Panthers ready for Opelousas Catholic Friday

The second-to-last game of the regular season couldn’t have higher stakes, according to Delcambre’s head coach, Darcy Delcambre.

“This is the most important game of the season for us,” he explained. “It’s like putting all your marbles in this one game. It’s playoff time, and in order to have a good chance to get into the playoffs, we need this win.”

The Panthers will travel to Opelousas Catholic for a district match against a new district foe. The 2-6 Panthers (1-2 in district), need a win this week to keep their post-season hopes alive, but the challenge isn’t any easier this week than it has been.

“The type of offense that they have, we’ve seen it all year,” Delcambre said. “It can scare you a little bit because what they do, they do well. They’re not as overpowering as some of the other team’s we’ve played this year, but their offense has a certain finesse to them that makes them dangerous.”

The Delcambre squad seems to finally pull everything they’ve been practicing together into a firm structure, but it was evident in last week’s big win over Jeanerette. Bubba Latiolais had an exceptional game, with 156 yards in 17 carries. Three of those carries were for touchdowns.

Latiolais, according to Delcambre, has been a great running back and defensive player, but there is something else he does really well - blocking.

“It’s his strongest point,” the coach explained. “It’s something he’s really done well and it’s made a lot of differece.”

Chevaun Walters has been a rushing leader, but is also a force on defense. Hunter Dooley is another who has come into his own this year.

Opelousas Catholic has struggled in district, with the same district record as Delcambre in that regard. But they are still dangerous.

“If I had to relate them to anyone else we’ve played this year, I’d compare them to Westminster,” Delcambre explained. “They’re a little bit more solid than them, however.”

Delcambre has to keep their level of play up, and part of that will be the challenge of slowing down a bit on defense, mentally.

“We can be a bit overaggressive,” Delcambre said. “It can cause you to overreact and force them to make a cut you can’t respond to. Westminster did that a lot. We’d go after them too hard and they’d turn to the other side and run it up the field. We have to learn to be a little more patient on defense.”

The game Friday will be in Opelousas, with the Panthers looking for their second district win here toward the end of the season.

Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m. Friday night.