Prep football schedules released in Louisiana

Spring football is here – an exciting time for local prep sporting fans excited to get a peek at what’s to come.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association added to the excitement this week by releasing prep football schedules for the 2015 season.

On the LHSAA’s website (www.lhsaa.org), fans can now browse through and find the schedules for all 11 of our local high schools.

Some of the schedules aren’t fully complete, as coaches are juggling to fill non-district open dates. But most of the schedules are just about done – an exciting time for coaches, players and fans alike, because it means the new football season is almost here.

“It’s getting close. It’s right around the corner,” Houma Christian coach Chuck Battaglia said. “We won’t do much in the spring. We’re going to just be out there for a couple of days. But it’s good to have it on your mind again and to be gearing up for yet another year.”

The most obvious thing among the schedules is that local prep coaches did their due-diligence to keep rivalries alive.

Because this is a redisricting year, it meant that all of the non-district contracts were expired from the past two years. That meant that all local prep coaches were free to schedule games against any team in Louisiana with a common open date.

With South Lafourche dropping from Class 5A to Class 4A, some fans worried that this would mean that the Tarpons would no longer play heated rivals Central Lafourche and Thibodaux because they’re no longer in the same district and thus aren’t required to face-off.

But the three schools struck a deal that will keep the rivalries alive – even if just in non-district competition.

The Tarpons will host Thibodaux in Week 3 this coming season on Sept. 18. They will travel to play at Central Lafourche the next week on Sept. 25.

In the 2016 season, the games will be reversed with the Tarpons going to Thibodaux and hosting the Trojans.

“We wanted to keep those games on our schedule and keep them alive,” Thibodaux coach Chris Dugas said. “It means a lot to the kids, you know? Those are big rivalry games and those are games that the kids really look forward to competing in. We enjoy playing South Lafourche. They have a good program, and they’re a team our guys always gets up to play.”

“I think it’s a good thing that we’re keeping it going,” South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains said when making his schedule. “As coaches, we treat every game the same, but in the community, those rivalries mean a lot, so it’s good to keep it together and continue to face one another.”

Away from those rivalries, a lot of other locals will lock horns against one another, as well.

Central Lafourche’s non-district slate is glittered with local flavor. The Trojans will play Patterson in Week 1, Vandebilt in Week 2 and South Terrebonne in Week 3.

The Gators will also be active competing against local foes, tangling with the Trojans in non-district, as well as Terrebonne and H.L. Bourgeois.

For Vandebilt, the non-district slate will be glittered with familiar faces, but also new foes.

As-always, the Terriers will open the season with E.D. White. After that, they will take on Central Lafourche, St. Charles Catholic, CCA and then Newman.

On paper, the Terriers’ non-district slate would appear to be among the toughest in Class 4A for local teams.

Below are the 2015 prep football schedules, as they’ve been reported to the LHSAA website at press-time on Monday evening.

