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Vermilion Catholic places two on volleyball All-District

Vermilion Catholic’s Jenna Beth Hagle and Emma Williams were honored by their inclusion on the District 3, Division V All-District volleyball team this year.
Hagle, a junior setter, was named to the All-District second team and Williams, a sophomore libero, was an honorable mention to the team.
District champion Westminster Christian Academy placed three players on the first team, while runner-up Ascension Episcopal and ESA each has two first-team picks. Academy of the Sacred Heart saw one player named to the first team.
Westminster junior middle blocker Bethany Stoute was voted the district MVP and Keith Leon was Coach of the Year. ESA’s Anna Breaux, a senior setter, was the Offensive Player of the Year, and Ascension Episcopal senior libero Gabby Piasecki was the Defensive Player of the Year.
The first team consists of Westminster junior setter Anna Ware, junior libero Kristian Thomas and sophomore outside hitter Laila Gauthier; AES senior outside hitter Ryan Simon and senior setter Ashly Poirier; ESA senior middle blocker Tyler Harson and freshman outside hitter Avery Monica; and ASH sophomore setter Grayson Benhard.
Joining Hagle on the second team are WCA senior rightside hitter Madison Marks and freshman outside hitter Anna Camille Melancon; AES senior outside hitter Brianna Gayle; ESA senior libero Camille Movassaghi and senior outside hitter Briley Herpin; Highland Baptist senior outside hitter Ava Armentor; and ASH sophomore middle blocker Addie Miller.
Honorable mentions joining Williams on the squad were WCA freshman middle blocker Sophia Wiltz, AES senior middle blocker Anna Wiltz and senior rightside hitter Emmie Collins; ESA freshman rightside hitter Juliette Williams; Highland Baptist senior rightside hitter Lilly Harris and senior middle blocker Riley Gauthrie; and ASH senior outside hitter Vivian Allie.

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Abbeville’s offensive linemen and tight ends head to the line of scrimmage for a play on a wet, chilly night to open the playoffs this past Friday The Wildcats beat Pearl River 34-20 to set up a second-round game this week at Lutcher, the defending Non-Select Division II state champion.

