Ernest Deroche Sr.
December 16, 2008
Whitney Nicole "Black" Jones
December 18, 2008
The high school football playoffs are over and state champions have been crowned.
But for 80 of the best seniors, there is still one last glimmer of prep gridiron glory to be had.
This Saturday, they compete in the HTV-Lions Club Bayou-River Showdown at John L. Guidry Stadium on the Nicholls State University campus.
Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the stadium on game day.
“This is a great opportunity for these seniors to end their high school careers on a positive note and be honored as All-Stars,” said John Ford, co-chairman of the game.
The game pits players from the three Bayou Parishes (Terrebonne, Lafourche and Assumption) against players from the three River Parishes (St. James, St. Charles and St. John the Baptist).
The Bayou All-Stars are comprised of Assumption, Central Lafourche, E. D. White, Ellender Memorial, H.L. Bourgeois, South Lafourche, South Terrebonne, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Vandebilt Catholic high schools
The River All-Stars hail from Destrehan, Riverside Academy, Hahnville, East St. John, Lutcher, St. Charles Catholic, St. James, and West St. John high schools.
“It’s a great honor to be coaching these guys in their final high school game,” said Travis Douglas, who will coach the Bayou All-Stars. “They’re a great bunch of players. Accumulating all these guys on one team, there’s going to be a lot of talent on the field.”
Douglas is the second-year Central Lafourche defensive coordinator and linebackers’ coach. Riverside Academy head coach Tim Taffi will lead the River All-Stars.
The head coaches of the participating schools held a meeting last month and selected the 40-man roster and coaches for the Showdown. A minimum of three players from each school were chosen. Other at-large players were selected to fill in needed positions.
“We have so many guys who can play multiple positions and on both sides of the ball. To have them all on one team should be a lot of fun,” Douglas said.
The teams began practicing on Monday – the Bayou team at Central Lafourche and the River team at St. Charles Catholic.
The Showdown has evolved greatly since its inception.
From 1999-2002, the game was called the Tri-Parish All-Star Game, and pitted Lafourche and Assumption parish seniors versus Terrebonne Parish seniors.
The game was not played in 2003 because the job of putting on the game became too much for the individual school administrators, according to Ford.
In 2004, the Thibodaux Lions Club took over as the event’s sponsor.
“They asked us to get involved because it’s a task to coordinate all the administrative functions,” Ford said. “It’s been a win-win for everybody involved.”
Rechristened the Bayou Region All-Star Game for 2004 and 2005, the game kept the same format.
Lafourche/Assumption went 6-0 versus Terrebonne during those years of inception and transition.
The River Parish schools were asked to participate in 2006, and the game took on its current name and format.
“At first I was worried about how well the Bayou team would compete with all those great athletes they have in the River Parishes,” Ford said. “But that first year eased my concerns.”
The Bayou All-Stars won in 2006 by a score of 36-20. The River All-Stars won last year 20-17 on a field goal by now NSU kicker Christopher Ilski as time expired.
Since the River Parish teams were included, attendance has nearly doubled to about 4,000, Ford said.
The Showdown is also a fundraiser for the Lions Club.
“We netted around $20,000 last year,” Ford noted. “Half went to typical Lions Club projects like the Crippled Children’s Camp and the Eye Foundation. The other half went towards scholarships.”
The Lions Club awards $500 scholarships to the MVP from each team. Eighteen other players or cheerleaders from the game also receive $500 scholarships to attend Nicholls.
Seven players from last year’s game played for the Colonels football team this season: Ilski, Jesse Turner and Hosea Chatman from Ellender; Kerry Guidry and Josh Verrett from H.L. Bourgeois; Drey Trosclair from E.D. White, and Derek Collins from Central Lafourche.
“It’s great to have an event like that held at our place,” said Colonel head football coach Jay Thomas. “All the kids are from our immediate recruiting area. We get to watch the best seniors play at one time.”
Another player from last year’s Showdown, Jacob Knight, signed to play baseball for the Colonels this season.
Ford is grateful for all the support he receives from the community in putting on the game, especially Nicholls State and broadcast partner HTV.
When HTV rebroadcasts the Showdown, all game sponsors get to air their commercials free. Station owner Martin Folse donates the money he would have made from the advertisements to the Lions Club.
“Since Nicholls is a state agency, they give us the lowest possible reduced rate they can charge us to host the game,” Ford said. “They’re really helpful and go out of their way to make sure everything is taken care of before the game. Whatever resources they have, they allow us to use.”
For the third straight year, the best senior players from the Bayou and River parishes will compete at John L. Guidry Stadium on Saturday. The series is tied 1-1. * Photo courtesy of DR. CHARLES SEAMAN
