Tom Dodge
At least they have a date.
That seems to be the opinion of the local head coaches concerning the LHSAA’s decision to push back the start of its football season until Oct. 8.
The fall sports seasons were scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 24 with jamborees for both volleyball and football.
According to the LSHAA memo, high school volleyball is set to begin on Sept. 8.
An Aug. 31 start to the regular season remains for cross country and swimming.
The LHSAA needs the state to get to Phase 3 in order to start the prep football season.
“It is good to have a date so now we can formulate a plan going forward,” Eunice High head coach Andre Vige said. “We can set up our practice schedules and prepare for the season.
“The kids are excited and have something to look forward to,” Vige said. “I am excited about the time we have to prepare for the season,” he said.
“I would perfer a 10-game season but from what I understand eight games is all we can expect.
“I would rather have an extra week in the season and do away with the jamboree game,” he said. “But eight is better than zero.”
Vige said if the LHSAA would allow a jamboree, the Bobcats would face the Iota Bulldogs.
“The LHSAA could still possibly cancel that, but we are hoping to play,” he said.
If the teams play eight games, Eunice High would entertain Ville Platte High on Oct. 8, the third team on their orginal schedule.
“I’m glad we have a date,” St. Edmund head coach James Shiver said. “I hope it doesn’t change.”
The fall sports seasons were scheduled to begin the week of Aug. 24 with jamborees for both volleyball and football.
According to the LSHAA memo, high school volleyball is set to begin on Sept. 8.
An Aug. 31 start to the regular season remains for cross country and swimming.
The LHSAA needs the state to get to Phase 3 in order to start the prep football season.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state will continue with Phase 2 until at least Aug. 28.
The regular season all sports, including swimming and cross country, was scheduled to begin on Aug. 31.
“We can play a jamboree game on Oct. 1 and then our first game would follow,” Shiver said.
“We are planning to face Vermilion Catholic in the Joe Nagata Memorial jamboree,” he said. “We will see if Opelousas Catholic and Ascension Episcopal are still interested in still playing in it.
“We are still planning to hold the jamboree.”
It is yet to be determined if the football season would be five or eight games long, depending if the games need to be pushed back because of the coronavirus.
“Some teams want to be able to play their rivals so there could be some changes to the schedule,” Shiver said. “I just want to play as many games as we can.”
The LHSSA’s decision is the latest change during a tumultuous year that saw the COVID-19 pandemic force the LHSAA to suspend all spring sports in mid-March before canceling them in May.
The LHSAA is expected to release its plan for the football season on Aug. 28.
Shiver said their plan for practices is that they will divide the team into different groups on different days and then meet all together once a week.
“We want to keep working a little bit at the time and by the time October comes, hopefully we will be really good,” the Blue Jay coach said.