Wildcats set for round 2

Abbeville has won five straight and is playing with confidence

The Abbeville High Wildcats’ playoff road gets a lot tougher this week with a second-round game on the road against the defending Non-Select Division II state champion Lutcher Bulldogs.
Lutcher’s state championship was its ninth, with three of those coming early (1975, ’78 and ’83) followed by six titles since 2003. Among the players the football program has produced are NFL receiver Jarvis Landry and NFL defensive backs Dexter McCoil and Lionel Washington.
Lutcher (7-2 on the year) is the No. 4 seed in the Division II playoffs. Abbeville, which beat Pearl River 34-20 to open the playoffs, is 9-2.
“They’re still the defending state champions,” AHS head coach Roderick Moy said. “So if we want to be the best, we’ve got to go out and beat the best. They’re a well-coached football team with coach (Dwain) Jenkins out there.
“They’re always going to be dangerous offensively. I actually think they’re better defensively now than they were last year. A lot of things they did last year centered around their quarterback, who graduated.”
Abbeville is confident heading into the game, having won five straight. The Wildcats’ two losses are to 7-2 St. Mary’s of Natchitoches, the No. 6 seed in Select Division IV, and 10-0 St. Charles, the No. 1 seed in Select Division III. Moy scheduled those games on the road specifically to give his team an idea of what it takes to play a good football team after a long drive to get to the game.
“Our kids are in a good mindframe,” Moy said. “You know, we haven’t lost since the St. Charles ballgame (on Oct. 6), so our kids, and our seniors especially, have a sense of ‘we don’t want to go home. We don’t want this thing to end.’ So we’re going to go out there and put our best foot forward and do whatever it takes to keep our season going.”
That attitude is a strong factor this time of year.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the leadership of our seniors,” Moy said. “They’re really honing in on the young guys and some of their teammates that are older guys but it’s not going to be their last game either way — getting them to see how do you want people to play if it was your last game? They’re really getting those guys into the mode where we want them to be as far as making practice important, making sure we’re locked in on our preparation, and making sure that whoever beats us for the last time, beats us because they’re better and not because we gave anything away.”
The Wildcats looked strong in their opening-round game against No. 20 seed Pearl River.
“I was very pleased with our preparation, the way we came out and started the ballgame off the right way,” Moy said. “We took a sense of urgency into the ballgame that you have to have this time of year. I was very pleased with the way we played on both sides of the ball in the first half.”
The run game was in full gear for the Wildcats on a chilly, wet night that saw a steady rain throughout the game. Justin Montgomery ran for a team-best 157 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries to improve his team-leading totals to 860 yards and eight touchdowns on 124 rushes. Ta’Zavian Andrews added another 110 yards on 11 carries, bumping his totals to 361 yards on 72 rushes. Edmar Simon III had 50 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries, moving his season totals to 725 yards and 11 TDs on 82 runs. Fullback Zaylun Williams ran for 29 yards on six carries and scored two 2-point conversions, and now has 268 yards and six TDs on 39 rushes.
After Pearl River returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown following a lateral to star running back Tashon Badon, the Wildcats dominated the first half to lead 28-0 at halftime. But the second half saw Badon score on runs of eight and 60 yards to pull the Rebels to within 28-20 before an interception by Simon close to the goal snuffed out a drive on the first play of the fourth quarter. Simon scored a final Abbeville TD to push the margin of victory to 14 points.
“It was typical of a playoff game, those guys (the visiting Rebels) didn’t want to go home,” Moy said. “I’m sure they got a pretty good speech at halftime and they came out fired up, but at the end of the day we did what it took not to let our season end.”
Moy said the offensive line played really well. AHS ran for 418 yards and only attempted three passes.
“They had a lot to do with that 400 yards rushing,” Moy said. “Those five seniors up front really took control of the ballgame and allowed us to control it as a team. And the same thing on the other side of the ball. Our defensive line played really well. They kept our safeties and linebackers really clean and really helped us slow them down in the first half. As you could see, when they did get going in the second half, those backs are very dangerous.”
Badon finished with 184 yards on the ground and scored all three Pearl River touchdowns. But the Wildcats limited Ziderius Brown, Pearl River’s other 1,000-yard rusher, finished the night with only 27 yards on six carries.
“That was probably our most complete game as far as playing well on both sides of the ball,” Moy said. “We really controlled the clock, and when they did get going, they didn’t have very much time left.”
The Wildcats lost starting quarterback Da’Zavien Maze to an ankle injury, with Tahj Judge stepping into the role again after focusing most of his time on playing defense this season after two years at quarterback.
“(Judge) is going to get some extra work” Moy said. “We’re going to do some things with that high ankle sprain and tape up Da’Zavien real tight and see if he can go. It’s going to be a little more of a game-time decision. But if it is Tahj that has to do a little more work on the offensive end, we’re going to have him prepared for that and make sure he’s able to put his best foot forward.
“I think Tahj gives us an element in the passing game that makes us a little more dangerous in a game like this. We’re definitely going to have to score more points to win.”

The Gueydan Journal

In accordance with Act 186, the public is hereby notified that the proposed budget of the Town of Gueydan for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, is available for inspection at Town Hall, Gueydan, Louisiana between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

Also, the public is hereby notified that a public hearing will be held on December 5, 2023, at 5:45 p.m. at the Town Hall, Gueydan, Louisiana. The purpose of this public hearing is to allow citizens to provide comments and opinions on the proposed budget of the Town of Gueydan, Louisiana for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2024, and ending December 31, 2024.
2023 2024 2024
Proposed Amended Proposed
Revenues:
Taxes $ 320,000 $ 320,000 $ 320,000
Licenses
and permits 67,457 57,457 57,000
Intergovernmental 329,427 36,176 36,176
Charges for
services 3,000 3,200 4,000
Charges for services
- Utility Fund 2,385,400 2,385,400 2,280,400
Fines and
forfeits 8,000 20,000 25,000
Interest 1,800 1,893 25,620 Miscellaneous 29,800 117,398 60,209
Total 3,144,884 2,941,524 2,808,405
Expenditures:
General
government 245,675 282,139 168,619
Public safety 333,436 422,031 349,711
Fire 228,590 266,604 255,656
Streets and
drainage 223,859 239,773 235,080
Culture and
recreation 37,750 44,136 43,936
Utility fund
expenses 1,757,985 1,930,361 1,766,902
Capital outlay - 92,933 73,600
Debt service: - - -
Principal - - -
Interest - - -

