Acadiana’s playoff run got off to a strong start Friday with a dominant 52-7 win over West Jefferson in Scott.
Despite the dominant performance for the Wreckin’ Rams in which they ran the ball for more than 350 yards, Acadiana coach Doug Dotson acknowledged his team must play better for the bigger challenges that await.
“I told our kids all week that this game was about us and making sure we execute,” Dotson said. “At times we did. I thought at times we looked really good, and at times we played down to the level of the game. We needed to be above it, and there were moments tonight where that didn’t happen. That will cost us as we move on.”
DaShun Lightfoot continued to improve on his phenomenal season with 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Dotson said even as good as Lightfoot was Friday and has been in 2026, there is another level for the senior running back to reach.
“He’s going to run hard; he’s going to hit the hole,” Dotson said. “Sometimes when you play a looser defense, you try to find holes that aren’t there. He was trying to break every play for a touchdown tonight. I don’t fault him for that, but he knows what he’s got to do. We need to get him running forward, and he’ll be a lot better next week.”
Defensively, the Rams dominated by generating relentless pressure on West Jefferson quarterback Curnell Cole. The Rams recorded seven sacks, two fumble recoveries and a 12-yard scoop-and-score from defensive lineman Carderian Brown. Dotson said the Rams defense did the best job it has all season of executing the scheme.
“We had some good stuff,” Dotson said. “We did a better job of running our stunts and getting back there. Their (West Jefferson’s) right tackle is as good a football player as we’ve played all year. The quarterback (Cole) and wide receiver (Dominic McFarland) were athletes.
“If you take out all the penalties, I think we had a pretty good defensive game. The score they got was aided by penalty, penalty, penalty. We kind of marched them down the field with that.”
The Rams’ focus shifts to St. Thomas More, a familiar opponent that Acadiana played tough earlier in the season but came up short after a trio of lost fumbles.
Dotson said both teams are vastly different than they were in Week 4 and not much from that early-season contest will be relevant next Friday. Dotson said everybody on his team knows the level they must play to in order to get a win over the Cougars.
“We still have some work to do,” Dotson said. “Playoff opponents moving forward are certainly going to be a lot more difficult. We’re going to have to play our best football, but the opportunity is there for us to do something special.
“When we execute, we’re pretty good. We’re going to work on our execution in all three phases of the game. That’s what it’s going to take to beat STM.”
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