Matt Vines

COUSHATTA – The month-long road trip continues as Red River attempts to move on from its large defeat at Oak Grove with a visit to White Castle on Friday.

The Bulldogs (1-2) will head south to the small town on the Mississippi River and find a White Castle program (0-3) that’s full of tradition but in desperate need of a win.

White Castle, also named the Bulldogs, lost a nailbiter in the opener (27-24 to Central Catholic) but has been handily defeated in games against Liberty (72-26) and Jeanerette (48-14).

But Red River coach Byron Keller sees a very capable opponent, one that earned a No. 9 seed in the Division IV Non-Select playoffs this past season and won a first-round playoff game.

“They make a lot of explosive plays,” Keller said. “They have speed and athleticism all over the field.”
Those are also characteristics Red River possesses.

The Bulldogs cranked up its offense in a Week 2 win against St. Mary’s (26-13) by establishing its running game, which opens up big passing opportunities from quarterback Malique Smith to receiver Jomello McDonald.

But when Red River’s young offensive line hasn’t been able to create running room for Montreveun Smith and company, the Bulldogs have struggled in losses to Catholic-Pointe Coupee (26-6) and Oak Grove (55-8).

“Running the ball is vital to our offensive production,” Keller said. “We have to establish the run to open the passing game.

“Our offensive line is getting better every week. Playing the level of competition that we have the last couple of weeks is showing.”

That competition last week was against reigning Division IV Non-Select champion Oak Grove, who built a first-quarter lead of 27-0 and 41-0 at halftime.

Oak Grove rushed for 301 yards on just 20 carries while Red River totaled just 70 yards on the night.
“You just flush it and move on,” Keller said. “We were disappointed in the outcome, but we have seven games remaining and will focus on those and winning a district championship.”

Red River did continue one positive trend against Oak Grove – forcing turnovers.

The Bulldogs have forced at least two turnovers in each game, and turnovers that create short fields for the offense could prove paramount in what’s mostly been fairly low-scoring contests that Red River has played in.

“Our defense is after the ball on every snap,” Keller said. “The players have a healthy competition on who will the lead the team in forced turnovers, interceptions, and fumble recoveries.”