RSS Feed

 The number 78 was special for the Vermilion Catholic defense on Friday. Throughout the week before the game, they kept seeing the number 78 all over social media. But rather than intimidating them, it seemed to fuel their fire even more.
By game time, the VC defense had one goal: to prevent the St. Edmund’s offense from doing what it did against St. Martin’s in the second round of the playoffs. St. Edmund’s won 78-32. Many thought the 78 was a statement for their next opponent.
With eight minutes left in the game and VC leading 47-6, the Blue Jays scored two late touchdowns, bringing the final score to 60-20.
Twenty points was the least scored this season by St. Ed’s.
At the end of the third period, St. Ed’s quarterback had minus 20 yards of offense by himself.
St. Ed’s QB Kane West had minus yards because of defensive line Gabe Boudreaux. Boudreaux was in the backfield for three periods and gave West fits.
      “I was thinking about how they put up 78  points against St. Martin’s,” said Boudreaux.  “Yeah, the 78 points was my main motivation. Their offense was pretty good, and they thought they would beat us.”
Well, that did not happen.
However, the Blue Jays did look like they would give the Eagles a game. On its opening drive, St. Edmund marched 78 yards in 16 plays for a touchdown. With three minutes left in the first period, the score was 6-0.
The VC defense kept St. Ed’s from doing anything offensively in the first half. After the opening drive for a touchdown, St. Ed’s punted in its next three possessions, and VC scored on its next three possessions for  20-6  lead in the first quarter,
Seth Boudreaux and Jackson Trahan teamed up in the first quarter to sack the quarterback.
VC freshman Trevin Hebert, who plays cornerback, came up big for the defense. On third down and seven on St. Ed’s 34-yard line, Hebert stepped in front of a pass for an interception that he converted into a 34-yard touchdown after outrunning the defender. His TD made the score 27-6.
 “As soon as I saw him (St. Ed QB) wind up, I threw it, and I came up and jumped in front of it,” said Hebert. “It was an amazing feeling.”
That was Hebert’s first varsity interception. Hebert said he did not care what St. Ed’s did the week before.
“They have to come to our house and play our defense,” he said. “We do not believe anyone can come here and dominate us like that. Especially in our house.”
The Eagles defense got a big interception, which resulted in VC scoring another touchdown to make the score 60-12. Jyrin Bessard had the interception on the VC 10-yard line, and he ran it back 76 yards to set up another VC touchdown. 
 St. Ed’s had just over 250 yards of total offense and scored two touchdowns in the game’s final eight minutes. 
VC’s defense will face a significant challenge next week in the semifinals. The Kangaroos (10-3) come into the game averaging 47 points during the playoffs and 34 points in the regular season.

A Mass and Christian Burial officiated by Reverend Suresh Mathangi will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, November 30, 2024, at St. Anne Catholic Church in Cow Island honoring the life of Lester J. David, 91, who passed away on November 25, 2024, at his home in Cow Island.
A formal visitation will be held at St. Anne Catholic Church on Saturday, November 30, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a Rosary being prayed at 11.30 AM. The burial will follow at St. Anne Cemetery.
He was a devoted Patrol Sergeant in the Louisiana State Police, bringing honor and integrity to his profession. He also served his country in the U. S. Army, Hq. Btry 496th AAA Bn, Special Training Regiment 101, Airborne Division. He loved being a farmer, cattleman, crawfish farming and hunting. He was proud to be a member of The American Legion for 45 years, a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Cursillista from Cursillo #66. His faith was always in the forefront of his life.
He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Barbara LeMaire David, one daughter, Kim D. Verret (Greg), two sons, Hal Lester David (Angie) and Mitchell Todd David (Vickie) of Cow Island, 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Otis David and the former Euland Breaux, one son, James (Jim) David, one brother Wendell R. David and one great granddaughter, Kennedy Stelly.
Pallbearers will be Heith David, Buck Verret, Blake Verret, Andrew Cook, Jedd David, Jacob David, Cody Verret and Gabriel Verret. Honorary pallbearers will be Finn Kiddy, Keegan David, Evangeline Verret, and Henri Verret.
The family would like to extend special thanks to Connie Romero, Bonnie Benoit, Janet Broussard, and Lisa Laviolette for the loving care they extended to us in our time of need. Also, a special thanks to Traditions Hospice nurses and caregivers for everything they did for us.

