Still Together: Public, private schools to compete together in 2016 football slate

Louisiana prep football schedules are out for the 2016 season.

A quick glace at the slate shows that private schools are still going to compete against public schools in non-district play – a topic which has been debated for months as the state’s postseason split continues to expand to more sports.

The schedules were posted on MaxPreps throughout the past few weeks. MaxPreps is the site coaches use statewide to report stats and results throughout the year.

At quick glance, area private schools (Vandebilt, E.D. White, CCA and Houma Christian) will play eight non-district affairs against public schools – an occurrence which might not last for long, as coaches have pondered joining an athletic cooperative which, if created, would give the state a second league for athletic competitions.

If formed, many speculate the cooperative would ban its members from playing cross-league games against members of the LHSAA. In layman’s terms, it would mean that public schools like Terrebonne High would never play E.D. White, Vandebilt or other private schools ever again.

“I’d be willing to listen,” Vandebilt football coach Jeremy Atwell said last month when asked about the split. “I can’t speak on behalf of our school or our administrators, but from Jeremy Atwell’s perspective, I’d at least be willing to sit down, have some conversations and see what it’s all about.”

“Time will tell,” CCA football coach Randy Boquet added. “We’ll have to make some decisions and when the time comes, we’re going to have to explore our options and see what’s best for Covenant Christian Academy and our student-athletes.”

Even with the public/private matchups set for 2016, the idea of a sudden unity within the LHSAA is misleading.

The overlying reason for the cross-matchups in non-district play are that they are part of multi-year scheduling contracts and that breaking those contracts would have proved to be hard work for coaches.

In prep football, teams make schedules every other year, signing two-year contracts with each non-district opponent per scheduling cycle.

The 2015 season was the first year in that cycle.

That means that the 2016 schedules are replicas of last year, except with 2015’s visiting team now playing the same opponents at home this time around.

Next spring when coaches start the two-year cycle again, more separation may be seen – especially if whispering surrounding other sports prove true.

Area basketball coaches said this week that they’re hearing some private schools will avoid competition from all Louisiana schools which voted for the public/private split expansion.

One coach, who asked not to be named for fear of negatively impacting his program, said he was told in an e-mail that the prestigious Sunkist Basketball Tournament will pull all its invitations from schools who supported the expanded separation.

Terrebonne High boys’ basketball coach Derek Szush expanded on that and said he’s being told that the New Orleans area Catholic League will avoid scheduling any school which voted to separate.

“You hear things about the Catholic League,” Szush said. “You hear that they won’t play anyone who voted a certain way. You hear that private schools won’t play any public schools – period. We hear that we won’t be given a chance to schedule them, which won’t have a huge impact, but it will limit things a little bit.”

The 2016 prep football season will begin Sept. 2.

Below are the full schedules for area teams. The * denotes district games.

Lafourche Parish:

South Lafourche

Sept. 2 – vs. Bonnabel

Sept. 9 – vs. Carver

Sept. 16 – at Thibodaux

Sept. 23 – vs. C. Lafourche

Sept. 30 – vs. Plaquemine

Oct. 7 – at Morgan City*

Oct. 14 – vs. Vandebilt*

Oct. 21 – vs. Ellender*

Oct. 28 – at Assumption*

Nov. 4 – at S. Terrebonne*

Central Lafourche

Sept. 2 – vs. Patterson

Sept. 9 – at Vandebilt

Sept. 16 – vs. S. Terrebonne

Sept. 23 – at S. Lafourche

Sept. 30 – at HLB*

Oct. 7 – vs. Thibodaux*

Oct. 14 – vs. Destrehan*

Oct. 21 – at Hahnville*

Oct. 28 – at Terrebonne*

Nov. 4 – vs. East St. John*

Thibodaux

Sept. 2 – at St. Charl. Cath.

