RSS Feed

ERATH — The Erath Bobcats are embracing the underdog role when they host Kaplan in a District 5-3A game between the two Vermilion Parish rivals, head coach Eric LeBlanc said.
Erath is 1-5 overall and 0-1 in district following a road loss to St. Martinville this past week. Kaplan is 5-1 and 1-0.
“We’re fighting for our season,” LeBlanc said. “Looking at point spread,we’re loooking like we’re severely underdogs. We’re going into it and we’re loving it in practice. We’re working like it.”
The ’Cats have had to turn to younger players in the face of mounting injuries to more experienced players, and those players are embracing their opportunities.
Already missing leading receiver Christian Pillette and a number of linemen and other starters, the Bobcats saw starting quarterback Lynkon Romero go down with an injury in the first quarter of this past week’s road game against St. Martinville.
Romero and Pillette might play this week, though the coaching staff is waiting to see how they look in practice this week.
“We’re fighting,” Erath head coach Eric LeBlanc said. “The young guys are embracing it. (At St. Martinville) it was not pretty, but the young guys are getting after it.
“We just missed too many tackles and didn’t execute some blocking assignments up front, and it kind of showed on Friday. But I think they definitely have that next-man-up mentality, because we were throwing guys all over the field on Friday. I see they’ve got that underdog mentality to where we know we’re kind of outmatched in some areas, but we’re still fighting through some things and battling out there to make it happen.”
Though football is a bunch of one-on-one matchups, LeBlanc said the game isn’t only about size and speed.
The coach said sophomore quarterback Jack Landry stepped in for Romero last week and though his stats weren’t great, he’d only played one snap in a game earlier because Romero’s helmet had come off and he had to sit out a play.
“He came in against the toughest team on our schedule and he executed as well as he could for as limited a number of varsity snaps as he’s had,” LeBlanc said. “I definitely want to make sure I give him some competitive points for that. He did a good job of coming in and taking control.”
The Bobcats return home this week to play Kaplan, which is 5-1 overall and 1-0 beat Crowley 22-13 last week.
Romero is day-to-day and went through warmups on Monday. The coaches will see how he progresses this week.
Pillette is getting back into the swing of things also, though he is not back to the point where he was before the injury, LeBlanc said.
“I think he and Lynkon are probably in the same situation right now as far as being ready to play Friday,” LeBlanc said.
Romero leads Vermilion Parish with 798 passing yards and five touchdowns despite throwing (and completing) only one pass against St. Martinville.
Mason Hebert leads the Bobcats with 188 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries. Romero has 187 yards and six touchdowns on 73 carries.
Treyvan Williams (10 catches, 154 yards) and Bo Lancon (9-148, 2 TDs) are fourth and fifth in the parish in receiving yards, with Pillette and Cameron Soirez (8-112) also ranked in the top 10.
Erath faces a Kaplan team that has had success both running and passing, led by Daylon Landry (641 yards, 6 TDs) and Jed Devoltz (410 yards, 4 TDs) leading on the ground.
“Last year they actually threw for quite a bit (against Erath), and the same thing the year before,” LeBlanc said. “It was all bad eyes and poor reads by some guys in the secondary that got us to that point.
“I think they’ve done that to a lot of teams early this year where guys are looking in the backfield and not reading their keys because they’re known to be a run-heavy team. When the secondary starts looking in the backfield or not looking at the correct keys based on scheme, they end up hitting people with some big plays. Probably the best looking player on their team is probably their tight end (Carter Petry). They’re probably going to try to get him the ball and let him be a game-changer for them.”
Landry (9-214, 2 TDs) tops in the parish in receiving yards and Petry is ninth with 93 yards on five catches with two touchdowns. Sabe David is second in the parish with 457 passing yards and five TDs.
“They’ve got some really good players on both sides of the ball,” LeBlanc said. “I feel like they’ve got a lot of guys in the right spots. They do a good job of rotating their guys on defense, too. They keep them healthy and fresh.
“I know on offense they’re going to be physical,” LeBlanc said. “They’re going to try to hit us in the mouth and try to expose some violations by our defense. We’ve got to make sure we lock in our keys on defense and be ready.”

Vermilion Catholic remained No. 2 in the latest Class A statewide football poll conducted by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
VC (6-0) is second behind Ouachita Christian (6-0), the team that edged the Eagles in the Division IV select state championship game in 2022.
Vermilion Catholic remains the lone Vermilion Parish team receiving votes in the rankings.
VC plays at Jeanerette (5-1) in a district game on Friday.

