Breaux Bridge – Natchitoches Central shut out the Breaux Bridge High Tigers 41-0 to open the 2025 football season at Northwestern State University’s Turpin Stadium on Friday, but in watching game film, BBHS head coach Tyler Pierce saw some things that indicate the game was closer than the score indicated.
Breaux Bridge trailed only 7-0 and had gotten to within inches of the Natchitoches Central goal line with a chance to tie the game up but penalties pushed the Tigers back and set up a third-andgoal from the 17 and Breaux Bridge could not convert the series into points.
The Chiefs then scored quickly to put some space between the teams and from there the Tigers couldn’t catch up to their Class 5A opponent. “To us, it wasn’t necessarily what they did, it was what we didn’t do,” Pierce said. “That’s why the film session was of huge importance. It’s just little things.”
One of the main things the coaches are trying to do is to get the players to understand that each one has their own jobs and they have to do them and not worry about trying to fix other people’s mistakes, Pierce said.
“During the game you feel like, man, they’re that good, but when you see the film, it might be a fit, it might be a missed tackle, it might be a blocking assignment on offensive line,” the coach said. “If you just make those it might be a completely different ballgame.”
Baylon Champagne led the Tigers with 170 yards on 26 runs.
“(Champagne) was obviously our workhorse (on offense),” Pierce said. “He’s on just about every special team. He led the way with rushing. We probably could have given him a few more carries but he’s a starting (line)backer too and one of our best front seven guys, so for him, carrying the rock for what we want to do he basically did everything we asked him to and then some.”
Isaiah LeBlanc had a big impact as well that may not show up with gaudy statistics, Pierce said. LeBlanc rushed five times for 20 yards, completed his only pass attempt for 5 yards and caught six passes from starting first-year quarterback Caynon Ardoin for 40 yards. Ardoin completed seven of 11 pass attempts for 45 yards and Shawnee Lewis had seven runs for 20 yards.
“Isaiah’s a weapon and it might not show it in the stat line but everybody knows where he’s at in the secondary, pre-snap,” Pierce said. “He’s still getting his catches, he’s still getting different things presented to him whether it’s at quarterback or receiver.”
Dakowen Celestine led the Tigers with eight tackles. Noah Solomon, Lewis and Champagne each had five stops.
“Dakowen Celestine is just a sophomore back there for us at safety,” Pierce said. “He played a lot for us last year. On the back end (of the defense), he did a lot more for us than we really hoped. We’d rather our D-line and linebackers be making more tackles, but he was really coming down and making his presence felt.”
Breaux Bridge has its home opener on Friday against defending Division IV Select state champion Vermilion Catholic, which fell to division III Select state champ Catholic High of New Iberia 20-0 in Week 1.
“We just want them to do their job and master their job,” Pierce said of the message to his players this week. “Our defensive coordinator has a great way of putting it — we have too many that are trying to clean other peoples’ room and they just need to clean their own room.
“Defensively, it’s all about our system approach and getting your eyes where you need to be and just trying to do your job and not just trying to run and go make tackles and all that stuff. Not every tackle is meant for you. Just do your job and really master it.”
The coaches are making some changes and tweaking some things to allow the players to make easier, quick reads and run to the ball.
Offensively, BBHS had a good night but had too many penalties — each team had about 10 — and made a few mistakes that hurt.
VC will be a challenge, he said. Coach Broc Prejean has a great program, Pierce said.
“Their kids play hard,” the coach said. “We only have about 40 kids who we’ll dress out so numbers-wise it’ll be similar to what they do, you play offense and then turn around and play defense and then all the special teams. We just have to match their energy because they play hard, and they’re coached up well. We have to make sure we bring that same mentality.”
