Abbeville hosts No. 3 team in 3A

The Abbeville Wildcats have a big challenge ahead of them, possibly the biggest of the year.

0-2 in district, the challenge gets even steeper as the Wildcats host the Notre Dame Pioneers, who are 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in district. The Pios are currently the favorite to take the district title, and the Wildcats are struggling with offensive follow-through in their drives.

The Wildcats have the ability to drive the ball down the field, but according to head coach Chris Towery, the team shoots themselves in the foot when it matters most.

“You can’t give up four interceptions,” Towery said. “We had three returned for a touchdown. It kind of takes the wind out of your sails when that happens.”

The Wildcats have a defense that has been capable of stopping some good offensive drives by teams like Rayne and Loreauville, but their own offensive drives have yielded little so far this year.

“It’s what happens when you rebuild a program from scratch,” Towery explained. “There’s a lot that goes rebuilding a program from the ground up, and it can’t be done in just one year. It’s an ongoing process.”

But, it’s a process that a lot of the players seem to be behind, Towery added. 

“We still have all our guys showing up to practice and ready to work,” he said. “It’s all a matter of putting it all together.”

The Wildcats (0-7, 0-2 district) will take on Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Friday night.

Next week, it’s another tough challenge against Kaplan for the annual Russo Trophy. The final game of the season will feature Abbeville against West St. Mary, who are currently also 0-2 in district play and looking for a win.