The Kaplan High Pirates head into Friday’s football game at Abbeville with several things on the line, including winning their first outright district championship since 2018. Both teams are 7-2 overall and 3-0 in District 3-5A. Also up for grabs is the Peter Russo Memorial Trophy, presented to the winning team in the game every year since 1961. Abbeville has won the last two after Kaplan had kept the trophy for 15 straight years. Both teams also are hoping to earn a first-round home game in the playoffs, which is likely for the winner to achieve.
A lot on the line for Kaplan
KAPLAN — Taking things one day at a time has been the mantra for the Kaplan High Pirates in 2023, and it’s been a successful approach to the football season that’s helped Kaplan rebound from a 4-6 mark the previous year to a 7-2 record overall and 3-0 in District 5-3A, heading into Friday’s regular-season finish at Abbeville High’s Wildcat Stadium.
But the players don’t live in a vacuum, KHS coach Cory Brodie acknowledges, and they know just what Friday’s game means to both teams.