Gearing up

Hard to believe, but the LHSAA High School football season is inching upon us everyday.
On September 1, the official season will kick off into high gear with the first regular season game. But, before that can even take place, high school teams across the state will be finding out who can really contribute to the team this season with their fall scrimmages.
With that said, all five of the high school teams in Evangeline Parish will utilize the scrimmages to evaluate the talent and tenacity of the guys that will suit up for them this fall.
On Friday every parish club participated in a scrimmage, with Basile hosting Dequincy, Mamou taking on East Beauregard at Tioga High School, Pine Prairie facing off against St. Ed’s at home, Sacred Heart travelling to Bunkie and Ville Platte High battling Westgate on the road.
According to each head coach, this scrimmage is an important part of finding out where their team stands before the jamboree and the regular season.
“We really need to find out who can be the guys we can count on when the season starts,” stated Basile head coach Kevin Bertrand. “After a better than usual summer workout, our guys are anxious to go out and hit someone else for a change. We are going to be smaller than the majority of the teams that we face this season, so we are going to use this scrimmage to prove to ourselves that we are not going to be pushed around.”
Mamou head coach Brian Brumfield will be relying on some super young players this season, so for him the scrimmage is more of a coming of age event.
“This season we are going to have to rely on a number of underclassmen,” said Brumfield. “Facing an experienced team like East Beauregard, even in a scrimmage situation, will give our players their first taste of live action. Hopefully, mixing it up against another team will help give them some confidence heading into the jamboree and beyond.”
After another three win season, Pine Prairie head coach Yves Prince looks to see how a diversified offense will help get the Panthers over that three-win hump.
“We are looking to throw the ball more this season,” commented Prince. “Against St. Ed’s, I want to see how far we have progressed in our passing game. I am hoping that our offensive line will show up and give us time to throw the ball, which will allow the coaching staff to evaluate our skill guys.”
With a trip to the playoffs last year, Sacred Heart head coach Josh Harper goes into the scrimmage hoping that a good showing will propel his team forward for the rest of the season.
“Getting a good performance in the scrimmage will prove to our guys that their hard work this offseason has paid off,” said Harper. “If we can dominate up front and give our skill guys a chance to do what I think they can do, it will go a long way toward building momentum.”
Ville Platte High head coach Jorie Randle is just excited to see if some new talent will step up.
“We have a number of good looking kids out that did not play last year,” stated Randle. “This scrimmage against a formidable opponent will definitely give us an idea who is ready to play with the intensity and fire that we are looking for when the regular season gets here.”