Patterson, Central Catholic put playoff hopes on the line

The Tri-City area regular football season will conclude this week with two games Thursday and two more Friday.
Thursday, Berwick will host Abbeville, and Patterson will travel to Lutcher.
Friday, Morgan City will host Vandebilt Catholic, and Central Catholic will travel to Abbeville to meet Vermilion Catholic.
Below are the previews.
Patterson vs. Lutcher
With a win Thursday night against Lutcher, the Patterson Lumberjacks feel they will make the Class 3A postseason.
Thirty-two teams are taken in the bracket, and according to the latest Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class 3A power rankings, Patterson is No. 32.
“It’s kind of like the playoffs begin this week, if you think about it,” Patterson coach Zach Lochard said.
Patterson (2-5 overall, 1-3 in district) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak Thursday. A week ago, Patterson fell to St. James 61-3.
Lutcher (3-3, 1-2) will be looking to bounce back from its 24-21 loss to E.D. White a week ago.
Lochard said the Bulldogs play hard.
“They’ve had a good season so far,” he said.
The first-year Patterson coach said the Bulldogs are talented and have solid coaching.
“We’ve been preparing,” Lochard said. “We feel like we’ve had our best week of practice all season.”
Berwick vs. Abbeville
The Berwick Panthers found a replacement game to close out its season after the Donaldsonville game had to be cancelled because of COVID-19 related issues.
The Panthers now will host Abbeville Thursday night.
Berwick (1-6, 0-4) will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak. A week ago, the squad fell to E.D. White 35-0 in Thibodaux.
Meanwhile, Abbeville (2-4, 1-2) will be looking to snap a two-game losing streak. A week ago, the squad fell to Kaplan 30-20 in District 6-3A action.
Berwick coach Mike Walker said the Wildcats line up in an I-formation look but will utilize some triple option concepts.
“They got two tailbacks that are pretty fast, an above-average offensive line, and they do a good job running the football,” he said.
Defensively, Walker said the Wildcats run a 3-4 scheme and utilize pressure, placing seven players at the line of scrimmage every play.
“We’ll have to adapt what we do offensively a little bit just to make sure we can account for the seven people in the box, but there are some opportunities for us to have some success moving the football,” Walker said.
Central Catholic vs. Vermilion Catholic
The Central Catholic Eagles will conclude their regular season Friday when they travel to face Vermilion Catholic in District 8-1A action.
The Eagles (2-4, 2-2) also will be looking to get into the playoffs with a win this week. Currently, the Eagles are ranked No. 19 in the latest Division IV power rankings with a 9.90 rating. The top 16 teams are taken in the rankings, with the No. 16 team, Hanson Memorial, holding a 10.76 rating.
The task at hand to have a shot is pretty cut and dry.
“We got to win,” Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton said.
As for Vermilion Catholic, the squad is 6-0 overall and 4-0 in district. Vermilion Catholic has scored 40 or more points in every game this season, while a week ago, it defeated Covenant Christian 64-7.
“They’re a very good football team,” Minton said. “Their record is undefeated, and it’s for a reason. They play really well on defense, good sound offense, and they do a good job on offense spreading the ball around to their playmakers.”
He said quarterback Drew Lege is an “excellent player” for the team.
“They throw it 28-30 times a football game, and we’re going to have to be prepared for that.”
On defense, the squad runs a 3-3 stack look.
“But they’re going to move people around,” Minton said. “They like to blitz some. He’ll bring some pressure.”
Morgan City vs.
Vandebilt Catholic
The Morgan City Tigers will conclude their season Friday when they host Vandebilt Catholic.
Morgan City enters the contest 0-6 overall and 0-3 in district. A week ago, Morgan City fell to South Terrebonne 73-8.
Vandebilt Catholic is 6-1 overall and 0-3 in district. A week ago, the Terriers defeated Covington 20-6.
“They’re obviously one of the best teams in district,” Morgan City coach Chris Stroud said. “They’re always very well coached, and they have some physical football players.”
On offense, Stroud said Vandebilt Catholic is multiple.
“They do a lot of stuff,” he said. “They throw the ball. They mix up the run and pass well.”
Running back Bryden Roundtree and the offensive line are both standouts for the squad, the Morgan City coach said.
Defensively, the Terriers will line up in a 4-4 or a 3-4 look. Defensive players of note are lineman Alexander Villavaso and linebacker Andrew Villavaso.