
The youngster responded by recovering two fumbles for an outstanding debut.
And while junior quarterback Julian Leon didn’t get the start last Friday, he replaced sophomore Cole Mouton late in the first quarter and delivered two TD passes.
The Abbeville Wildcats (1-5, 0-1) certainly captured Martin’s attention after they went toe-to-toe with Cecilia before falling by 37-28 last Friday.
“They really played Cecilia tough,” Martin says. “They’re a very scary team.”
And Martin is always leery of homecoming festivities. “There’s usually a lot of drama connected with al the activities,” he says. “You’ve really got to guard against a lack of focus on the game itself.”

Cecilia vs. Westgate
Senior quarterback Corey Williams came through big time for the Bulldogs in their 37-28 victory over Abbeville, completing 13-of-22 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns. With four more regular season games to play, Williams is already approaching the 1,000-yard mark with his 57 completions.
“He’s doing a good job for us,” says coach Dennis Skains. “He’s still got a few things to clean up, but coach (Dane) Charpentier (offensive coordinator) has been working with him and he gets better each week.”
And the Bulldog running game is starting to pick up its share of the offensive effort with four healthy backs, led by Devin Briscore along with Kentrelle Jones, Ryan Malbrough and Jason Stelly. “We’re really blessed now that they’re all contributing,” says Skains.
While the Bulldog defense had its hands full with a strong Abbeville rushing attack, giving up 215 yards and three TDs, Skains was quick to point out that the unit also had two take aways and a couple of key fourth down stops.
Cecilia will be hosting a much improved Westgate team that has won its last three games after a shaky 0-3 start.
The Tigers rely heavily on the run and Skains says they’re very physical at the point of attack. “They’re a very athletic team and are very physical on both sides of the ball,” he adds.
Like most coaches Skains is a bit leery of homecoming hoopla. “But it’s pretty much the same for everyone. You’ve just got to deal with it.”

SMSH at Comeaux
St. Martinville’s loss to Breaux Bridge puts the Tigers behind the eight ball in their quest for the district title and a playoff berth.
“Out kids need to learn how to bounce back,” says coach Vincent Derouen. “You can’t be moping around.”
While Derouen gives a lot of credit to Breaux Bridge – “They played really hard” – he also admitted that two crucial fumbles “really hurt us” and that backup quarterback Markavon Williams didn’t have a very good night. While the sophomore rushed for 64 yards on 14 carries, he completed only 3-of-13 passes for 40 yards.
Senior QB Jared Davis sat out his second game last week but Derouen said he’ll get the start against Comeaux.
The Tiger defense was hampered by an injury to sophomore free safety Javonne Wiltz, who suffered a high ankle sprain, and the fact that Williams normally holds down one of the corner back spots.
Wiltz will also miss this week’s game as will senior offensive lineman Traveone Alexander, whose knee is acting up. “It’s nothing major, but we’ll give him a week’s rest,” says Derouen.
Comeaux owns a 4-2 record coming off a close 42-38 loss to Acadiana. The Spartans are averaging over 40 points per game using a well balanced offense.
“They’re very explosive,” Derouen points out. “It’s going to be a real test for out kids.”