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CHURCH POINT — Two big defensive plays helped the Abbeville High Wildcats survive a tough test in the Acadia-Vermilion Jamboree on Thursday.
Only 10 seconds after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in their game against host team Church Point, the Wildcats got a scoop-and-score fumble return touchdown from freshman defensive back Joseph Davis Jr. and a 2-point conversion from Ta’Zavian Andrews to stretch their lead to 26-14 with 5:43 remaining.
Then, after the Bears got to within 26-20, Church Point was again threatening with under a minute remaining on a 48-yard pass from Luke Baudoin to Bryce LeJeune that got the ball inside the Abbeville 15.
But before LeJeune could get any more yardage from the play, AHS senior defensive back Tajh Judge launched himself into the receiver, jarring the ball loose to be recovered by the Wildcats at the 7-yard line. Two snaps ran out the remaining time on Abbeville’s thrilling 26-20 win.
“I’m proud of how our kids fought for each other at the end there when it looked bleak with them running up and down the field on us,” AHS head coach Roderick Moy said. “You saw it. Our safety came off his feet to make a tackle right there, to sacrifice his body for our ballclub. And that’s what I’ve been trying to teach. I’m proud of that.”
Abbeville got on the scoreboard first with an eight-yard TD run by Andrews for a 6-0 lead. Brian Gordon then hauled in a 52-yard TD reception on a post route to give the Wildcats a 12-0 lead with 4:49 left in the 15-minute first half.
Church Point rallied in the second half, marching 60 yards in nine plays with Jaheim Moore capping the drive on an 18-yard TD run to make it 12-6. The Bears took the lead on a 27-yard TD pass from Baudoin to Tyrese Boast and the 2-point conversion on a naked bootleg by Baudoin with 6:59 left in the second half.
But it took Abbeville only two plays to surge ahead again. A big kick return and a personal foul penalty against CPHS gave the Wildcats possession at the Bears’ 32, and on second down, Da’Zavien Maize threw a beautiful pass to a tightly-covered Te’Zarron Stewart, who gathered the ball in for the TD and an 18-14 lead.
On Church Point’s next offensive play, the Wildcats stripped Moore of the ball and Davis picked it up and returned it 30 yards for the score.
Though the Wildcats won, Moy said the team still has a lot to work on before the season opener at St. Mary’s of Natchitoches on Friday.
“We have to work on our conditioning and our ability to stay together,” Moy said. “That’s two things that haven’t changed.”

MAURICE — The North Vermilion Patriots started and ended their Acadia-Vermilion Jamboree game against Rayne with a bang, scoring on the opening kickoff and the game’s final play.
“It’s a learning experience,” first-year head coach Joe Heintz said. “Everything’s a learning experience.”
In between, though, North Vermilion made a few mistakes that must be cleaned up, Heintz said. Rayne scored 22 straight points after giving up the opening touchdown before the Patriots scored again in a 22-12 loss.
“Positives, I thought we started eliminating some of the penalties, and we started moving the ball a little bit,” Heintz said. “And then, obviously, we committed way too many penalties in the first half.”
The game was rough on both sides as the teams combined for 11 penalties totaling 90 yards and marched off in the first half (five for 45 against NVHS, six for 45 against Rayne).
There was even a streak of five straight snaps with penalties at one point. The penalty total didn’t include a declined penalty against NVHS and offsetting penalties against both squads.
But the Patriots didn’t get flagged in the second half, while Rayne was whistled five times for 40 yards in penalties.
Norris Benoit got the scoring going when he returned the opening kickoff 88 yards for a TD.
The Patriots stopped Rayne’s opening drive and forced a punt, but a fumble two snaps later gave the Wolves possession at the NV 35, setting up a game-tying 17-yard touchdown run by Kylin Wheeler.
That was the first of seven fumbles by the Patriots, three of them recovered by Rayne.
The Wolves added a 58-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Judice to Wheeler and a nine-yard TD run by Wheeler for a 22-6 lead.
