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Richard Melancon (far left), Troy Frederick (far right) and the Kiwanis Club welcomed
Abbeville head coach Kevin Kern, Erath head coach Eric LeBlanc, Gueydan head coach
Roderick Moy, VC head coach Kevin Fouquier, Kaplan head coach Stephen Lotief and North Vermilion head coach Brett Blakey to Tuesday’s meeting. The coaches talked to the Kiwanis members about the upcoming high school football season.

Vermilion Parish Coaches talk about 2019 season at Kiwanis meeting

As the kickoff to the regular season approaches, you would be hard-pressed to find a coach who is thinking about what his football team is going to look like in November.
That’s because every coach is working hard to find out what his team is right now.
Coaches from Vermilion Parish shared some of that insight Tuesday during the traditional preseason meeting with the Kiwanis Club of Abbeville. 
Kaplan Pirates head coach Stephen Lotief walked away with the annual Crying Towel Award. It’s Lotief’s Pirates who have left many opponents in tears during the last few years. Kaplan has reached the Class 3A semifinals in each of the last three seasons.
“We’ve been successful over there at Kaplan,” Lotief said. “They say that all good things must come to an end. We’ll see. We have some work to do, but we’re going to battle.
“We’ll do our best. That’s what I can tell you.”
One of the teams Kaplan will face is the Vermilion Catholic Eagles. Head coach Kevin Fouquier that facing Kaplan is just one aspect of a tremendous challenge VC faces to start the season. The Eagles will open with Catholic High of New Iberia, Opelousas Catholic, the Abbeville Wildcats, Pirates and the Erath Bobcats. 
“Everybody thinks I’m crazy because of the beginning of our schedule,” Fouquier said. “It is extremely tough.”
It will be the first time the Eagles and Wildcats will face one another during the regular season. 
Abbeville head coach Kevin Kern said when the Wildcats face VC, or anyone on their schedule for that matter, there will be a different look from the Wildcats.
“We’ve got 50 kids strong,” Kern said. “We’re going to run a wide-open type offense. The kids are having fun. We scrimmaged Ascension Episcopal last week. We did fairly well and had quite a few big plays.”
Big is a keyword for North Vermilion, as in the Patriots are seeing the effects of being a bigger school. This year will mark NV’s jump to Class 4A. Head coach Brett Blakey said that presents its challenges.
“We’re in a transition period,” Blakey said. “We played Cecilia in a scrimmage last week and were greeted to 4A. 
“Things are looking up for North Vermilion.”
That includes the school’s future enrollment.
“We’re growing,” Blakey said. “Right now, we have 720 kids. On the first day of school next year, they’re telling us we’re going to have 820. The following year they are telling us they are going to have 920. 
“We might be 5A before you know it, playing Acadiana and those guys.”
Erath High is not only one of the top schools in Acadiana, but the state. Head coach Eric LeBlanc knows what kind of kid he is getting on his team.
“They bring a lot of enthusiasm and effort to practice,” LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said some graduated players would have to be replaced.
“We will find some young guys to step up,” LeBlanc said.
Gueydan Bears head coach Roderick Moy said he and his staff would be looking for some young players to step up. That is somewhat out of necessity, as the Bears only have 25 players on the roster.
“I talked to a coach who had 25 kids quit since the spring,” Moy said. “They did not come to us, because we only have 25. Two of those 25 kids are going to be a freshman center and a freshman quarterback. 
“We’re going to do what we do. We’re going to do the best we can and end the season with those same 25 kids.”

Vermilion Today

Abbeville Meridional

318 N. Main St.
Abbeville, LA 70510
Phone: 337-893-4223
Fax: 337-898-9022

The Kaplan Herald

219 North Cushing Avenue
Kaplan, LA 70548

The Gueydan Journal

311 Main Street
Gueydan, LA 70542