* denotes district game

S. LAFOURCHE

Sept. 4 – @Bonnabel

Sept. 11 – vs. Carver

Sept. 18 – vs. Thibodaux

Sept. 25 – @C. Lafourche

Oct. 2 – @Plaquemine

Oct. 9 – vs. Morgan City*

Oct. 16 – @Vandebilt*

Oct. 23 – @Ellender*

Oct. 30 – vs. Assumption*

Nov. 6 – vs. S. Terrebonne*

C. LAFOURCHE

Sept. 4 – vs. Patterson

Sept. 11 – vs. Vandebilt

Sept. 18 – @S. Terrebonne

Sept. 25 – vs. S. Lafourche

Oct. 2 – vs. H.L. Bourgeois*

Oct. 9 – @Thibodaux*

Oct. 16 – @Destrehan*

Oct. 23 – vs. Hahnville*

Oct. 30 – vs. Terrebonne*

Nov. 6 – @East St. John*

THIBODAUX

Sept. 4 – vs. St. Charles

Sept. 11 – @East Ascension

Sept. 18 – @S. Lafourche

Sept. 25 – vs. Terrebonne*

Oct. 2 – @East St. John*

Oct. 9 – vs. C. Lafourche*

Oct. 16 – @H.L. Bourgeois*

Oct. 23 – vs. St. Augustine

Oct. 30 – @Destrehan*

Nov. 6 – vs. Hahnville*

E.D. WHITE

Sept. 4 – @Vandebilt

Sept. 11 – vs. Lakeshore

Sept. 18 – @St. James

Sept. 25 – @Kaplan*

Oct. 2 – vs. Franklin*

Oct. 10 – @T. Jefferson

Oct. 16 – vs. Patterson*

Oct. 23 – vs. N. Vermilion*

Oct. 30 – @Berwick*

Nov. 6 – @Erath*

SOUTH TERREBONNE

Sept. 4 – @H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 11 – @Terrebonne

Sept. 18 – vs. C. Lafourche

Sept. 25 – vs. Dutchtown

Oct. 2 – @St. Amant

Oct. 9 – vs. Vandebilt*

Oct. 16 – vs. Assumption*

Oct. 23 – vs. Morgan City*

Oct. 30 – @Ellender*

Nov. 6 – @S. Lafourche*

ELLENDER

Sept. 4 – vs. Terrebonne

Sept. 11 – vs. H.L. Bourgeois

Sept. 18 – @Bonnabel

Sept. 25 – @Patterson

Oct. 2 – vs. St. Martinville

Oct. 9 – @Assumption*

Oct. 16 – @Morgan City*

Oct. 23 – vs. South La-

fourche*

Oct. 30 – vs. South Terrebonne*

Nov. 6 – @Vandebilt*

VANDEBILT

Sept. 4 – vs. E.D. White

Sept. 11 – @C. Lafourche

Sept. 18 – @St. Charles

Sept. 25 – vs. CCA

Oct. 2 – @Newman

Oct. 9 – @Assumption*

Oct. 16 – vs. S. Lafourche*

Oct. 23 – vs. Assumption*

Oct. 30 – @Morgan City*

Nov. 6 – vs. Ellender*

TERREBONNE

Sept. 4 – @Ellender

Sept. 11 – vs. S. Terrebonne

Sept. 18 – vs. Assumption

Sept. 25 – @Thibodaux*

Oct. 2 – vs. Destrehan*

Oct. 9 – vs. Hahnville*

Oct. 16 – @Lakeshore

Oct. 23 – @East St. John*

Oct. 30 – @C. Lafourche*

Nov. 6 – vs. H.L. Bourgeois*

H.L. BOURGEOIS

Sept. 4 – vs. S. Terrebonne

Sept. 11 – @Ellender

Sept. 18 – vs. S. Plax

Sept. 25 – vs. East St. John*

Oct. 2 – @C. Lafourche*

Oct. 9 – @Westgate

Oct. 16 – vs. Thibodaux*

Oct. 23 – vs. Destrehan*

Oct. 30 – @Hahnville*

Nov. 6 – @Terrebonne*

CCA

Sept. 4 – vs. Westminster Christian

Sept. 11 – @Hannan

Sept. 18 – @Gueydan

Sept. 25 – @Vandebilt

Oct. 2 – vs. Catholic-P.C.

Oct. 9 – @Ridgewood*

Oct. 16 – @Varnado*

Oct. 23-TBD Oct. 30 – vs. H. Christian*

Nov. 6 – vs. Crescent City*

HOUMA CHRISTIAN

Sept. 4 – @Highland Baptist

Sept. 11 – @False River Sept.

18 – vs. Sacred Heart

Sept. 25 – vs. Ben Franklin

Oct. 2 – @Ascension Christian

Oct. 9 – vs. St. Martin’s Episcopal*

Oct. 19 – @Ridgewood*

Oct. 23 – @Crescent City*

Oct. 30 – @CCA*

Nov. 6 – vs. Varnado*

South Lafourche quarterback Harvey Allen tosses a pass during practices. The Tarpons unveiled their 2015 schedule this past week, which will pit the team against Bonnabel, Carver, Thibodaux, Central Lafourche and Plaquemine in non-district play – the team’s first season in Class 4A.

CASEY GISCLAIR | THE TIMES