As the sun began to set on the western bank of Bayou Nezpique, football teams from two communities separated by five miles met on the field of battle for the right to take home coveted hardware. One team, the Bearcats of Basile, showed supremacy from the start by scoring a 57-yard touchdown on the third play of the game. When the final buzzer sounded, it was those same Bearcats who went home with a 42-13 win over Elton and the Battle of the Bayou trophy.
Basile’s opening touchdown was a completion from Luc Johnson to Justin Smith.
Elton was then forced to punt on its opening possession, and Basile regained possession on its 34-yard line. On 3rd-and-3, Ethan Bazinet moved the chains for a 1st down at the 47-yard line. On the next play, Horace Edwards took the ball 28 yards downfield which preceded a 19-yard touchdown run from Bazinet with 4:28 in the first quarter. The extra point was good for the second time on the night to put Basile ahead 14-0.
The first quarter ended with the Bearcats breaking up an Elton punt attempt. Later in the possession, Ashton Deville picked up 15 yards to set up a 1st-and-10 from the Indian 17-yard line. Bazinet then waltzed into the endzone for his second touchdown of the night. The kick was again good as Basile went up 21-0 with 10:43 in the second quarter.
The Indians again were forced to punt on their next possession, but Christian Bergeron blocked the punt and returned the football 40 yards for a touchdown. Another extra point kick gave Basile a 28-0 lead with 7:50 before the half.
The first half ended with Basile manufacturing another scoring drive that culminated with a 9-yard run from Smith. With the extra point, the Bearcats enjoyed a 42-0 at intermission.
Elton began the second half with an incompletion in the endzone that resulted in a turnover on downs. Basile took over possession on its 37-yard line. The Bearcats then methodically went downfield, but the drive stalled at the Elton 9-yard line early in the fourth quarter. A missed field goal followed giving Elton back the football on its 20-yard line. The Indians, on the next play from scrimmage, scored on an 80-yard completion from Jadon Ross to Demarcus Jack. With the point after, Elton trailed 42-7 with 10:26 in the game.
Basile, on its first touch after the kick return, coughed up the football giving Elton possession on the Bearcat 41-yard line. Later, a 19-yard run from Ross set up a 1st-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Ross, three plays later, punctuated the drive with a 1-yard touchdown drive. The fake two-point conversion went for naught to make it a 42-13 game.