Total
expenditures 2,827,295 3,277,977 2,893,504
Excess (deficiency)
of revenues
over expenditures 317,589 (336,453) (85,099)
Other revenues
(expenses):
Interest income-
utility fund 700 700 4,532
Capital grant -
utility fund 50,000 38,000 38,000

Total other
revenues
(expenses) 50,700 38,700 42,532
Other financing sources (uses):
Transfers in 750,000 1,199,112 1,074,112
Transfers out (750,000) (1,199,112) (1,074,112)
Total other
financing sources (uses) - - -

Excess (deficiency) of revenues
and other sources over expenditure
and other uses-ALL TOWN funds
$ 368,289 ( $ 297,753) ( $ 42,567)

Additionally proposed amendments to the budget of the Town of Gueydan for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022, may be considered at the public hearing to be held on December 5, 2023 at 5:45 p.m. at the Town Hall, Gueydan, Louisiana. This proposed amended budget is shown as the estimated 2023 amounts on the December 31, 2023, budget documents.

A meeting will follow the public hearing to consider adoption of an Ordinance to adopt the year ended amended budget of 12/31/2023 and the proposed 2024 budget.

S/Roxanna Richard S/Jude D. Reese Roxanna Richard, Clerk Jude D. Reese, Mayor

Published in The Gueydan Journal Newspaper: Thursday, November 16, 2023

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The Erath Middle School Girls Cross Country team celebrates its first-place finish at the state meet.

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The Erath Middle School Boys Cross Country team earned a third-place finish at the state meet.

Erath Middle girls win State Cross Country title

Boys bring home third place finish

Members of the Erath Middle Cross Country teams traveled to Pineville for the Louisiana Junior High Cross Country Championships.
They returned home with plenty to celebrate.
Backed by several strong performances, the Erath Middle girls’ team captured a state title.
The boys’ team earned a third-place finish.
The first five EMS girls finished All-State. Cheyenne Earnest (All-State) led the girls with a 2nd place finish overall. She was followed by Grace Theriot (All-State), Ainsley Cornner (All-State), Masyn Armstrong (All-State), Gretchen Theriot (All-State), Katherine Baudin, Annabelle McDonald, Ava Simon, Alaina Theall, Rilyn Perro, Elizabeth Cormier, and Lyla Meaux. The EMS Girls Cross Country Team won the State Championship by 9 points over Louise McGehee, a private school from New Orleans.
The boys were led by Easton Speyrer (All-State) with a top 10 finish. He was followed by Zaylen Vincent (All-State), Caul LeBlanc, Cooper Greig, Noah LeBlanc, Carter Hunt, Aiden Greig, Colt Toups, Andrew Barras, Aaron Barras, and Rowan Bellis.

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Vermilion Parish sits at the top of the rankings in the Acadiana area.

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Vermilion Parish School System is ranked No. 9 in the state.

Vermilion tops Acadiana area; Parish School System achieves growth in 2022-’23 school, district performance scores

On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Education released district and school performance scores for the 2022-2023 school year. The Vermilion Parish School System is proud to announce and celebrate an outstanding 1.9 point increase in its overall performance scores for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Superintendent Tommy Byler shared his thoughts on the accomplishment, saying, “This remarkable achievement not only reflects the unwavering commitment to excellence, but also highlights the efforts of students, educators, parents, and all of our Vermilion stakeholders.”
Vermilion Parish Ranks No. 1 in the Acadiana area and is the only district in the area to achieve “A” status. The Vermilion Parish School System had a 1.9 point growth from last year and has achieved “A” status once again as we rebound from the challenges of the pandemic.
The Vermilion Parish School System also is proud to announce that its
district ranks as one of the Top 10 districts in the State of Louisiana.
“We are very proud of where our system’s accomplishments have placed us. Being the top school system in the Acadiana area, once again is exciting. On the state level, we were excited to move up one spot. More impressive for our teachers and students is that of the top 10 schools, Vermilion had the fourth highest district growth,” Byler added.

