Jamboree time

This past Friday, each of the five Evangeline Parish football teams took to the gridiron to find out if their hard work and dedication paid off, as each club participated in a fall scrimmage.
The scrimmages also allowed the coaching staffs to evaluate players to determine who may or may not be quite ready for the prime time. Also, coaches use these scrimmages to tighten up any loose ends on both sides of the ball and find some depth in their roster.
The Basile Bearcats hosted the Dequincy Tigers in their scrimmage, and according to head coach Kevin Bertrand, the Bearcats were right about where he expected them to be.
“Offensively, we moved the ball efficiently,” said Bertrand. “Our passing game went extremely well and we showed a number of positives. As a defensive group, I thought we gave a ton of intensity for a very hot day. I was pleased with the effort. We had some penalties that stalled drives. That is just one of the things we will have to clean up before the season starts.”
Mamou head coach Brian Brumfield was impressed by his very young team, as they battled East Beauregard at Tioga High School.
“The young guys held up to my expectations,” stated Brumfield. “I also thought that the seniors did a great job. There are some things that we will need to fine tune, especially in the passing game. We played a number of kids on the offensive line just to see who is ready to go. Defensively, we definitely need to learn how to communicate with each other. That will come with experience.”
“What I really like about this team is that there are no superstars,” he added. “Everyone carries the load.”
After their scrimmage against St. Ed’s, Pine Prairie head coach Yves Prince heaped praise on his ball club.
“After the scrimmage, I felt really good about what I saw,” commented Prince. “I truly believe that we are ahead of the game right now. We moved the ball extremely well. I saw a number of bright spots, especially from our younger players. The main thing I saw was that we really got after it on defense.”
“We have never been this physical for this time of the year,” he continued. “We just have to keep our focus from here on out.”
Coming off of their scrimmage against Bunkie, Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper was feeling impressed by his team’s performance.
“On the offensive side of the ball, we played great the entire scrimmage,” said Harper. “We threw the ball more than we ran it and I was impressed by the routes run and the play of the offensive line. They had only been together as a unit for two days this week. Still, we need to tighten things up on the defensive side of the ball. We did not come out and play well right away on defense. Overall, I thought we played well for a scrimmage.”
Ville Platte High head coach Jorie Randle also liked what he saw against Class 5A opponent Westgate.
“In the running time, we started to put things together,” stated Randle. “It was a very physical game and our kids were flying to the ball. Defensively, I thought we played lights out, which is funny because I thought the offense would have played better than the defense.”
“We blew a couple of assignments here and there, but that is to be expected,” he continued. “With such a young defensive unit, communication and knowledge of what they are trying to do to you will come in each game you play. Altogether, I thought the guys came out to play and we looked like a team is supposed to look after only one scrimmage.”
Now that phase of the season is completed and it is time to get to phase two, the jamboree. For four of the parish teams that elongated scrimmage will take place in Pine Prairie tomorrow night.
At 6:30 Ville Platte will take on Mamou and Pine Prairie will face off against Basile approximately 15 minutes following the first contest.
Sacred Heart will once again make the trek to Eunice to take on St. Ed’s. That game is slated for 6 p.m.