Cat and Dog fight always a good game

Bulldog Bites

by TOM PRECHT

The high school football finally officially kicked off last week. Mother Nature had her hand in things, throwing us a curve and shaking things up. Some teams played as scheduled, some played Saturday, and some have to wait another week to open their seasons. But, what would football season be without a hurricane or at least the threat of one?

The Jennings Bulldogs opened the regular season on the road, traveling to Cecilia to face their Bulldogs. Cecilia is in class 4-A. Both teams had limited practice before the game, with both teams missing school Wednesday and Thursday. The coaches went into the game a little more than nervous due to circumstances beyond their control.

Coach Rusty Phelps and his staff had to be pleased with their team’s effort and performance. They did a lot of things right, but still have things to improve on. Jennings has won seven of their last eight season openers.

The Jennings variety of Bulldogs definitely got the best of their counterparts. Jennings dominated both sides of the ball, controlling the line of scrimmage. The offense rolled-up 481 yards of offense behind the blocking of linemen Curtis Bell, Blaine Berken, Keijun Levi, Garrett Petry, Andrew Lamb and Chris Broussard. Running back Jarquis Brown and quarterback Jaylon Boutte took advantage of the fine blocking. Brown rushed for 163 yards on 24 totes and two scores. Boutte completed 5 of 7 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Not to be outdone, the Maroon Wall gave up only 115 total yards of offense and most of their yardage came on busted plays. The Wall was led by defensive linemen Peyton Phelps, Levi Sinegal, Ross Edwards, Jimmy ‘Big Baby’ Lewis, and linebackers Keaton Bertrand and C.J. Ned. They also claimed two turnovers.

Jennings and Cecilia have played eight times, with the Dogs leading the short series 6-2. They have met four times in the playoffs, with Jennings beating them in the Superdome for the 1992 state championship. They met the next two years in bi-district play, with Cecilia claiming their two wins. Jennings won the next five contests.

Jennings does not have long to savor the victory however, as they will head to Eunice Friday for the annual Dog-Cat fight. This will be the 59th meeting between these two storied programs. The series began in 1926. The two teams shared the same district at different times. The game usually had implications of the district standings and who came out on top. The big one of course, was 1982 – a game most Bulldog fans would like to forget and one Eunice fans love to remember. The Bobcats defeated the Bulldogs in the Superdome for the state championship, 16-13. The two foes met twice last year, with the Cats winning the regular season game and the Dogs defeating Eunice to advance to the quarterfinals.

There is lots of history between the teams, but this is a new year and two new teams. Both squads will be engineered by a returning quarterback. When these folks get together it’s usually a pretty good game, just what high school football is all about. You can always expect the unexpected, and Friday’s game should be no different. Expect a clean, hard-hitting affair. There is no clear favorite when these two get together and this game should be no different. Come out and support the Dogs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m..

Jennings leads the series 34-22-2.

The game will be broadcast on KJEF 1290 AM and the web www.cajunradio.net . Airtime is 6:30 p.m.

Short URL: http://www.jenningsdailynews.net/?p=13735

Posted by Graphic Designer 2 on Sep 5 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.