Unprecedented Success
at Individual Schools

The success of the district was a direct reflection of the accomplishments of the individual schools. In a year that saw 15 of the parish’s 20 schools grow, here are a couple of highlights from schools reaching all time SPS scores in this year's accountability grades. This extraordinary accomplishment extends to the individual schools within the Vermilion Parish School System.
Cecil Picard Elementary celebrated a 5.0 point growth in performance scores, achieving its highest-ever performance score of 96.5 A.
Kaplan High School achieved its highest performance score ever at 108.1, with a notable 1.0 point increase from last year.
Seventh Ward Elementary reached new heights with a performance score of 94.9 A, reflecting a 1.8 point increase, and also reached its highest performance score ever. Dozier Elementary achieved a huge milestone of success with a remarkable 6.5 point growth in performance scores, marking its highest performance score ever at 93.4 A. Rene A. Rost Middle School also achieved its highest performance score ever at 79.5, showcasing a 1.0 point increase.

Significant Growth at
Individual Schools

While 15 of the 20 schools did show growth, Byler said the school system wants to recognize the following for exemplary growth:
• Jesse Owens Elementary
84.8 B, 6.6 point growth
• Dozier Elementary
93.4 A, 6.5 point growth
• North Vermilion Middle
86.4 B, 5.1 point growth
• Cecil Picard Elementary
96.5 A, 5.0 point growth
• Gueydan High
88.8 B, 5.0 point growth
• J.H. Williams Middle,
60.0 C, 5.0 point growth
• Herod Elementary
60.5 C, 4.2 point growth
• North Vermilion High
105.4 A, 3.6 point growth
Byler added, “Any growth is our ultimate goal, but when we see large amounts of growth from some of our schools, it is a testament to all of the efforts of our students, teachers and school leaders that they were able to execute their schoolwide goals and plans.”

Letter Grade Gains

Three of the parish’s schools moved up in letter grade status.
“We are proud of these accomplishments as well,” Byler said.
Those schools are:
• Dozier Elementary
86.9 B to 93.4 A, 6.5 point growth
• J.H. Williams Middle
55.0 D to 60.0 C, 5.0 point growth
• Herod Elementary
56.3 D to 60.5 C, 4.2 point growth

VPSS High Schools

The Vermilion Parish School System is proud to announce the remarkable achievements of its five high schools, which have earned well-deserved recognition for their outstanding performance. Among these institutions, Erath High School has truly shone by securing the fourth position in the state for traditional public high schools, closely followed by Kaplan High School, which stands at fifth. Not to be outdone, North Vermilion High School has earned its place at 11th.
“When you look at our scores in totality, it is a great accomplishment for the district. We know, however, that we have areas that can still be improved. We will continue to work hard on striving for greater excellence and achievement in this ever changing world of education,” Byler added.

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Rotary Club of Abbeville President Brady Broussard Jr. (left) and Rotary Club member Mark Shirley (right) present Allen McLain Jr. with is 2023 Rotary Club Farmer of the Year.

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Allen McLain Jr. is joined by his sons, Allen III and Luke, his wife, Erin, and his parents, Laura and Allen Sr., during the Rotary Club of Abbeville’s presentation of the Farmer of the Year Award.

Rotary Club of Abbeville honors Allen McLain Jr. as Vermilion Parish Farmer of the Year

