Basile advances to quarterfinals

BASILE – For the fourth season in a row, the Basile Bearcats have advanced to the Class 1-A quarterfinals.
The No. 2 seed, Basile exploded for 35 first-half points as the Bearcats (10-1) cruised to a 35-7 win over No. 18 Homer (3-9).
“The defense played well for us,” Kevin Bertrand said. “It is a great feeling to win at home and advance to the quarterfinals again.”
After forcing the Pelicans to punt on their opening possession, the Bearcats moved the ball 49 yards in just six plays.
Gabe Fontenot carried the ball the entire drive and scored on a 29-yard run.
Tray David’s PAT gave the Bearcats a 7-0 lead with 6:06 left in the period.
Basile recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to set up shop at the Pelicans’ 27.
Two plays later, David connected with Ty Walker for a 27-yard touchdown.
The PAT failed, but the Bearcats led 13-0 with 6:06 remaining in the first period.
Basile’s Gavin Cortez recovered Pelican quarterback Dontae Casey’s fumble at Homer 25 on the next play after the short kick return.
The Bearcats failed to convert on fourth goal at the Homer 9, but Pelicans allowed a safety when the snap sailed over the Homer quarterback’s head into the end zone with 3:13 left in the period.
Basile then moved 43 yards in four plays after the free kick to midfield.
David found Walker open for a 40-yard play and Fontenot followed with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
The PAT failed, but the Bearcats led 21-0 with 1:17 left in the opening perio.
After Homer converted on fourth down, the Pelicans capped the 11-play drive when Casey scored from 2-yards out.
Caleb Bailey’s kick closed the gap to 21-7 with 9:23 left in the half.
The Bearcats quickly responded when Jarred Belle raced to the end on a 90-yard kickoff return.
David connected with Blaise Hebert for the two-point conversion to push Basile ahead, 29-7 with 9:09 remaining before intermission.
The Pelicans threatened when Marquez Pleasant ran with a fake punt to the Basile 41.
But the Bearcat defense stiffened when Jaylon Thomas snared a fourth-down interception deep in Basile territory with 3:06 left on the first-half clock.
Fontenot broke loose for a 22-yard run and Belle followed with a 20-yard catch to move the ball into Pelican territory.
An unsportsmanlike penalty against Homer and a 15-yard pass from David to Belle advanced Basile to inside the Pelican 10.
On the next play, Fontenot ran up the middle to the end zone. The PAT was blocked, but Basile led 35-7 with 12 seconds left in the half.
The two defenses stood tall in the third period as Homer’s Pleasant snared a fourth-down interception at the Pelican 7, but Bearcat linebacker Cortez recovered another fumble near midfield to stop Homer’s drive.
Neither offense could score again in the fourth quarter as both teams were stopped on fourth down late in the game and the Bearcats then ran out the clock.
Homer’s odyssey through the playoffs began with a 41-12 upset over No. 15 Montgomery but ended in Basile with only seven points.
The Bearcats had a first-round bye and now face No. 7 Arcadia (9-3), who earned a 30-16 win over No. 10 Delhi.
“It has been about senior leadership the whole year,” Bertrand said. “They have done a great job and I couldn’t be more proud of our senior class.
“We are ready for our season to continue for another week,” the coach said. “We need to be ready for a good Arcadia team.”