Staff Report

A week after breaking the team’s 20-game losing streak, Berwick is looking forward to the next three games.

“It’s a new experience for us to be coming in after a win,” said second-year head coach Craig Brodie Sr., who got his first win with last week’s 32-14 win against Hanson. “And the kids were on fall break Friday and Monday, so we were able to get some good work in.”

The Panthers’ (1-5, 0-3 District 9-3A) win last week was the squad’s first since a 27-14 victory against Hanson on the road Oct. 1, 2010.

Beginning the following week with a 70-67 loss to Franklin on the road, the Panthers hadn’t won a game since.

But with one remaining road game Friday at Kaplan, homecoming looming against Abbeville (1-6, 1-3) in two weeks and then the finale with Franklin, BHS feels they matchup pretty well.

“Kaplan has surprised some folks winning their last four games in a row, but they are a Wing-T team, so you know what to expect from them,” Brodie said. “It’s all about matchups.”

The Pirates (5-2, 3-0) defeated Franklin on the road last week 31-14. Kaplan’s limited Franklin offense to 167 yards and six first downs. Additionally, Franklin rushed the football just 20 times and attempted only 10 passes. They completed just two.

Kaplan, however, had 343 yards of offense. Of that total, 303 was on the ground as the Pirates rushed the ball an impressive 58 times. KHS had three big rushing performances, Chanse Caillouet (114 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries), Tyson Broussard (94 yards on 16 carries) and Kaylon Rudd (86 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries).

Berwick will be shorthanded personnel wise for the second straight week.

“We had nine or 10 players out last week, but the other kids stepped up and played well,” Brodie said. “We will likely have six starters out again this week. It’s that time of year, and we have some kids out with colds and flu.”

Berwick received solid play in all three phases of the game Thursday as its offense churned out 280 total yards, 268 of those on the ground.

While the Panthers’ defense surrendered 301 yards of total offense — including 268 rushing — to Hanson, they made plays, including the first big play of the game with a fumble recovery to set up the squad’s first score. The Panthers’ defense recovered a fumble later in the game and also intercepted Hanson quarterback Drake Rodriguez twice.

Even the Berwick special teams’ got in on the act as placekicker Brooks Richard connected on a 23-yard field goal, Luis Hernandez re-turned the second half-kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown, and later in the third quarter, the squad blocked a second-half punt by Hanson’s Royce Norton.

While it’s still a week away, Brodie said his team also is excited about its homecoming matchup with Abbeville next week.

“The kids feel like if they play their best, then they can win, and that’s the mentality we’re trying to build,” he said.

Friday’s kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.

Information from VermilionToday was used in this article.