There is a saying about who to thank for the meal you ate today.
Each year, the Rotary Club of Abbeville dedicates a day to offer a special thanks to those who work to make sure food is plentiful, by presenting its Farmer of the Year Award.
Allen McLain Jr. is this year’s recipient. The Rotary Club honored McLain during its weekly meeting on Wednesday.
“It’s a huge honor,” McLain said after the meeting.
That is especially true, as the Rotary Club is not an ag-centric organization, he added.
“It’s an organization that doesn’t have direct ties to agriculture,” McLain said. “To know that they have a day set up to honor agriculture, it makes you understand how much agriculture really means to our parish.”
McLain farms more than 1,000 acres of rice and around 400 acres of crawfish in Vermilion Parish. McLain operates a crawfish boiling catering business, and recently acquired land at Live Oak Plantation for rice and crawfish production. That location will also be the site of an agrotourism venture McLain plans to launch.
“It’s a large part of what drives a community,” McLain said of every farmer’s operation. “It may not affect everyone directly, but it does indirectly.”
McLain has worked directly with numerous people in agriculture through various boards and organizations. McLain graduated from both the LSU AgCenter and USA Rice Leadership programs. He serves as the president of the Vermilion Rice Growers Association. He is an officer for the Louisiana Rice Growers Association. For Vermilion Farm Bureau, McLain is the Second Vice President, while also holding a seat on the board of directors for Louisiana Farm Bureau. McLain is also a participant on the Farm Bureau Crawfish Advisory Committee.
“We are happy to recognize the work and contributions to Vermilion Parish agriculture that Allen and his family are making,” Rotary Club member Mark Shirley said before presenting McLain with his award.
McLain comes from a farming family, including his parents, Allen Sr. and Laura, and brothers, John and Ryan.
“Allen and his wife, Erin, have two boys, Allen III and Luke,,” Shirley said while introducing McLain’s family during the presentation, “who may be the next generation of McLain farmers in Vermilion Parish. And ever present in their hearts and ours is their beautiful daughter, Kaylee.”
In the spirit of thanks, McLain made sure to offer some to his family, as well as everyone who is part of his operation.
“It was an honor to be recognized,” McLain said, “but it’s not just me. It’s all the people around me that need the credit. Without everyone who’s on your team, you can’t get done what you need to get done.”

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Task Force agents recovered drugs and paraphernalia during the arrest.

Woman faces numerous charges after Task Force arrest in Vermilion Parish

According to Sheriff Mike Couvillon, the Vermilion Municipal and Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force made the following arrests for narcotics related offenses within the parish.
After receiving complaints in reference to suspected illegal narcotic activity, Agents conducted a thorough investigation to identify the residence and its occupants. After lengthy surveillance and covert operations, agents were able to secure a search warrant for the residence, identified as 10416 Arbor Road in Abbeville After the safe execution of the search warrant, Agents were able to locate various suspected illegal narcotics intended for Distribution throughout the parish. Whitney Fruge, 35, was arrested and charged with the following:
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule I, (Heroin)
• Possession with Intent to Distribute Schedule II, (Methamphetamine)
• Possession of Schedule IV, (Clonazepam)
• Possession of Schedule IV, (Alprazolam)
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Possession of Schedule II, (Amphetamine)
• Possession of Schedule II, (Buprenorphine)

Sheriff Couvillon would like to thank the mayors, and their council, of Abbeville, Gueydan, and Erath, along with their chiefs of police, for their support of the Vermilion Municipal  and Sheriff’s  Narcotics Task Force. Sheriff Couvillon also applauds the concerned citizens of Vermilion Parish for their awareness and assistance in helping the Task Force in fighting the war on illegal drugs. He  encourages all citizens with information in regards to illegal drug activities to contact the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office or the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit at 337-740-4501 or E-mail the Task Force anonymously at taskforce@vpso.net and your e-mail will be held in the “strictest of confidence” and replied to in a very timely manner.  Sheriff Couvillon and the agents of the Task Force will continue their fight against narcotics dealers and narcotics traffickers inside of Vermilion Parish and will continue to network with other agencies in this fight. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.
More information on reporting drug activities can be seen on our Web Site at www.vpso.net. Click on Narcotics and fill out the TURN IN A PUSHER information. 

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The Abbeville High Wildcats travel to Lutcher to face the defending state champions of Non-Select Division II in a regional playoff game on Friday. Tickets will be sold in advance at the Abbeville High front office for fans wishing to attend the game. Tickets are $10 each if purchased in advance, or $12 at the gate.

Tickets on sale in advance for Abbeville-Lutcher playoff game

Tickets for Friday's second-round high school football playoff between the Abbeville High Wildcats and the Lutcher Bulldogs will be available in advance at a discount at the Abbeville High School front office.
Tickets are $10 apiece in advance, or $12 at the gate, according to AHS head football coach Roderick Moy.
Tickets may be purchased at the AHS front office during school hours this week.
Lutcher (7-2) is the defending Non-Select Division II state champion. As the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, the Bulldogs had a first-round bye.
Abbeville (9-2), seeded 13th, beat No. 20 seed Pearl River in the opening round at Wildcat Stadium, 34-20.

