Playoffs lead to great expectations for '08
Dowell pleased with Hornets' effort, proud of team heart
By KRIS BAGLEY sports@leader-news.com

L-N Photos by Chris Barbee Louise Rocks The Post-Season The Louise Hornets finished their most successful season in recent history in the second round of the playoffs. The Hornets used an effective ground game led by Antwon Parson and Kyle Lawson (right) throughout the year to finish 8-4, including a 14-0 win over the Bruni Badgers in the first round of the playoffs.

Season ending losses can often lead to frustration and questions for football coaches, but not Rodney Dowell.

Louise's head football coach admitted he was disappointed after Friday's 42-6 loss to the D'Hanis Cowboys at Seguin, but Dowell will not be second guessing the Hornets playoff performance. Dowell said he felt immediate pride after his team finished the year in the second round of the playoffs.

"I can't be more proud," Dowell said. "I'm totally content. We ran our course and we went as far as we could go physically with the team we had.

"Yeah, we could sit back and look in hindsight and say, 'If we'd have done that, if this person wouldn't have gotten hurt, if that person wouldn't have gotten hurt, what would it have been like?' You can do that all day long and that's nonproductive. What is productive is that what these kids did is special and I don't want anything to take away from that."

The Hornets finished the year with an 8-4 record that included a 14-0 firstround playoff win over the Bruni Badgers.

Dowell said the impact of Louise's playoff push will be felt for years to come.

"They did something that hasn't been done here in a long time and that has never been done in their career as football players," he said. "For the rest of their lives, that team will be bound together and they'll have those memories to share together. That's probably the most important thing that I can get out of it. We bonded those kids in a way that we weren't able to do in years before."

This was Louise's first playoff appearance since 2000.

Since Dowell came on staff as head coach and athletic director at Louise in 2005, his goal has been to make the playoffs. Now that the Hornets have accomplished a spot in the post-season, Dowell said it is time to raise expectations.

"When I talked to the team after the game, I said, 'You've done one thing when you played these playoff games and what you've done is raise the bar," Dowell said. "'You've made the standard around here a lot higher. The standard is that we're going to go in the playoffs and go deep in the playoffs every year.

'"Those of you kids that are coming back, remember this feeling because we will be back. We will be back with a vengeance in this round and we will try to make sure that we go further. We will honor the seniors that we had this year with a win in the second round next year and maybe more.'"

Improved play for the Hornets may seem like a lofty goal considering the graduating class, but Louise faced the same task last year. Dowell had to fill holes throughout the team that were vacated by a strong senior class.

Next year will be no different, but the coach said he expects a smooth transition and pointed to a moment of Friday's game as an example.

"Every great program has to start somewhere," Dowell said. "We're just counting on kids to just reload and keep rolling. At one time, we looked out there on defense and we only had one senior out there. I mean, heck, we're playing defense and we've only got one senior on the field and 10 of them coming back. We've got a pretty good chance."

D'Hanis 42, Hornets 6

The Cowboys came out with a score on the games' opening drive, but the Hornets answered with strong football play.

Louise rallied to halt D'Hanis' offensive attack in the first half. The Hornets took a team that averaged 43 points per game and tallied 4,053 total yards on the season and held the Cowboys to only 14 points in the first half.

Down 14-0 at halftime, the Hornets knew they would eventually break through D'Hanis' stingy defense for a score. Dowell said the Cowboys knew it too.

"I think they were a little nervous," Dowell said. "It was just a matter of time before Antwon Parson got loose. There were a couple of times he did get loose, especially right before halftime when we got down there close and couldn't get it in. They were probably nervous."

The breakthrough came at the start of the second half. Parson took the opening kickoff and returned it 85-yards for a touchdown. He was almost downed at the 45-yard line, but broke a tackle and ran the rest of the way to the end zone unchallenged for the score.

A flag on the kick put the Hornets on the 1-yard line for the extra point and Dowell opted to go for two. D'Hanis' defense showed its strength as it held fullback Kyle Lawson to no gain to prevent a score.

Dowell said he talked to his team about stepping up to start the third quarter with a score at halftime.

"Our kids know it can be done," Dowell said. "They know they can win playoff games and they know what it takes. Like I told them at halftime of the D'Hanis game, 'You mean to tell me that 14 points is insurmountable after the mountain you've climbed?

"'Look at the challenges you've faced. You've lost your quarterback, your cornerbacks, your punter, your kicker, your best offensive lineman and your center. You've lost all that and you're telling me that 14 points is too much to overcome?'

The Cowboys answered with a touchdown on the next drive to extend their lead to 21-6. Eventually, all the injuries and the scoring deficit were too much for the Hornets to overcome. They fell 42-6 to end the season.

"Sooner or later the rope just kept get-