A saving grace for the Patriots was a pair of interceptions by James Higginbotham and Brody Lambeck, and a fumble recovery by the Patriots to set up the final score, a 51-yard quarterback keeper by Logan Thompson as time expired.
“We’re going to watch film and come back Monday to make some corrections on our mistakes,” Heintz said. “I thought effort-wise we were good. You can’t make mistakes where you’re getting penalized. That’s where we lost the game, I thought.”
North Vermilion finished with 125 rushing yards. Five players carried the ball for the Patriots, with Thompson’s big run propelling him to a team-high 62 yards on six carries.
Tucker Denais had 37 yards on a team-high eight carries. Grant Wise added 33 yards on four carries.
Andrew Heintz, Devin Galley and Heath Aubrey also had carries for positive yards for the Patriots.
North Vermilion starts the season against three straight Vermilion Parish foes. NV opens the regular season on Friday at home against Kaplan, then travels to Erath and Abbeville for the next two weeks.

NEW IBERIA — A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church, 130 N. Richelieu Circle, New Iberia, for Florian Montte Landry, 91, who passed away peacefully surrounded by her family while praying the rosary, on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. The church will be open from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. for visitation. Entombment will follow at Holy Family Cemetery, 2807 Curtis Lane, New Iberia. Msgr. Robert Romero will be the Celebrant.
Pallbearers will be her grandsons: Daniel Brown; Tim Brown; Luke Walker; Jake Walker; Ryan Landry and Andrew Landry. Her grandsons-in-law, Caleb Mayard and Landan Zimmerman will be honorary pallbearers. Gift bearers will be her granddaughters: Michelle Mayard; Rebecca Landry; Katie Landry; Therese Walker; and Abigail Landry; as well as Macie Brown and Amanda Landry. The reader will be her daughter, Ginger Walker.
Flo was born in Maurice, LA on May 16, 1932, to Lorite and Walter Montte. At the age of three, the family moved to Abbeville. She attended Abbeville High School and graduated in 1948, then worked as a stenographer for the welfare department in Abbeville before going to Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette).
During her college years she met her future husband, Roy Landry, and in 1952 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Lower Elementary Education. She taught first grade in Lake Charles for a year before marrying in 1953 and moving to New Orleans where Roy was in medical school at Louisiana State University. While in New Orleans, she worked as a stenographer for Price Waterhouse & Company.
In 1958, they moved to Lafayette while Roy did his residency at Lafayette Charity Hospital. In 1959, New Iberia became their home. With his brother Ed Landry, Roy practiced medicine and she made a home for him and their children. Because of her devotion to her children, she became active in the parents’ clubs at Mount Carmel and Catholic High. When her boys became older, she became their Cub Scout Den Mother.
Flo served food at Saint Francis Diner for a few years, taught CCD religious education classes for many years, and later joined a weekly rosary group with twelve of her friends. She was an original adorer when Saint Peter Catholic Church opened its 24-hour Adoration Chapel. She enjoyed entertaining her friends, but most of all loved the many years hosting monthly Sunday dinners with her family.
She is survived by three sons: Greg (Donna); Patrick (Rita); and Stephen (Carol), two daughters: Debbie Brown and Ginger Walker, 12 grandchildren: Katherine Zimmerman (Landan); Ryan Landry (Amanda); Michelle Mayard (Caleb); Daniel Brown (Michelle); Timothy Brown (Macie); Rebecca Landry; Therese Walker; Luke Walker; Jake Walker; Andrew Landry; and Abigail Landry, and six great-grandchildren: Cam Mayard; Reece Mayard; Elle Brown; Finnlee Brown; Colton Brown; and Wyatt Brown.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Lorite Montte, her husband, Dr. Roy Lee Louis Landry, and an infant granddaughter, Sarah Landry.
The family wishes to express its deep thanks and gratitude for the loving care given to their mother by: Shirley Butler, Hospice of Acadiana, Senior Helpers, Dejonae Murdock, Jade Mouton, and Patsy Nora.