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Justin Montgomery (9) breaks a tackle attempt by Pearl River’s Charlie Carraway (16) in the process of scoring on a 23-yard run for Abbeville in the opening round of the Non-Select Division II football playoffs on Friday at Wildcat Stadium. Montgomery rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns in Abbeville’s 34-20 win.

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Abbeville running back Ta’Zavian Andrews (3) finds a crease to run through against Pearl River on Friday. Andrews ran for 120 yards on 12 carries.

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Abbeville’s offense lines up in a steady rain against Pearl River on Friday.

Wildcats Roll in 1st Round

Abbeville piles up 418 yards on the ground to beat Pearl River, 34-20

Friday night’s wet, dreary weather kept the crowd to a minimum for Abbeville High’s first-round playoff game against Pearl River at Wildcat Stadium.
Temperatures in the lower 60s and upper 50s and a steady rain throughout the game suited the Wildcats just fine, though, as Abbeville rushed for 418 yards in beating the visiting Rebels 34-20.
Many of the Wildcats chose to celebrate their third straight first-round playoff win with impromptu slip-and-slide fun on the field, adding a bit more mud to their already well-saturated red jerseys and white pants.
“We did a real good job up front,” Abbeville head coach Roderick Moy said. “We had to hold on there at the end. That’s a tough football team on the other side that didn’t want to go home. At the end of the day, when they got it within one score and we needed a drive to not end our season, we were able to put it together, and we were able to do what we do. We didn’t change who we were.
“We’re not going to change who we are. Everybody else got nervous, and I said, we need to go down and be ourselves. And we did.”
The Wildcats were unstoppable in the first half. Pearl River used a lateral and a long return on the opening kickoff to stun the home crowd right off the bat, but couldn’t convert the extra point and settled for a 6-0 lead with only seven seconds off the clock.
Abbeville took the ensuing kickoff to the 31, and proceeded to dominate the line of scrimmage and the clock the rest of the half.
AHS chewed up the next 3 1/2 minutes with an eight play drive, capped by Justin Montgomery’s three-yard TD run with 8:11 to go. Zaylun Williams came in at fullback to tack on the 2-point conversion for an 8-6 AHS lead.
Montgomery led the Wildcats with 130 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.
After Tahj Judge snuffed out the next drive with an interception in the end zone, the Wildcats marched 80 yards in six plays, with quarterback Da’Zavien Maze scoring on a 20-yard keeper to extend the lead to 16-6 following a second 2-point run by Williams. Maze had 45 yards on six carries before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out, Abbeville marched 70 yards in eight plays, overcoming two penalties along the way, to tack on another touchdown, this time on a 23-yard run by Montgomery. The missed 2-point try left AHS with a 22-6 lead.
Another defensive stop set up a fourth straight touchdown drive, this one going 61 yards in 10 plays. Edmar Simon III capped the drive with a four-yard scoring run.
Simon finished the night with 53 yards and two touchdowns on only seven runs.
Abbeville scored on four of five first-half possessions with the only other touch coming on a kneel just before half after Williams recovered his own onside kick for the Wildcats with two seconds remaining in the half.

