RSS Feed

Ossie Blaize coached at schools from Mississippi to New Orleans and southwest Louisiana in a career that spanned more than five decades.
Blaize and wife Debbie, who will celebrate their 25th anniversary in February, plan to stay in Abbeville after the longtime coach and teacher retired last month at the end of the school year. With knee and heart issues he’s dealing with, it was just time to retire, he felt.
“I started in 1970, so it’s been a long time,” Blaize said. “Sooner or later your body and your mind say, ‘It’s enough.’
“I can still do pretty much what I’ve always done, I just can’t do it as long, and I’ve got this little voice in the back of my head that says, ‘Okay, time out.’ You’ve got to learn to listen to that voice.”
Blaize, 73, coached nearly half of his career here — 16 years at Vermilion Catholic, from 1991-2001 and then from 2015-22, as well as from 2008-15 at Abbeville High. Abbeville is also where his three children and his two stepsons were raised, and he’s got five grandkids here, ranging in age from 1 to 19 years old.
“My kids grew up here, her kids grew up here — nobody’s going anywhere,” Blaize said. “I told my wife the next time I move it will be feet first.”
Blaize began his career in 1970 in his home state of Mississippi before moving to Louisiana after five years as coach at Jesuit High School in New Orleans. After four years at Jesuit, Blaize was named head football coach and head track coach at Vandebilt Catholic in Houma, returning to the New Orleans area to coach at Chalmette High.
“I had young kids, plus, I was tired of the city, and this seemed like an ideal spot, so I came here in ’91 and I haven’t left yet,” Blaize said.
Blaize said he had the good fortune to coach a lot of good players and good kids in his career. His high school coach, Billy Murphy, taught him determination and drive, he said. He still talks to Murphy, who brought Blaize to Louisiana when he was named head coach there in 1975.
“He wouldn’t accept second best,” Blaize said of what he learned from his mentor.
He’s got plenty of good memories from his time at various schools, though he said it’s not easy to single out teams and players because he’s coached so many.
“That’s a lot of teams and a lot of years and a lot of games,” Blaize said.
He began as an offensive coach at Jesuit, but moved to defense because the team had struggled there so much.
“I took over a defense that had given up 390 points over 10 games,” he said. “We ended up the next season giving up 78 (points) in 15 games. At that level of competition, I thought that was a pretty good accomplishment. There was no Dome Classic back then, but we got to the finals and played St. Augustine in the Dome and got beat, unfortunately.
“At Vermilion Catholic we had some pretty good football teams. When we lost to Evangel in the semifinals in ’93, that was a heck of a game. Sometimes whether you win or lose a game you still remember it. I had the good fortune to coach a lot of good players, a lot of good kids.”
Blaize spent most of his career coaching football and track and field. At the rural consolidated high school he worked at in Mississippi he was head baseball coach and head track coach, which run simultaneously in the spring.
He was able to handle that because track practice was the last period of the school day, with baseball practice after school. Baseball games were Tuesdays and Saturdays, while track meets were on Fridays, and he had assistant coaches to help out in practice at one sport while he was at another, which made things manageable.
And he got different things out of coaching different sports, Blaize said.
“Football’s a team thing and a strategy thing, but track’s a ‘see kids grow and improve thing,’” he said. “It’s different.”
Athletes have changed since his first days in coaching, he noted, but not in the way many people think. He often hears that kids today are not as dedicated or as tough as they used to be, but he doesn’t find that’s true.
“Today kids are asked to do more than ever before, and they’re still there and they still get it done,” he said. “Like in football, these days everyone has in-season weightlifting, off-season weightlifting, seven-on-seven — it’s on and on and on. People talk about kids not being as dedicated — they are. They’re different. You may have to go about motivating them a different way.”
One way they are different is that today’s young athletes are much more knowledgeable about their sports, in large part because of the internet and social media.
“You can learn how to do anything on the internet,” he said.
When he first started coaching in Louisiana, he said, there was no javelin or triple jump competition in Mississippi, so he had never coached those events.
“So to learn how to do those two events, after football season was over, I drove to either Southeastern (Louisiana University) or LSU every day, and worked with those coaches and learned how to do the events. Today all you’ve got to do is click a video, and they start with ‘this is a javelin,’ and you can learn how to do anything.
“But the facts and the knowledge kids have about games, all of the sites they can go to about plays, it’s mind boggling.”
Blaize adapted to the modern technology used today because he had to, he said. Though he may not be a computer expert, he learned enough to do what he had to do.
“Like Billy Murphy used to say, adaptation or extinction,” he said.
Blaize said it would be tough to pick out who the best athlete he ever coached was. Among those who come to mind are Tommy Killen, a Nike national champion discus thrower at Catholic High in New Iberia, and Morgann LeLeux, who was at CHS as well, though he didn’t coach her directly. LeLeux was an NCAA All-American at both the University of Georgia and UL Lafayette, and competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
For pure athleticism, the three he’d probably put in the finals from among those he coached would be Ben Rogers and Sheldon DeHart, who competed as decathletes at UL Lafayette, and Ryan St. Julien, who played football at LSU but was a great track athlete with a 6-foot-10 high jump and a sub-13 second hurdles time.
“Speed, agility, that type of thing,” Blaize said. “I could probably throw 10 other names in there, but to me that would be my finals.”
As a coach, he was never able to look at sports or athletes through the eyes of a parent or grandparent, even with son Travis, who signed with UL Lafayette as a decathlete. In April, Travis Blaize was named head football coach at Westminster Christian in Opelousas after serving as VC’s offensive coordinator. Blaize said he will help his son coach track athletes at Westminster a couple of days a week. He’ll also coach a couple of track athletes who’ve asked him for help, but will spend most of his time with his wife and grandkids, taking it easy for a while.
He’ll miss being around kids, he said, because they keep coaches young.
“As far as missing things, I guess it would be the look on a kid’s face when they do something they didn’t think they could do,” Blaize said. “That’s why you teach. Teaching and coaching go hand-in-hand.
“I think unfortunately, coaches get a bad rap as teachers, but the majority of times that’s really not the case, because if you’re not a good teacher, you can’t coach.”
Blaize taught English, psychology, social studies and similar subjects in his career. The skills to teach and to coach are intertwined, he said. Teaching the skills of how to make a block in football is similar to teaching how to solve an algebra problem.
“It’s a skill you have to teach, it’s a strategy. You have to be a good teacher. And you have to be versatile. What works with one kid doesn’t work with another.”
He also had to mention his wife, and anyone else who’s been a coach’s wife.
“They have to make as many sacrifices as you do (as a coach), believe me,” he said. “They’ve got to put up with the time you spend, and take up the slack.
“During football season you get to school at 7 o’clock. By the time you finish football practice and do what you’ve got to do, you get home at 7 o’clock, if you’re lucky. Friday nights you don’t get home till 10 or midnight, (depending on) whether it’s home or away. That’s 10 plus weeks every year, so that’s tough. Your wife’s got to be really understanding and supportive, otherwise it’s not going to work.”
Blaize said he doesn’t think he’ll be bored, though being retired hasn’t fully hit him yet.
“Right now it just feels like summer,” Blaize said. “I don’t guess I’ll feel retired until Septemberish.”

