Matt Vines
COUSHATTA – Be who you are, no mater the opponent or the score.

That’s the message Red River coach Travis Gary often preaches, something in which this past week’s 40-0 win against White Castle was an example.

The Bulldogs (2-2) will now host Class 5A Pineville (3-1) in their second straight home game Friday.

“One thing I emphasize to our guys is that we play the same way whether we are up 50 or down 50,” Gary said. “The main lesson is that we have to be who we are, no matter who the opponent is or no matter what the score is.

“Always be the best version of yourself, and don’t allow outside circumstances to dictate how you play the game.”

In the 32-20 loss to the Rebels last year, Red River proved that major staff shakeups – which included promoting Gary to defensive coordinator – produced better results.

Red River then went on a six-game winning streak which included the program’s first district title since 2005 and a first-round smashing of Winnfield in the playoffs.

“It was a major turning point,” Gary said. “It was our first game with major changes in our staff and a lot of distractions that we all overcame.

“We were better on the other side of adversity, and that’s how we got rolling.”

Adversity is not foreign to this season as the Bulldogs are 1-2 in games decided by one score. With Gary in his first year as a head coach, Red River fell by two points at Catholic-Pointe Coupee and by six points at Class 2A power Oak Grove while pulling off a six-point against St. Mary’s.

Pineville seems to be dipping into a similar philosophy as the Rebels appear to be improving through the past couple seasons.

They slugged out an impressive 28-21 win against Leesville this past week, and the combination of running back Ayden Tate and quarterback Carter Smith will be difficult.

While perhaps still not on the level of their District 2-5A peers, Pineville will be locked in to try and get a win before district play begins, where they haven’t won since 2022.

“Pineville is explosive and can make big plays from anywhere on the field,” Gary said.

While it’s tough to glean much from jamboree scores, Red River’s performance against Tioga is holding up well (one-score loss).

Tioga smashed both Pineville and Leesville this season and is a team that’s making waves in CenLA.