Pearl River mounted a comeback try in the second half, scoring on Tashod Badon’s eight-yard run with 3:43 left in the third quarter and the 2-point conversion by quarterback Trey Turnage.
After an Abbeville fumble gave the Rebels the ball, Pearl River drove into AHS territory, but Simon picked off Turnage at the 1-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.
“I’ve been needing that all season,” Simon said. “All my defensive back guys have one, and I’ve been waiting to get mine. I told coach it was going to come when we most needed it, and it came.”
The ensuing drive stalled thanks to a couple of penalties, and after a punt to the Pearl River 39, Badon broke loose on a 61-yard touchdown, breaking tackles at the 20 and 10 yard lines along the way, to pull the Rebels to within 28-20.
Badon, one of two runners for Pearl River with 1,000 rushing yards this year, finished the night with 184 yards and three TDs on 20 carries. Ziderius Brown, the other 1,000-yard rusher for PRHS, finished the night with 27 yards on six carries.
Abbeville answered quickly, returning the kickoff to the 48 and then driving 52 yards on eight plays, capped by Simon’s 11-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the game.
Simon stressed the running backs’ unselfish play, allowing each other to shine while trying to control the clock and keep the ball away from Pearl River at the end of the night.
“That’s what we try to do,” he said. “Just pound the ball. We trust our offensive line and not being selfish and playing defense, letting those guys get the carries, then when coach needed me, I go punch it in.”
Ta’Zavian Andrews had 120 yards on the ground for the Wildcats on a dozen rushes. Williams added 26 yards on five bruising carries, with three of those carries on the final scoring drive.
“Everybody,” Moy said of the rushing success. “From quarterback, both backs (Andrews and Simon), both fullbacks (Williams and Montgomery). Defensive guys coming across (to offense) and doing a good job for us. Receivers doing a good job blocking on the perimeter. At the end of the day, those five big hogs up front, those five guys on the offensive line, won this ballgame for us.”
“Having those five seniors on the offensive line who have been with us, we can always count on them,” Simon agreed.
The extent of Maze’s injury had yet to be determined, but Moy is confident in Tahj Judge, who started at QB for two years before becoming primarily a cornerback this season.
“Hopefully we can get (Maze) back next week, but we’ve got a guy waiting in the wings, and if it’s bad news, we’ve got a guy back there we trust either way.”
Thirteenth-seeded Abbeville, which improved to 9-2, travels to No. 4 seed Lutcher (7-2) to face the defending Division II state champions this Friday.
No. 20 Pearl River finished the season at 5-5.

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The Kaplan Pirates, shown in action earlier this season, finished their year in the first round of the playoffs on Friday, falling to Jennings, 34-6. (Photo by Kyle Comeaux)

Turnovers foil Kaplan's efforts in playoff at Jennings

JENNINGS — The Kaplan High Pirates moved the ball the way they wanted to in the first half of their Non-Select Division II playoff opener at Jennings on Friday, but turned the ball over three times and trailed 21-0 at halftime.
Jennings went on to a 34-6 win over the Pirates, ending Kaplan’s season at 7-4 overall.
Though the game didn’t turn out the way Kaplan hoped, head coach Cory Brodie said the team’s five seniors — Gabriel Campisi, Jed Devoltz, Talan Fruge, André Marceaux and Grant Stelly — laid the groundwork for the future team, especially with the example they set for the younger players.
“I’m super proud of the five seniors we had, not only on the football field, but guys who are always here,” Brodie said. “They’re the first people at practice. They never felt a job was too small for them. They set up the field for us. They took out the trash. Just five really good people that our younger guys can look up to.
“It kind of sucks for them that it was just five of them, because when we do progress in the future, a lot of our success is going to be because of what those guys showed the younger guys — even though we’re seniors, we’re going to do the little things every day to get better. A lot of them were leaders by example.”
Though KHS moved the ball early, turnovers kept them out of the end zone.
“We had the offense going in the first half,” Brodie said. “We got the ball inside the 30 three times, we just fumbled the ball. We fumbled three times. We thought out of those four drives we had the opportunity to score on three of them.”
Jed Devoltz scored the Pirates’ lone touchdown with 3:12 left in the game.
“We were kind of banged up,” Brodie said. “Carter Petry, our tight end, ended up going out. Kevin Small, our nose guard, ended up getting out. Our starting center sprained his ankle. Daylon Landry, our 1,000-yard rusher, didn’t play tonight. He had a pretty bad quad bruise.
“It was just kind of the wrong time to get banged up and the wrong time to have turnovers — on top of playing a good Jennings team that was hitting on all cylinders.”
Expectations will be high in the future after Kaplan turned around from a 4-6 year to a 7-3 regular season, the coach said.
“We’re going to go from exceeding expectations to trying to reach expectations when they’re super high, so that’s going to be the big battle this offseason, and we’re going to see how we respond to it.”
Though the season didn’t end the way the team wanted it to, Brodie said he thinks it was a successful season, and he’s proud of the senior class.
“Hopefully that’s a foundation of where we are, at 7-3, and we’ll build on that,” he said.

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