Jonathon Dartez knew what he had to do.
As he waited for the kickoff after Westminster Christian Academy took a 10-6 lead in the second quarter after a long touchdown pass, the Vermilion Catholic senior was thinking about how to get the Eagles back into the lead.
“I knew I had to do something, make a play, score a touchdown, something,” Dartez said as he waited for the kick.
And as he has done all four years at VC, Dartez did something unique.
His 60-yard kickoff return set the Eagles up at the WCA 20-yard line, and two plays later, Dartez scored his second rushing touchdown of the night to give the Eagles a 13-10 lead on the way to a 47-17 win over the Crusaders in the second round of the Select Division IV playoffs Friday.
“That’s what he does,” VC coach Broc Prejean said after the Eagles stayed undefeated at 11-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals against No. 8 seed St. Edmund next week. “That’s what he’s done all four years here.”
Dartez did it again and a lot more. The senior rushed for 199 yards and four touchdowns and threw for 84 yards and two more scores, as Vermilion Catholic rallied from a first-half deficit of 3-0 and 10-6 to beat the Crusaders (8-4).
Dartez’s second touchdown run of the night started a 34-point run for the Eagles, who eventually built a 40-10 lead over the Crusaders. The majority of those points came in the second half after VC added another touchdown right before halftime to go into the break with a 20-10 lead.
“Hats off to Westminster,” Prejean said. “We had four possessions in the first half, and they did a good job of limiting our opportunities, and they played a heckuva half, and  I’m proud of the result we showed in the second half.”
The Crusaders did everything possible in the first half to disrupt the Eagles.
A long drive in the first half led to a field goal and a 3-0 lead for WCA, and a long touchdown pass in the second quarter gave the Crusaders a 10-6 lead, but the Eagles kept coming back and eventually pulled ahead for good on Dartez’s second touchdown run on the game in the second quarter.” They executed some plays early and were on fire, and we had to weather that storm,” Prejean said.
The VC coach thought the game’s turning point was later in the second quarter, right before halftime, when Jyrin Bessard scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Dartez, giving the Eagles a 20-10 lead going into the break.
“Jy just made a special athletic play to get into the endzone, and going up 20-10 at halftime with us getting the ball to start the second half was big.
“Then executing that first drive of the second half and scoring to go up 27-10 was huge.”
Stephen George led WCA with 200 yards passing and 50 yards rushing, but it wasn’t enough for the 16th-seeded Crusaders, who finally broke the Eagles’ extended point run with a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 40-17. Even then, the Eagles added a final touchdown for the final margin.
“They did a great job tonight,” Prejean said about WCA. “The team we saw in the scrimmage and the team we saw tonight were two different teams,” Prejean said. “Their quarterback made some big-time throws that were tough to defend. I’m proud of our guys for really stepping up and playing hard as we needed to play.”
Now the Eagles turn their attention to the No. 8 St. Ed Blue Jays (10-1), who scored 78 points in their win over St. Martin’s Friday.
“You can’t ignore what the Blue Jays have been doing all year,” Prejean said. “They have been putting up some wild numbers.
“They are going to be a big challenge for us, and they aren’t going to back down. We expect next week to be a war.”
Caleb Guidry carried the pigskin 10 times for 46 yards for VC. Luke McLain had three carries for 37 yards.
Hudson Hebert had three catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Jyrin Bessard had two catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Dartez even had two catches for 10 yards.
VC’s Luke McLain returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.

July 12, 1944 - November 20, 2024

ERATH – A Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Irene Romero Champagne, 80, will held at 1 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 2024 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Fr. Emmanuel Hernandez officiating . Interment will follow at Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at Frioux-David Funeral Home of Erath on Friday, November 22, 2024 beginning at 9 a.m. until the time of the services with a recitation of the rosary at 11 a.m.
Mrs. Irene Romero Champagne died on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 2:20 p.m. Irene was cherished by her many family members and friends. She was a fixture of Erath, due to her continued support and contributions to the community. Irene grew up in Youngsville, Louisiana as the fifth child of Osa and Edia Romero. She graduated from Youngsville High School in 1962. In 1966, Irene married Lester Champagne. She was instrumental in the openings of Champagne’s Supermarket of Erath in 1968 and Delcambre sixteen years later, along with the Delcambre Fuel Depot in 1998. While a working mother, she managed to raise four sons: Brentley, Jude, Clint, and Cotty. She currently has eleven grandchildren and 13 great-grandkids She loved her family, friends, and community, and will be greatly missed.
Irene is survived by three sons, Jude and his wife Julie, Clint and his wife Amy, and Cotty and his wife Valerie, all of Erath; two sisters, Shirley Broussard and her husband Larry of New Iberia, and Linda Zeringue and the late Tommy of Breaux Bridge; eleven grandchildren, Brodie Champagne, Trevor Champagne, Tristan Champagne, Hunter Champagne, Hannah Champagne, Lillian Champagne, Kate Champagne, Cade Mickal Francis, Margaret Champagne, Matthew Champagne, and Kale Champagne; and thirteen great-grandchildren, Layla, Carter, Camden, Cooper, Codah, Charli, Wyatt, Luca, Lux, Blakely, Grayson, Marlie-Cole, and Luke.
Irene is preceded in death by her husband Lester Champagne, her son Brentley Champagne, her parents Osa Romero and Edia Hollier Romero, and siblings Cecile Labit, Cora Domingue, Brenda Grow, Purvis Romero, and Alton “Pete” Romero.
Serving as pallbearers will be Brodie Champagne, Trevor Champagne, Tristan Champagne, Hunter Champagne, Matthew Champagne, Kale Champagne, Cade Mickal Francis, and Carter Champagne.
The family would like to thank Darlene “Sissy” Menard and the staff at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, as well as the staff at Hospice of Acadiana.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations are to be made to Hospice of Acadiana: www.hospiceacadiana.com/hoa/donate (337) 232-1234 ; 2600 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA 70503.
Frioux-David Funeral Home of Erath at 209 E.Putnam St. (337)937-0405 will be handling the arrangement.