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Oh happy night
My guess is you would have a hard time finding a team more happy to win its Homecoming game than what the Vidalia Vikings were Friday night.
Let's face it, all 10 teams on Vidalia's schedule right now would be more than happy to put the Vikings as their Homecoming opponent.
With an option of having Bolton, Baker, Jena, Caldwell Parish or Buckeye, Viking coach Gary Paul Parnham seemed to have made the right choice when it came to picking his Homecoming opponent.
Some may have disputed that thinking back a year when Baker blanked Vidalia 55-0.
The Buffaloes returned four starters on offense and five on defense for first-year coach Richard Oliver, who was head coach at Ferriday last year.
Baker finished 3-7 last year.
Of course, the game that got the most attention last year was Baker's game at Parkview Baptist.
In the second half, with Parkview up 22-0, Baker's whole team ran onto the field and a fight ensued.
The state athletics association suspended 17 players and issued $1,000 fines to Parkview Baptist and Baker high schools for their actions in a fight that ended last Friday's football game early.
The Louisiana High School Athletics Association issued the fines and suspensions after a morning-long sportsmanship hearing and a few hours of deliberations.
They suspended 10 Baker students and seven Parkview Baptist students for one game. Both schools will also pay a fine and split the costs of the hearing, and receive a one-year probation that covers all sporting events.
After drawing 22 penalty flags Friday night and having a player ejected, it's evident there are still some problems at Baker.
But this team still has a few athletes, though Oliver said after the game most of the athletes are at surrounding schools.
Those other schools would love to have Baker senior running back Michael Gosserand (No. 2).
James Woodard, now an assistant coach at Ferriday High, was an assistant coach at Baker the last two years.
Woodard said he timed Gosserand running a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash during track season last year.
Gosserand returned an interception for a touchdown late in Friday's game that was called back because of a block in the back that led to Vidalia getting a safety which was the difference in the contest.
Baker also got a break when Vidalia recovered a fumble, but an inadvertent whistle kept the Vikings from taking possession near their own 30-yard line.
After pushing Baker back to its own 1-yard line with under five minutes remaining you could feel the excitement building on the Viking sideline.
Then when quarterback was tackled in his own end zone, the sideline exploded and there was an excitement not seen in two years.
Even in the 20-13 loss to Ferriday, Vidalia players were hesitant to show too much emotion despite the fact the Vikings were in the game until the end.
There was a feeling all along the Vidalia High sideline that the Vikings were going to win this game and not be denied.
By the time the second safety took place with 1:42 remaining there was no doubt the Vikings were not about to give this one away.
Running out the clock hasn't been this sweet at Vidalia High in a long time. And neither has Homecoming.
Vidalia players hung around the field a little longer than usual, taking in the sweet smell of victory that hung over Dee Faircloth Stadium.
And no one was rushing them inside.
It was a special night indeed. |
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