Sept. 9 – vs. E. Ascension

Sept. 16 – vs. S. Lafourche

Sept. 23 – at Terrebonne*

Sept. 30 – vs. East St. John*

Oct. 7 – at C. Lafourche*

Oct. 14 – vs. HLB*

Oct. 22 – at St. Augustine

Oct. 28 – vs. Destrehan*

Nov. 4 – at Hahnville*

E.D. White

Aug. 26 – at Lakeland (Fla.)

Sept. 2 – vs. Vandebilt

Sept. 9 – at Lakeshore

Sept. 16 – vs. St. James

Sept. 23 – vs. Kaplan*

Sept. 30 – at Franklin*

Oct. 7 – vs. T. Jefferson

Oct. 14 – at Patterson*

Oct. 21 – at N. Vermilion*

Oct. 28 – vs. Berwick*

Nov. 4 – vs. Erath*

Terrebonne Parish:

South Terrebonne

Sept. 2 – vs. H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 9 – vs. Terrebonne

Sept. 16 – at C. Lafourche

Sept. 23 – at Dutchtown

Sept. 30 – vs. St. Amant

Oct. 7 – at Vandebilt*

Oct. 14 – vs. Assumption*

Oct. 21 – at Morgan City*

Oct. 28 – vs. Ellender*

Nov. 4 – vs. S. Lafourche*

Ellender

Sept. 2 – at Terrebonne

Sept. 9 – at H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 16 – vs. Bonnabel

Sept. 23 – vs. Patterson

Sept. 30 – at St. Martinville

Oct. 7 – vs. Assumption*

Oct. 14 – vs. Morgan City*

Oct. 21 – at S. Lafourche*

Oct. 28 – at S. Terrebonne*

Nov. 3 – vs. Vandebilt*

Terrebonne

Sept. 2 – vs. Ellender

Sept. 9 – at S. Terrebonne

Sept. 16 – at Assumption

Sept. 23 – vs. Thibodaux*

Sept. 30 – at Destrehan*

Oct. 7 – at Hahnville*

Oct. 14 – vs. Lakeshore

Oct. 21 – vs. East St. John*

Oct. 28 – vs. C. Lafourche*

Nov. 4 – at H.L. Bourgeois*

Vandebilt

Sept. 2 – at E.D. White

Sept. 9 – vs. C. Lafourche

Sept. 16 – vs. SCC

Sept. 23 – at CCA

Sept. 30 – vs. Newman

Oct. 7 – vs. S. Terrebonne*

Oct. 14 – at S. Lafourche*

Oct. 21 – at Assumption*

Oct. 28 – vs. Morgan City*

Nov. 3 – at Ellender*

CCA

Sept. 2 – at Westminster

Sept. 9 – vs. Hannan

Sept. 16 – vs. Gueydan

Sept. 23 – vs. Vandebilt

Sept. 30 – at Catholic (PC)

Oct. 7 – vs. Ridgewood*

Oct. 14 – vs. Varnado*

Oct. 21 – vs. St. Martin’s*

Oct. 28 – at H. Christian*

Nov. 4 – vs. Grace King

Houma Christian

Sept. 2 – vs. H-land Bapt.

Sept. 9 – vs. False River

Sept. 16 – at Sacred Heart

Sept. 23 – at B. Franklin

Sept. 30 – vs. Ascension

Oct. 7 – at St. Martin’s*

Oct. 14 – vs. Ridgewood*

Oct. 21 – vs. Slaughter

Oct. 28 – vs. CCA*

Nov. 4 – at Varnado*

H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 2 – at S. Terrebonne

Sept. 9 – vs. Ellender

Sept. 16 – at S. Plaq.

Sept. 23 – at East St. John*

Sept. 30 – vs. C. Lafourche*

Oct. 7 – vs. Westgate

Oct. 14 – at Thibodaux*

Oct. 21 – at Destrehan*

Oct. 27 – vs. Hahnville*

Nov. 4 – vs. Terrebonne* •

LHSAA SchedulesCASEY GISCLAIR | THE TIMES