Playing in Turpin Stadium

Today, the Abbeville Wildcats are traveling north to play a team maybe for the first time in the school’s history. The Wildcats are opening the season to battle St. Mary’s Tigers, a Class 1A school located in Nachitoches.
How and why did this arrangement take place between the two coaches?
AHS head coach Roderick Moy has a simple answer to those two questions.
He wants his team to get a chance to play in a college football stadium, in hopes college coaches will be in attendance.
St. Mary’s plays its home games in Turpin Stadium, which is where the Nortwestern Demons play their home games.
The stadium sits 16,000 and has an artificial turf field.
Moy is hoping the Northwestern State coaches are in the stands because the Demons have a home game the next night.
“It is going to be a good experience for our kids,” said Moy about the game. “We are looking at it as a playoff game. I do not mind driving three hours for the game.”
St. Mary’s will give Abbeville’s defense a solid test in Week 1 because of their explosive offense.
Adam Parker will be under center for the Tigers or more accurately in the pistol/shotgun. The junior QB has been getting many accolades in the off-season and is projected to be one of the top QB’s in central Louisiana. He threw for almost 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns. Parker performed well in the summer 7-on-7 activities and won the Shootout in Texas with his top target, sophomore Ethan Busby. But it will remain to be seen how 7V7 translates to full games. Busby was named to the all-district team and is looking to add to his stat sheet that includes 61 catches for 624 yards last season.
“Their quarterback is very scary,” said Moy. “St. Mary’s is a good football team.”