Abbeville Main Street is soliciting Main Street Restoration Grant applications from downtown commercial building and/or business owners.
The Louisiana Main Street program offers grants ranging from $2,500 to $10,000. Grants are available for either interior or exterior building rehabilitation projects.
Applications received from Abbeville Main Street building and/or business owners will compete statewide for funding with other Main Street communities. Over the years, Abbeville Main Street has received nearly $100,000 in redevelopment grant funds from the Louisiana Main Street program,
initiating almost $600,000 in local projects costs plus associated jobs and economic stimulation.
To be eligible for Main Street Restoration Grant funds, a building must be located within the downtown Main Street district, be used for commercial purposes, and be at least 50 years old. In addition, the proposed work must be approved by the local Historic District Commission and the Louisiana Main Street office, while also conforming to the guidelines set forth by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
The Main Street Restoration Grant applications, details and deadlines are available from Charlene Beckett, Main Street Director at 337-652-2239 or abbevillemainstreet@cityofabbeville.net.

Richard “Wayne” Touchet

June 12, 1948 ~ June 15, 2022

ABBEVILLE — A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1:30 PM on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church honoring the life of Richard Wayne Touchet, 74, who died peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Reverend Louis J. Richard and con-celebrant, Father Glenn Meaux will officiate the service. Pallbearers will be Ben Segura, Cade Touchet, Kelly Richard, Jr., Eric Durke, Joshua Durke, Grant Johnson, and Jaiden Hungerford. Honorary pallbearers will be his grandchildren, brothers, and all past and present Police Jury members. Lectors for the service will be Ron Darby and Wendy Parich. Gift bearers will be Bobbie and Kelly Richard, and Rita and Ernal Broussard.
Wayne moved to Abbeville as a young man from Erath/ Prairie Gregg area and became a friend to all. Learning from his father, he started a building contractor business and in a short period of time became known as an outstanding builder. He developed relationships that lasted throughout the years. During this time, he also decided he wanted to be a detective at the Vermilion Parish Sheriffs Department. He worked diligently on every case he was assigned. As time went on, he felt the need to serve his community further and ran for District 5 Police Juror, which he held for 18 consecutive years. He served as President of the Police Jury in 2010 and 2011. He was a dedicated servant always getting the job done even if it wasn’t in his district. This was his calling and his passion. So proud to say – “I serve District 5”. He was appointed to serve by Governor Blanco on the inaugural board of the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council in 2006. He appreciated being able to help develop new laws that would benefit citizens of Louisiana.
Wayne enjoyed working in his vegetable garden. He was known for the biggest and best vegetables. Even once he became ill, he continued to tend to his garden. He also enjoyed fishing through the years and had developed a love for traveling. Traveling to the Czech Republic was one of his proudest moments, along with taking numerous cruises. Vacation was something he looked forward to but always made the comment – “Make it happen between my meetings – I’m not missing a meeting”!
Family was important to Wayne as he was a proud father/grandfather who loved talking about his family. His biggest accomplishment and was so proud to say – “I have 6 children, but I have 22 grandchildren AND I have 10 great grandchildren”. He was also proud to know that in October 2022 a great-great grandson would be born. He always spoke of them with pride on all of them.
