The Kinder football team has had a disappointing start to the season.
The Yellow Jackets have gone a combined 1-3 on the season, including dropping their first two games in District 3-3A play.
Despite the below .500 record — albeit against a difficult schedule — longtime coach Bret Fuselier is pleased with the effort his team is putting forth.
“I think the effort of the kids is a bright spot,” Fuselier said. “We are playing a tough schedule and our kids are battling. We have to work on not beating ourselves.”
Fuselier added, “We go into each week talking that it’s not so much our opponent, but it’s us that we need to focus on. Play with maximum effort, trust in each other and the coaches, and not make mistakes on our part that will hurt our chances of winning.”
Those mistakes proved costly in last Friday’s 28-0 loss to Iowa. Turnovers resulted in either short fields or actual defensive touchdowns.
“As expected going into the game, we knew that Iowa is a good football team,” Fuselier said. “We didn’t help ourselves digging an early hole with a fumble on the third play that set them up with a short field. They also had a sack in which they recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. We can’t keep making these mistakes and expect to beat good teams.”
After spotting Iowa a four-touchdown lead at the break, highlighted by three Ronald Young touchdown runs, Kinder shut out the opposition in the second half but the Yellow Jackets were unable to produce any scoring drives of their own.
“I was proud of the way we played in the second half,” Fuselier said. “Offense started moving the ball better. We actually scored a touchdown that got called back on a questionable holding call. Our defense stepped up and kept them out of the end zone.”
Kinder will now play mistake-free football this week when it travels to take on Jennings, who is entering the contest with a 0-5 record.
“Jennings is looking for their first win so that in itself will be a challenge,” Fuselier said. “They are a proud program with a rich tradition playing in front of their home crowd. They, like us, have played a challenging schedule.”
Fuselier is hopeful that playing such a difficult schedule, which included Class 3A semifinalist Church Point, will inspire his team to focus on improving week to week.
“Even though our record is what it is, we have to be mentally tough enough to understand that our opponents we have played so far are very good,” Fuselier said. “A few will be contenders to make state title runs. We have to trust what we are doing as a team and stay the course.”
OBERLIN 48, HAMILTON
CHRISTIAN 12
With a 48-12 win over Hamilton Christian, Oberlin improved to 4-1 on the season.
Oberlin got on the scoreboard first with a two-yard touchdown run by Colby McMahon but Hamilton Christian answered with a two-yard touchdown run by Kylan Alexander. Oberlin answered with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Dominque Eaves.
The Tigers would then go on to score 34 unanswered points highlighted by a 32-yard touchdown run by Desean Deville, and a 64-yard touchdown run by Demarius Williams and a 41-yard rushing touchdown by Noah Carter.
Oberlin hosts East Beauregard on Friday.
ELTON 57, MERRYVILLE 54
ELTON – The Elton Indians were able to improve their record to 4-1 with a win over the Merryville Panthers, 57-44, Friday night.
The Indians scored seven in the first quarter, 12 in the second, 24 in the third and 14 in the fourth to keep the lead despite a strong comeback by Merryville. The Panthers were scoreless in the first and third quarters. Fourteen of their points came in the second quarter and 30 in the final quarter to bring the score within a touchdown to tie the game.
The Indians will host Gueydan Bears on Thursday, October 6, in District 5-1A action. The Bears lost to Basile last week 27-0 and are now 3-2.
Merryville moves to a 1-4 record and travels to Highland Baptist Christian (New Iberia).