District game changer in Erath

It’s a game between two of the leading teams in their district. North Vermilion (3-0 district) travels to Erath (2-0 district) for what could be the biggest game of the year.

Both teams are fresh off district wins last week. North Vermilion beat Berwick 49-7 for their Homecoming game while Erath beat Abbeville in Abbeville last Thursday night. Each team, in preparation for Friday’s game, will be working on making sure their offensive weapons are in prime condition to make the big plays necessary to overcome their opponent’s defense.

For Erath, quarterback Ty Bares and Coy Clostio have been dominant forces driving the ball down field. Each player has several hundred rushing yards and Bares has also been developing his passing game over the course of the season. Clostio has used his size and power to make his way down the field and score on several occasions for the Bobcats as well.

For North Vermilion, it comes down to whether or not Joe Duhon will be playing this week. He sat out of the game against Berwick. On the ground, the Patriots also have Taylor Abshire, while on the receiving side, they have Dade Dieterich and Riley Maturin, each with multiple touchdowns this season.

Defensively, both teams have been able to capitalize on turnovers, with Erath picking up several against Abbeville alone. North Vermilion scored on the very first drive last week against Berwick while on defense.

Both teams appear to be preparing for a tough battle, with each coach admitting that the other has a good team this year.

“I’ve seen them on film,” North Vermilion coach Tommy Byler said. “The big thing with them right now is that they’re getting turnovers and scoring with them.”

Healing up and keeping healthy is the key for Byler and his team. “They have so much big play potential,” he said. “We’re going to figure out what we can do and what gives our kids the best chance to win.”

Byler admits that with the 3-0 district lead, they’re being hunted. “We know that,” he explained. “Regardless of records, the rest of out our district games are parish teams. They’ll be tough.”

For Erath’s Doug Dotson, his first year at the helm has not been a bad one. The team, he says, is coming into their own. “Our kids are getting used to the defense we’ve put them in,” he explained. “It’s one that can adjust to pretty much anything.”

Overall, Dotson feels the team has been very prepared for their most recent challenges. “They play hard,” he said. “If they slip up, they come back out and go harder.”

Penalties and turnovers are two things Dotson wants to continue to work on, his goal with Erath being to play a perfect game. “When you can put up 44 points,” he said, referring to Abbeville, “while having a bad game in some areas, you’re doing something right.”

The district race is almost at boiling point. North Vermilion is leading, with Erath tied with Kaplan at second place. Both Erath and North Vermilion will eventually have to take on Kaplan, who just last week came back to earn a huge win over Patterson.

Patterson and Abbeville are just below Erath and Kaplan, each having a single district win. Franklin and Berwick are tied in last place in district, each winless in district play so far.

Friday’s Bobcats-Patriots game brings the season into the home stretch and the race for the top spot in district can still take a sudden turn in another direction. The game Friday will be at Erath’s home field and will begin at 7 p.m.