Wayne’s life was full and well lived. He had no regrets. Possibly the only – not being around to continue to serve the community.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth “Liz” Comeaux Touchet; two sons, Brian Touchet and Ben Segura and his wife, Tyler; four daughters, Carrie Durke and her husband, Aaron, Becky Sonnier and her husband, Chuck, Renee Touchet, and Victoria Richard and her husband, Kelly Jr.; two brothers, Rodney Touchet and his wife, Jan, and Jeffery Touchet and his wife, Susan; two sisters, Wendy Parich and her husband, Mike, and Donna Flemming and her fiance, Skylar; twenty-two grandchildren; ten great grandchildren; a great-great grandson due in October; mother-in-law, Joyce Comeaux; and brothers-in-law, Kermit Comeaux and his wife, Beth, and Randy Comeaux and his wife, Mary.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Villy Touchet and the former Adley Desormeaux; two brothers, Joey Touchet and Tony Touchet; maternal grandparents, Fernance Desormeaux and the former Sedia Dore; paternal grandparents, Sevinier Touchet and the former Victoria Romero; father-in-law, Kern Comeaux; and brother-in-law, Bubba Fleming.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 300 Pere Megret St., Abbeville, on Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 12:30 PM until time of funeral mass at 1:30 PM. Private burial will be held at a later date.
The family would like to thank Acadian Hospice and his devoted caregivers, Vera Shelvin and Carol Ozenne. We would also like to thank nurse, Angel Kidder for all of her love, support and guidance during this difficult time.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.vincentfuneralhome.net.
All funeral arrangements are being conducted by Vincent Funeral Home of Abbeville, (337) 893-4661.

The LSU AgCenter is instituting school garden programs across southwestern Louisiana to teach youngsters where their food comes from and how to make healthful choices in their daily lives.
Seventh Ward Elementary school in rural Vermilion Parish is surrounded by crawfish ponds and sugarcane fields. But the students may not relate the area’s commercial agriculture crops to the foods they eat daily.
School garden projects help students see exactly where their food comes from, said Anna Barras, a family and consumer sciences agent with the AgCenter in Vermilion Parish.
“This is a rural community. There is a lot of food being grown around them, but a lot of kids don’t grow up on farms, so they are not all sure how it comes about,” Barras said. “We are doing our best to show them where — at least — their fruits and vegetables come from.”
Marlene Primeaux, principal of Seventh Ward Elementary, said the program is more than just an opportunity for the students to expand their nutritive culinary options. It serves as a way to teach them that there are healthful, frugal food options that the students can grow in their own home gardens.
Barras said one of the goals of the school gardens is for students to bring healthy habits back home.
“Most of the kids don’t get to try things like this at home if their parents don’t buy it,” Primeaux said as the students sampled fresh green beans, bell peppers, squash and cherry tomatoes. “By exposing them to the different things that Anna brings, maybe, they can ask their parents to buy those things.”
Physical education teacher Leisa Lee said the students have become more aware of the school garden especially when it comes to weather patterns. Lee pointed out to the captivated youth that one of their squash plants produced a double squash, possibly caused by over- or underwatering. Lee told the students that watering the raised beds posed a challenge but will be adjusted for future crops.
“This was all an experiment,” Lee said. “As the years go by, we will hopefully get better at it.”
The three, 3-foot-by-3-foot raised beds that compose the entire school garden could not produce enough produce to feed the whole school. So, Barras carried grocery bags full of fresh vegetables so that all the school’s students could sample the same produce growing in their school garden.
While some schools have plots of land set aside for their school gardens, not all facilities can meet that demand. At Seventh Ward Elementary, local farmers and Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau pitched in to provide the material and manpower to construct the three raised beds where the students witnessed seeds turn into food.
Barras instructed the students on proper planting and watering techniques while the students monitored their crop’s progress. The small bounty they produced included tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, basil and other herbs.
Barras said the school gardens became the Vermilion Parish FCS agents’ Healthy Communities project. In 2019, when fellow Vermilion Parish FCS agent Mandy Armentor linked up with the schools for the Healthy Communities project, they began with playground stencils to promote physical activity for students.
This year, the advent of the school garden came as Seventh Ward Elementary was the last school in the district that did not have a garden of its own.
“Every year, we are trying to add something to give the school more access to healthy foods, to teach the kids where their food comes from and to promote physical activity,” Barras said.