In lieu of flowers, Flo requested that memorial donations be sent to Hospice of Acadiana or other charities of your choice.
Pellerin Funeral Home, 502 Jefferson Terrace Blvd., New Iberia, LA 70560 (337-365-3331).

BATON ROUGE – A pair of North Vermilion High School softball players were among the 14 added to the Baton Rouge Community College freshman class this year.
The Class of 2023 has the potential to be exceptional for the BRCC softball program, according to head coach Mark Suire, a native of Abbeville who coached the Lady Wildcats for six seasons and won a state championship in 2008 during a 12-year stint as head coach at Delcambre.
Pitcher Ashton Duhon and infielder Kenndey Kelly are two of the players in that freshman class.
The group consists of talented pitchers in Olivia Burns (Benton), Maddie Robinson (Natchitoches), Essynce Wallace (Farmerville), Ashton Duhon (Abbeville) and Bailey Smith (Youngsville). All five are expected to contribute in the circle, and could also contribute as infielders when not in the circle.
They will be joined by infielders Keesley Ross (Caldwell), Eve Fruge’ (Denham Springs), Mary Wicke (Grand Lake), Ashlyn Hebert (Scott), Kennedy Kelly (Maurice) and Morgan “Meaux” Carroll (Benton). Outfielders include Desi Robinson (Natchitoches) and Karli Bourg (Luling). Lily Wainwright (West Monroe) rounds out the recruiting class and is the lone catcher of the group.
“The recruiting class that we have assembled this year will bring a wealth of softball potential and athleticism to add to the talented group that we will return,” said Suire, who, along with assistant coach Aeriyl Mass, have spent countless hours putting this class together. The staff believes that they have been able to address specific needs to build a successful program at BRCC.
“We’ve definitely got some work to do, but we believe that this class could play a big role in moving the softball program in the right direction,” Suire said.
According to Suire, pitching was the first item of business for his first recruiting class.
“With only one experienced pitcher returning this year, it was imperative that we find pitchers who could fill the role and also bring their own unique qualities to the team,” he said. “The five pitchers in this class all bring something a little different to the table. All are very capable of succeeding and each brings a different dynamic.
“Olivia is a hard worker and brings a winning mindset to the circle. Maddie has shown significant improvement over the past couple of years and has truly developed into a pitcher rather than just a thrower. Essynce has a lot of upside and could develop into a power pitcher — something the program has lacked. Ashton and Bailey will also add depth and will rely more on their spin and location.”
With the addition of five new faces in the circle, the Bears have also added a talented catcher in Wainwright, who should compete for time with two returners at that position.
The strength of the team could very well lie in the talented group of infielders that has been assembled. Ross, a shortstop from Caldwell Parish High School, is athletic and capable of providing solid defensive play as well as power in the lineup. Fruge’, who hails from Denham Springs High School, is athletic and will be a viable option at multiple positions. Meaux and Kennedy are both true utility players, and could also see time in the outfield if the need arises. Hebert, an Acadiana High School product, has improved tremendously and gotten stronger over the past year and could be a good fit at first base. Wicke is an athletic corner infielder, who could see time at both first and third base.
“The infielders in this class provide us with a lot of options, as most can play multiple positions on the infield,” Suire said. “There should be great competition for playing time among the infielders, who could be the cornerstone of the program for the next couple of years.”
The two outfielders in the recruiting class should add athleticism to the team. Karli Bourg, who played for an outstanding Hahnville High School program, is a great fit and welcome addition. Left handed hitter Desi Robinson, who exhibits lots of athleticism, is expected to make a case for herself as a starter in the outfield — and also excels at first base.
“The great thing about the players we have added is that they are a versatile group that will afford us the opportunity to have the best nine players on the field,” Suire said.
“There is a good mixture of speed, power, and softball IQ within this group. In addition, we believe that every player in this group is not only a good softball player, but a quality human being as well. Those are the type of people we want to build a successful program with at BRCC. At the end of the day, we want student-athletes who want to win on the field, in the classroom, and in the community – and I think we have that with this group.”