It’s been a tough last couple of weeks for the Carencro Golden Bears.
Two weeks ago, the Acadiana High Wrekin’ Rams stunned the Golden Bears with a 39-yard touchdown with under a minute to go in the game and lost 27-26. Then, last Friday, Carencro went on the road and lost in a shootout, 57-50 to the Shaw Eagles.
Despite the losses, coach Tony Courville’s group finished the regular season with an 8-2 record and was placed as the nine-seed in the LHSAA Divison I – Select playoff bracket. One of the bright spots on offense for Carencro has been wide receiver Austin Dyson.
The senior pass catcher had six catches for 50 yards against Acadiana and caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown versus Shaw. On the season, Dyson has made 47 catches for 728 yards and six touchdowns and even made a big throw to begin the game against Alexandria Senior High for a pickup of 74 yards.
Question: What has been the vibe of the team like the last two weeks? You started the season 8-0 and since had the heart-breaking loss to Acadiana and then last week fell in a shootout to Shaw.
Answer: You know, it’s been really tough to lose those two games. Acadiana and Carencro have been big rivals that go back decades as I know and other schools know. It’s a really big game and it’s upsetting. I thought we needed to prepare better for both of them and it’s really just in our minds. Even if we have one bad day of practice, it shows.
Q: You haven’t had a bad game yet this season. What have you done to allow yourself to be consistent and always be a factor in games?
A: Just practicing. Not too many people know this, but this is my first year playing wide receiver. I’ve been working on catching, catching, and catching some more and making sure I’m there when Bab (Chantz Babineaux) needs. If he needs somebody to throw to, I’ll be there for him.
Q: Tell us about your experience being able to play on offense alongside guys like Chantz Babineaux and Cashmire Batiste.
A: Two really, really great players. I’ve known them and their families for a while now and it’s a blessing to be able to play alongside guys with that much talent and that much grit on the field.
Q: What have this week’s practices been like as you move on from the regular season and into the playoffs?
A: It’s been the same mindset. However, we have the thought that if we lose, our season will be done. I think everyone wants to keep playing football for another four weeks.
Q: How can this team turn the vibe around and beat Pineville to get your chance at beating Acadiana next Friday?
A: As long as we have great practices like we’ve had before and play how we’ve played in practice, we’ll have our shot with the team that we want.
The Carencro Bears will play their first-round matchup against the Pineville Rebels on Friday, November 10th. Kickoff in the Cro Dome will be at 7:00 p.m. The action can be heard on Z105.9.