RSS Feed

RAYNE – The North Vermilion Patriots and the Erath Bobcats participated in the Acadia/Vermilion parish jamboree Thursday night and both fell short on the scoreboard.
  The Patriots took the field against the Eunice Bobcats.  On their second offensive possession, they claimed a 3-0 lead.  
Preston Bagwell led the Patriots down the field with 46 yards on three carries, including a 34-yard burst.  The drive stalled at the five-yard line, and kicker Logan Blanchard connected from 25 yards away to put NV on top with just over two minutes remaining before halftime.
Eunice tried to hurry up to sneak in a score before the break, but Eunice fumbled, and Brody Lambeck jumped on it for the Patriots.
The turnover put NV back in business on the Eunice 16-yard line with 1:10 remaining until in the half.  After two runs and an incomplete pass, the Patriots settled for another Blanchard 24-yard field goal and a 6-0 halftime advantage.
Eunice got the ball to start the second half and put together a 14-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a touchdown and a 7-6 Bobcats lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Bobcats pooched the kick down the right side and recovered the football, setting up first and 10 from the Patriots’ 31-yard line.
The Patriot defense held on fourth down, and the offense took over at their own 20.  NV went three-and-out.  The resulting punt traveled on 13 yards, giving Eunice first and 10 from the NV 33-yard line.  It took the Bobcats only five plays to make the score 14-6 with only 1:20 remaining.
“We had the game in our hands at halftime,” NV head coach Roderick Moy said.  “We pushed them around, moved the ball up and down the field, but they wanted it more than we did.  They got physical with us.  We made a big mistake on special teams.  That’s just not wanting it enough.  Luckily, it’s just the jamboree, and it didn’t cost us anything.  We’ll have to do better if we want to beat Church Point next week.”
North Vermilion will open its season next Thursday at the Church Point Bears.

Eunice......27
Erath........14

The Erath Bobcats jumped ahead early 14-0 but couldn’t hang on against the Rayne Wolves, falling 27-14.
After going three and out on its first possession, Erath pinned Rayne inside its 5-yard line after an excellent punt.  A bad snap on their first play from scrimmage resulted in a fumble in the endzone.  Aiden Bourque jumped on the loose ball for the touchdown.  The extra point made it 7-0 Bobcats.
After picking up one first down on its next possession, Rayne was once again forced to punt.  Talen Landry fielded the kick on his own 30-yard line and raced 70 yards for the touchdown.  The extra point made it 14-0 Erath with 7:13 left in the half.
The Wolves got on the board on their next possession when quarterback Lon Moody connected with a streaking Kylin Wheeler for a 41-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 score with 5:36 remaining until the break.
Rayne scored again only 20 seconds before halftime when Moody took it in from three yards to make the halftime score 14-14.
The Wolves opened the second half with a 15-play drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run and a 27-14 lead that left 7:09 on the game clock.
“Defensively, we held our own for a long time,” Erath head coach Eric LeBlanc said.  “We scored a defensive touchdown, then a special teams touchdown.  They were on the field too long in the first half, and we got worn down.”
Quarterback Jack LeBlanc went 4-for-9 for 37 yards. EHS back  Mason Hebert led the rushing attack with 26 yards on four carries.  He also had two catches for nine yards.
Erath travels to Loreauville on Thursday to kick off its 2024 regular season.

Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White worked hard to persuade over 60 people who oppose the Rails to Trails project that it won’t happen for several years, if it ever happens. She also assured them that she had no intention of allowing the government to seize private land along the railroad for public use.
White attended the Vermilion and Iberia Railroad Development District Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday and addressed the more than 80 parish residents present. 
Two-thirds of the room was against Rails to Trails, while a third favored it.
The first words out of Mayor White’s mouth were that the railroad company did not abandon the railroad. Thus, there can not be Rails to Trails.
“As for Rails to Trails being an issue, it is a non-issue,” said Mayor White. “The railroad is not abandoned, but I will not stop having conversations that I think are good for Abbeville. If the railroad ever decided to abandon the rails, we better have a plan in place.”
Mayor White said that of the 25 city projects she is working on, Rails to Rails is not among her top 25. 
“It is not a project. It is only an idea, up to this point,” Mayor White said.
The train stopped running on the tracks in 2020. Since then, the railroad has started to fall apart, which has the Mayor worried.
Some people are concerned that if the railroad is left behind, the rocks and iron tracks will be removed,
leaving a flat piece of land. Some believe the railroad tracks helped prevent certain areas of the parish from flooding during storm surges.
Mayor White promised that a levee would always be maintained, even if the tracks were removed. She said she would never support anything that would cause homes to flood in Vermilion Parish.
Others worried that the government would use eminent domain (the power of the government to take private property and convert it into public use) to take over the land on which the rail sits today.
Mayor White said she has not investigated the rails-to-trails project enough to determine whether it is possible. 
“I have no idea,” said Mayor White about the government implementing eminent domain. 
Some needed to understand the push to remove the railroad tracks instead of trying to bring businesses into the parish that could use the rail system.
“We should be looking for an alternative for the rails we have in our possession,” said Larry Campisi. “We need to use it as an economic engine for the development of our parish. I think you (Mayor White), this board, need to concentrate on getting grants for the railroad to do what they have to do to improve it and attract businesses.”

