by Malcolm Butler
It’s playoff time.
And Cedar Creek head coach William Parkerson believes his Cougars are primed for their best football of the 2023 season.
It starts tonight at 7 p.m. when the No. 21 seed Cougars head south to face No. 12 seed Catholic Point Coupee down in New Roads in the first round of the Select School Division IV playoffs.
“The two best practices we have had this year were the Tuesday prior to the OCS game and this Tuesday,” said Parkerson. “The kids are focused and ready to go.”
Creek (4-5) overcame a few key injuries early in the year to center Brett Johnson and quarterback Ladd Thompson to earn a trip to the postseason. Despite ending the season with a 30-14 loss to St. Frederick at home, Parkerson thinks tonight’s match-up is a good one for his squad.
Catholic-Pointe Coupee enters the postseason with a 7-3 mark, including winning seven of its final eight games of the regular season. The District 6-1A runner-up Hornets lost their first two games of the season to Bunkie (47-12) and Liberty (7-6) before finding their groove. The only loss over the final eight games came against District 6-1A champion Opelousas Catholic by a score of 55-30.
“They want to be spread team, but they will get in the I-formation and straight T at different times, but primarily they are a spread football team,” said Parkerson. “There quarterback is their best runner with the football so they utilize a lot of quarterback run stuff. They are more run then pass. The left side of their offensive line is good. Their left guard and left tackle can really play.”
Catholic-PC has scored no fewer than 30 points in any of its final eight games of the season, and eclipsed the 50-point mark in its last two games.
“We want to do what we do defensively,” said Parkerson. “We want to try to swallow the run game up and dare them to throw the football.”
Defensively, the Hornet held six opponents to single digits on the scoreboard this year, including allowing just six points in each of its final two games. Parkerson said he feels the Cougars offense could have some success tonight.
“They base out of a 3-4 or a 50 front, whatever you want to call it,” said Parkerson. “Their defensive line is the strength of their defense. One thing about their scheme is it does set up angles for us in our veer blocking scheme. We just have to do a good job of identifying who the dive key is and who the pitch key is and making sure we are getting guys to the second level.”
Parkerson said the Cougars would depart the school at 10:30 a.m. today.
