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KAPLAN - The Kaplan Pirates improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the district after surpassing the now 0-6 Crowley Gents this past Friday.
The Pirates used ball control and a stingy defense to get the job done en route to a 22-13 victory.
Heading into the Friday game, Kaplan stood at No. 18 in the Division II Non-Select PowerPoint standings, according to GeauxPrep.com. The win could move them up a notch or two.
The top 28 teams make the Division II playoffs. The top five teams get a first-round bye.
The Pirates only led 8-7 at halftime and knew they were in a dogfight.
So, who did they turn to when the game was on the line?
None other than their big fullback Jed Devoltz. Devoltz is back in the lineup after missing 3 1/2 games due to an elbow injury. With the elbow wrapped, Devoltz used his legs to pound the Gents’ defense.
In the first half, he only had two carries for nine yards. He finished the game with 22 carries and 116 yards and scored twice. He carried the football 20 times and rushed for 107 yards in the second half. He averaged five yards a carry in the second half.
After KHS defensive back Andre Marceaux stopped a fake punt on fourth down, the Pirates got the ball and marched 46 yards for a score.
Devoltz had nine straight carries on the drive, including a three-yard touchdown run that put KHS ahead 16-7 with 3:35 to play in the third frame.
“I have been looking forward to returning and playing,” said Devoltz. “I have been ready.”
Devoltz did not lose yardage in the second half, and he credits his offensive line for getting the job done.
“They could not stop our offensive line,” he added. “The line would just blow everyone off the ball. I ran behind my blockers. If not for the offensive line, I could not do what I do.”
Hayes Broussard, a 16-year-old junior, was one of those players on the offensive line. He also plays linebacker.
Broussard turned in one of the best games of the young season by finishing with seven tackles, including a fumble recovery on defense.
“My job on defense was to try and contain No. 8 (Omar Butler),” Broussard said. “I think we had success tonight.”
Butler had only 55 yards on 17 carries for Crowley.
Broussard also opened holes for Devoltz as an offensive guard. Playing both ways did not bother him.
“You get tired, but when you get that 10-second break in the huddle, it helps a lot,” he added.
Despite being outsized and outweighed, the Kaplan offensive line successfully moved the Crowley defensive linemen off the ball, allowing Delvoltz to run through.
“When you have heart and stay low, anything can happen,” Broussard said.
Like a Kaplan win.

Statistics for game:

Scoring:
KHS - Bradyn Bearb had a 1 yard TD run and Carter Petrey converted the two-point play, 8-0.
CHS - Maddix Richard 53 yard pass to Floyd Fluegence. Kick good, 8-7
KHS - Jed Devoltz 3 yard run. Petrey run for 2, 16-7
KHS - Devoltz 8 run. Two -point play failed, 22-7
CHS - Omar Butler 7 run. Pass failed, 22-13

Individual stats:

KHS: Ball carriers: Jed Devoltz (22-116, 2 TD); Daylon Landry (8-70), Wyatt Hebert (7-62); Bradyn Bearb (12-59-1); Dane Frick (2-15) and Sabe Davis (4-3 yards).

Passing: KHS: Sabe David (1-for-2, 36 yards): CHS: Maddix Richard (11-for-20-1 Int, 177 yards).

Receiving: KHS: Daylon Landry (1-36); CHS Floyd Flugence (11-177, 1 TD);