The Abbeville High Wildcats are putting a tough game behind them and looking to get off to a good start to their District 5-3A title chase with a win over Crowley on Friday.
“Everybody’s goal is going to be to go out and win a district championship,” Abbeville head coach Roderick Moy said. “It’s going to be their homecoming, so they’re going to be up and want to play for their alumni, so it’s going to be an interesting ballgame.”
The Wildcats (4-2 overall) got off to a bad start at St. Charles Catholic this past week, going three and out before snapping the ball over the punter’s head on their first possession. That led to a TD two plays later, and after a turnover, the Comets went up 16-0 in the first four minutes of the contest.
“It snowballed from there,” Moy said. “We got three first downs the whole game.
“That’s the way it went. Bad night. We just wrote it off as they were better than us and we move on and start district play now.”
Moy said the Wildcats have already put that 51-0 loss to the team ranked No. 2 in the latest Class 2A poll taken by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and the No. 2 team in the unofficial Division III select power rankings from both the LHSAA and geauxpreps.com.
“We just need to get back to being us,” the coach said. “That’s what this week has been about. We’re 0-0 and there’s no way we win a district championship without beating Crowley. That’s where our focus is right now — 1-0 this week.”
Edmar Simon leads a balanced Abbeville rushing attack with nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns and Justin Montgomery has more than 400 yards and three touchdowns. Ta’Zavian Andrews (1 TD) and Zaylun Williams (4 TDs) are also over 100 yards on the season.
Sophomore quarterback De’Zavien Maze and senior Tahj Judge, who gets some time at QB in addition to starting in the defensive secondary, have combined to throw for more than 200 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
“We focused yesterday on getting back to the basics, back to being us, doing what we do well, and not really focusing on another opponent,” Moy said.
“I think we overhyped the game against St. Charles and made it about playing the defending state champions instead of just playing the best game we could. We’re not focusing too much on Crowley, we’re going to wordy about doing what we do the best we can.”
The Gents (0-6, 0-1 district) lost their district opener to Kaplan this past week, 22-13. Crowley is led by running back Omar Butler, a senior who played quarterback last year. His 811 yards and nine touchdowns leads the Crowley rushing attack. Junior QB Maddix Richard has thrown for 641 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions in his first year as a starter, with Floyd Flugence leading the Gents with 27 catches for 432 yards and three touchdowns.
“They threw the ball well against Kaplan,” Moy said. “Were going to have to stop both, but it starts with Omar Butler and making them one-dimensional. Then once we know the pass is coming and we can get a lead, then we’ll lock in on stopping that (pass game). But you’re not going to beat Crowley if you let him get loose. He’s definitely our No. 1 focus.”
Controlling the ball and the clock, not turning the ball over, and getting some turnovers are keys for the Wildcats, Moy said.
“Crowley’s big, so our focus goes back to where it’s been every other week,” Moy said. “If we can control the offensive and defensive lines with technique and doing things right, we’re going to be OK.”

Robert Dale LeBlanc, affectionately known as “Dale” to his family and friends, passed away on Thursday, October 5, 2023 while fishing, his favorite past time. He was 62 years old at his passing.
Dale was born on January 18, 1961 in Erath, LA to the late Louie Luke LeBlanc and Dolores Campbell LeBlanc. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, hunting and most of all fishing. He would often tell his family, I’m going to the office, and off he went on his side by side to his favorite boat dock on the back of his property.
Like most Cajuns, he had a love for cooking and his family remembers the delicious pot roast, gumbos, chili’s and pots of spaghetti that he would prepare for them. After his retirement from working offshore as an Able Seaman and skilled crane operator, he assisted his sister, Jenny at her restaurant, RiverFront in Abbeville. Of course, a good laugh was shared about his love for ice cream and a late night Sonic Blasts run.
A talented wood worker, Dale made furniture including, beds, bookshelves and rockers with precision and attention to details. He also enjoyed Classic Country Saturday Night blaring for all the neighbors to hear and dragging anyone with him on a shopping trip.
Rest in peace, Dale, we will rejoice in the knowledge that you are resting in the glorious kingdom of heaven.
Survivors include his children, Zachary Luke LeBlanc and wife Kristen and Kiley Karen LeBlanc; his grandchildren, Kinley Rae LeBlanc and Kayden Luke LeBlanc; his mother, Dolores Campbell LeBlanc; sister, Jenny LeBlanc and Brian Rush and his long time fiancé, Judy Bodin Thibodeaux.
A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Dale’s life will be held on Friday, October 13, 2023 at 10:00 am at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church with Fr. Buddy Breaux officiating. Dale will be laid to rest with his father, privately at a later date.
A gathering of family and friends will be held on Thursday, October 12, 2023 from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Evangeline Funeral Home, with a Rosary being prayed at 6:30 p.m. The funeral home will reopen at 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. on Friday.
Those honored to serve as pallbearers will be Zachary Luke LeBlanc, Kiley Karen LeBlanc, Randall Campbell, Brian Rush, Teryl Ryder and Dannon Campbell. Joe Calvin Harper, Jr., Brian Ryder and Albert Wehbe will be honorary pallbearers.
The family wishes to extend the sincerest gratitude and appreciation to Dale’s cousin, Liz Hanes for all of her love and support over the last several years.
Relatives and friends are encouraged to share their condolences and memories with the family by visiting Dale’s memorial page at www. Evangelinedelcambre.com
Evangeline Funeral Home of Delcambre is in charge of arrangements.