February 25, 1935 - August 20, 2024

On Tuesday, the 20th day of August 2024, our beloved Angel, Mattie Gayle ‘Patot’ Campbell McGinnis, gained her wings to meet her savior in North Carolina where she lived with her daughter, Irene and her son-in-law, Calvin. She was a free spirit on earth, yet she became truly free when she entered the holy gates of Heaven.
Services will be held at noon on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at Lighthouse for Jesus Ministries, 6526 Chiasson Rd., Abbeville, La., 70510. Visitation will take place from 9 a.m. until time of service. Prophet J.L. Campbell will officiate. Internment will take place at Pleasant Green Baptist Cemetery, 800 Dorine Miller St., Abbeville, La., 70510.
Our beloved Angel was the first-born child of Rudolph Campbell and Vernice Joiner Campbell. She was a sister and a second mother to her eleven (11) younger siblings.  While growing up, she was active in church activities at Pleasant Green Baptist Church.  She graduated from James A. Herod High School, where she was a member of the state championship basketball team and an award-winning soloist in the choir. 
After graduation, Mattie moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where she met and married the love of her life, Samuel James McGinnis Sr., her husband of sixty-nine (69) years. She then moved to Coloma, Michigan and became a mother to her six (6) wonderful children.  
Mattie enjoyed working alongside her husband and children on their farm in Michigan as well as being a homemaker for her family. She found pride and joy in tending to her plants, farm animals, crops and preparing homemade meals for her family made love and the blessings of God.
Throughout her life the most important thing to Mattie was teaching and spreading the word of God with whomever she came into contact with. Mattie was well-known for singing and shouting throughout churches. Her love for music led to multiple creations of melodies and songs. She was also a self-taught pianist.
After receiving the Holy Ghost, Mattie received a calling from the Lord to preach and evangelize. She began to travel from Michigan to Louisiana to help her sister, Prophetess Anna Bolden, her brother-in-law, Pastor Donnie Bolden Sr., and her sister, Trula Thornton, to establish Lighthouse for Jesus Church.  She moved back to Abbeville and became the Associate Pastor at Lighthouse for Jesus Church for over forty (40) years.  She was also the minister over the Daughter of Rama. 
Mattie was preceded in death by her father, Rudolph Campbell, Sr., her mother, Vernice Joiner Campbell her husband, Samuel James McGinnis Sr., her two daughters: Sabrina McGinnis, Cynthia Chisolm, her grandson, Lawrence Johnson, her two sisters: Shirley Rockette, Anna Bolden, Five brothers: Calvin Campbell, Oris Campbell, Rudolph Jr. Campbell, Youmeller Campbell, Allen Ray Campbell and one sister-in-law, Rosie.
To celebrate her life and continue her legacy she leaves behind: Three Sons: Samuel James McGinnis Jr. (Fran), Arnold McGinnis, Kenneth Ray McGinnis (Tracie); Two Daughters: Brenda Thibeaux, Irene Robinson (Calvin), Three Spiritual Daughters: Tina Sinegal, Elaine Broussard and Josephine. Nineteen (19) Grandchildren: Chris J., Elizabeth, Andrew, Zion, Crist, Conda, Kayawana, Chasity, Brittany, Angel, Sammy, India, Tasha, Joshua, Charisma, Tory, Jireh, Marcel and Sabrie. Forty-two (42) Great-Grandchildren; Two (2) Great-Great- Grandchildren, Two (2) Sisters: Bernice Broussard (Calvin), Trula Thorton. Three (3) Brothers: Lee Arthur Campbell, J.L. Campbell (Lula), Larry Campbell (Delores). A host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family friends, and brothers and sisters in the lord.  
Sister Mattie was a living definition of the word ‘Evangelist’. She lived every moment of her life spreading the good news of the gospel. She was not ashamed of the gospel. She would spin and say “Ha-Ta” anywhere she went, no matter how high or how low.  Her motto was that she was going to do what God told her to do, not what man said to do. She truly lived and believed that to the end of her life. She shared the Joy of the Lord and the Love of God everywhere she went. She has touched, prayed, healed and blessed countless souls all over the United States throughout her lifetime. Mattie Gayle ‘Patot’ Campbell McGinnis is a legend and will never be forgotten.

The brick layers have finished the new crosswalk on Concord Street right in the heart of downtown Abbeville. They even created the word “Abbeville” using black bricks. However, there’s still one more layer of asphalt that needs to be added to Concord Street.