The Vermilion Catholic Eagles will play Covenant Christian today at Nicholls State University’s John L. Guidry Stadium, and the game will be an important experience on several fronts for the Eagles.
Covenant Christian is experiencing a resurgent season this year and will challenge VC on the field, Eagles head coach Broc Prejean said. The nearly two-hour trip to Manning Field also could help Vermilion Catholic get a little bit of playoff preparation as well, both because of the venue and because at some point the Eagles might be asked to travel for the playoffs.
“We’re excited that we get to play on Nicholls’ football field, being a college environment, but it’s a little bit of a road trip, so we’re going to check the kids out early and try to mimic what would potentially be a travel game for the playoffs,” Prejean said. “We’ll get the kids there a little early, do some walk-throughs and just get their feet under them.”
Vermilion Catholic has won 23 straight regular season games after beating Highland Baptist 45-0 on homecoming night this past week. VC also honored the 1953 and 1954 Mount Carmel teams, as well as the 2003 and 2013 VC state champions on their 10th and 20th anniversaries, respectively.
Prejean said the Eagles don’t concern themselves with the win streak, focusing on each week’s game instead.
“That’s really nothing to us,” he said. “Each week is its own week, and any of that is just the culmination of a lot of hard work from our kids. We just want to win this week.”
The Eagles did a good job blocking out all the distractions last week, against a team that is better than its record indicates.
“I think our kids executed at a high level,” Prejean said. “They did present some challenges with the fronts they played on defense, and I thought our offensive line did a great job with that. Tahj (Williams) and Jon-Jon (Dartez) did a really good job of seeing holes and seeing their fits, which was great to see. And the defense did a really great job of anticipating and knowing what plays were likely coming, and snuffing out any momentum that Highland was able to get.”
Dartez rushed for 165 yards to push his total to 899 yards and 10 touchdowns, best in Vermilion Parish to this point. Williams had 124 yards, increasing his total to 411 yards, with eight TDs, which is fifth on the parish rushing total charts. Dartez also is third in the parish with 356 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Ross Dartez leads VC with 142 receiving yards on nine catches, and Dane Richoux has another 89 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Dartez (54 points), Williams (48) and Richoux (40) are in the top five in the parish in scoring.
Prejean said the defensive line played tremendously well last week.
The Eagles will have to continue to play at a high level this week against an improved Covenant Christian squad in the second District 7-A game of the season for VC.
“They’ve got a lot more numbers out there,” Prejean said. “They’ve opened the offense up a good bit, and they’ve played a lot of close ballgames. I know they’ve lost a few in a row, but they’ve lost them by I think a total of 18 points.
“It’s going to be a challenging game. The past few years we’ve had some kind of less-than-entertaining games with Covenant, but I don’t anticipate that to be the case this year. They’ve had a resurgence, and I know they’re going to be excited to line up against us. We’ve got to match that excitement.”
Covenant has two good running backs in Landon Winslow and Connor Lally, both of whom are electric ballcarriers, Prejean said. The QB also is an effective runner.
“We’ve got some challenges there,” Prejean said. “I think Covenant’s in a very good place to be competitive, so we’re absolutely, solely focused on them.”

April 25, 1948 ~ October 4, 2023

ABBEVILLE — Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 6, 2023 at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville honoring the life of Glenn Dale Bourque, 75, who died Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center. He will be laid to rest at Graceland Cemetery with Deacon William Vincent officiating the services. Pallbearers will be his former comrades with the City of Abbeville Fire Department. Honorary pallbearers will be Donald Bourque, Ricky LeBlanc, Trenton LeBlanc, Jason Broussard, Jason Bourque, and Aaron Boutin.
He is survived by his sister, Cheryl Bourque LeBlanc and her husband, Ricky of Maurice; brother, Donald Bourque and his wife, Charlotte of Meaux; nieces, Kodi Tujague and Sheri Broussard; and nephews, Jason Bourque, Aaron Boutin, and Trenton LeBlanc.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dudley Bourque and the former Charlene Porter; and brother, David Wayne Bourque.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Abbeville, 209 S. St. Charles St., on Friday, October 6, 2023 from 9 a.m. until time of services. A rosary will be prayed at 1:30 p.m.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

