Time for some Tee

Dr. Tim Fontenot may not have been wearing a large red suit and sporting a long white beard, but the announcement he made on Wednesday sure did bring about plenty of holiday cheer inside Ville Platte City Hall.
“We have an early Christmas present Ville Platte,” Fontenot said. “Ladies and gentlemen, as of 2017 the Tee Cotton Bowl is back!”
With that announcement, the room erupted with applause and shouts of ‘Amen!’ as Ville Platte High football players sat in the audience with Sacred Heart coaches and supporters, while local civic leaders such as Judge Chuck West, Ville Platte Police Chief Neal Lartigue, Evangeline Parish Superintendent Darwan Lazard and Sacred Heart principal Dawn Shipp were there to show their support.
“The game itself may have died physically but what you have to know is that we have been working over and over the last four years to bring this game back,” Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said. “We have been working to bring it back because this game represents the epitome of sportsmanship and fellowship. We are an example for high school football, college football and national football because we are coming together.”
Fontenot led the charge to start the rivalry game in 2000. The two schools, which are separated by less than a mile in downtown Ville Platte, had played one another over the decades, but Fontenot saw an opportunity to make the game between the largely African-American public school and the largely white private school into a marquee event of sporstmanship.
Fontenot would succeed as the game would become a cultural phenomenon.
LSU legend Tommy Casanova was guest speaker at the banquet twice, both the McNeese State and Southern University drum lines performed at halftime, skydivers dove into the game, both coaches met Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy in Indiana, the late Pope John Paul II gave the game his Papal blessing, the New Orleans Saints honored game organizers with a community award twice and of course NFL Films developed a feature for ESPN on the annual rivalry game.
“It’s like a Bayou Classic and an Army-Navy game,” Fontenot said. “Steve Sabol with NFL Films compared us to Army-Navy. Just think if Army was all African-American and Navy was all white. Then you would have the Tee Cotton Bowl.”
Then after 13 seasons, the game abruptly ended before the 2013 season. Administration leaders on both sides could not agree to continue the game and for the next four years, the Tee Cotton Bowl would not be played.
“Then a snake entered our Garden of Eden,” Fontenot said. “It wasn’t among the kids. It was among the adults. That snake included racism, it included greed, love of power and hatred of competition.
“Not a lot but enough to mess us up. I am not going to point fingers. I was in charge of the game so I am going to take the blame for this. Our game was dead for four years.”
Talk began to spring up over this past summer when the two teams took part in 7-on-7 drills. The two head coaches at both programs began communicating about bringing the rivalry game back.
For Ville Platte High coach Jorie Randle, who served as a captain in the game back in his playing days, didn’t need any convincing about playing the game again.
“When we talked about playing it was a no brainer,” Randle said. “I think it definitely something that the kids want,. They ask for it all the time. I am just blessed to be part of it. The sky is the limit with God’s blessing that all will go well.”
For Sacred Heart coach Josh Harper, the decision was a no-brainer as well, despite Harper not being from Ville Platte and not having coached or played in the rivalry game.
“I guess about five or six years ago I watched NFL Network and I saw this game,” said Harper, who grew up around the Catskin Game between Marksville High and Bunkie High in Avoyelles Parish. “I just knew coming in here that one of the first things I wanted to do is to get this game back.
“With the help of Dr. Tim and administrations of both schools we got it done. It is a good rivalry to have.”
Fontenot revealed that he already has some big plans for next year’s game, which will be played at Ville Platte High and serve as the season opener for both teams.
Fontenot wants to get a large water slide for the game so smaller children can cool off, he is also looking at getting either Saints legendary quarterback Archie Manning or Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner to come down for the banquet.
Fontenot though made sure to ask the residents of Ville Platte to give a helping hand for not only the game that will take place in nine months, but for the all the games in the years to come.
“I am challenging the community of Ville Platte,” Fontenot said. “If you want this game to be not as good but better than it was before I need you. I need your time, I need your talent and I need your money. I need people to come out and pony up.
“Not only is the game good for Ville Platte, this game is good for our country,” Fontenot added.
Sacred Heart holds a 7-6 lead in the series, since it was dubbed the Tee Cotton Bowl, but Ville Platte High has won the past six straight.