Abbeville High School football coach Roderick Moy is looking for his team to get a statement win this week.
Handing St. Charles Catholic its first loss of the season certainly would make a statement for the 4-1 Wildcats.
The Comets (5-0) are No. 2 in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s unofficial Select Division III power rankings, and No. 2 in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Class 2A statewide poll, with wins over five Class 4A schools — Archbishop Shaw (17-10), Lutcher (16-14), Teurlings Catholic (48-20), De La Salle (32-14) and Vandebilt Catholic (30-13).
Abbeville is coming off a 41-0 win at West St. Mary, a game that saw the Wildcats get off to a slow start before getting the offense rolling in the second half. Abeville finished with 319 total yards, 240 on the ground and 79 through the air.
“I have to think our kids were looking so much more forward to this weekend, the matchup with St. Charles, two-time defending state champions, a team we felt like we moved the ball well against last year but came up short because of our own mistakes,” Moy said. “We’re very anxious to get another shot at a quality ballclub like this. It can be a real statement win for us, and I think our kids just got caught looking ahead a little bit.”
Moy said that West St. Mary played very hard against the Wildcats this past Thursday, holding Abbeville to 6 points in the first quarter and 6 in the second.
But the Wildcats scored four touchdowns in the second half, three of them in the fourth quarter, including a 38-yard interception return by Deylon Jones for a TD to wrap up the scoring.
“It’s a game we were supposed to win, but (WSM) came out and they didn’t lay down,” Moy said. “They came out and fought the best fight that they could, but I thought our defense was just lights out. They gave us a little time to figure it out, and then once we got going, we were able to put some points on the board.”
The defensive line played really well, Moy said.
“Te’Zarron Stewart is really coming into his own,” the coach said. “They couldn’t block him. He was just physically so much better. He was a terrible matchup for them, and he was in the backfield all night long.”
Abbeville also got touchdown passes from both its quarterbacks. Tahj Judge, who starts on defense and comes in at times mainly as a running threat QB for the Wildcats, had a 30-yard touchdown toss to Artis Latson in the second quarter. Sophomore starter Da’Zavien Maze threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Brian Gordon in the fourth quarter. Judge also had an 11-yard TD run in the fourth period.
“Both guys are very capable,” Moy said. “That’s something that could keep a good team like this off balance. You don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen. Just because Tahj comes into the game doesn’t mean he’s going to run, or pass, he’s a capable quarterback as well. Both quarterbacks I thought played really well and managed the game. It’s all hands on deck when you play a team of this character. Hopefully it keeps them off balance.”
The Wildcats haven’t thrown the ball as much as some teams, but Maze has passed for 123 yards an Judge for 96. Latson leads the Wildcats with six receptions for 89 yards and a TD and Gordon has 83 yards and a TD on two catches.
Abbeville has a pair of runners with over 400 yards on the ground — Edmar Simon III with 486 yards and five touchdowns on 49 carries and Justin Montgomery with 404 yards and three TDs on 64 rushes. Tazavian Andrews (24-175, 1 TD) and Zylun Wiliams (17-123, 4 TDs) also are over 100 yards on the ground.
St. Charles, which was state runner-up in 2019 and 2020 before winning the last two Select Division III state championships, also won a state title in 2011 and was runner-up in 2004 and 2005. The Comets present a challenge to Abbeville, but also the opportunity for a big win.
“Anytime you play a quality opponent like this, you’re really going to play up,” Moy said. “We’ve had two really good days of practice so far.
“Our kids are really welcoming the challenge. We want to go out and see how good we really are. This is one of those games that’s really going to test that and show us where we are, because of the teams they’ve beat, they’re 5-0, the things they’ve done in the past, the tradition. Being able to go over there and compete well, our kids are really excited about the opportunity we have. This would be very much a statement win for our program.”
Moy said the Comets are a sound team.
“They don’t make the mistakes other teams make,” he said. “They do a great job of getting to the perimeter with their sprint-out game. They’re not going to just sit back there and let their quarterback be a sitting duck for pass rushers like we have. That’s going to be the key to the game, to keep their quarterback in the pocket and make them more conventional.
“And then we’ve got to score ourselves. We had almost 400 yards of offense against those people last year, but only came away with 13 points. That’s what’s going to be the difference in the game — us not hurting ourselves with penalties, and being able to finish off drives to give ourselves a chance to score with these guys.”