Four local teams appear on brackets

Four local teams have a chance to bring home the ultimate prize in prep football – the state championship.

Vermilion Catholic, North Vermilion, Kaplan and  Delcambre each made it into the playoffs as of Sunday afternoon, and are looking for a trip to the Superdome the second week in December. Of the four schools, Kaplan is the only one with a home game this week.

Vermilion Catholic is ranked No. 1 in Division IV, the select school playoff bracket for Class 1A. Because of the low number of schools in 1A, the Eagles have a bye the first week of the playoffs, leaving them an extra week to prepare. Their opponent next week will be either St. Martin’s Episcopal or VC’s own district rival, Central Catholic of Morgan City. The last time the Eagles took on Central Catholic, a slow start gave way to a big finish, and it’s a rivalry that has been played close for years.

The Eagles capped off the regular season 10-0 for the second time in three years, making them a favorite for this year’s state championship. It has the potential to be VC’s second major state title in a calendar year. Last spring, the Lady Eagles basketball team picked up a big state title win in Monroe.

The Kaplan Pirates are at home Friday night, ranked at No. 11 and hosting No. 22-ranked Mansfield. The Pirates ended the season 8-2, closing out the year with a loss against Notre Dame, who with the win picked up the district title, unseating the Pirates and the North Vermilion Patriots. Last year, the Pirates made it to the first round, but lost to Loranger.

However, Loranger will be hosting another Vermilion Parish team this year as the No. 20-ranked North Vermilion Patriots head that way to them on. Loranger is currently ranked at No. 13. The Patriots capped off a slow start to the season with a 4-1 district record, overcoming Kaplan by one point at the beginning of the district season and closing with a 10-6 win over Erath Friday night.

Delcambre made it into the playoffs at No. 32, pitting them against the No. 1 team in Class 2A, the Many Tigers. The Panthers ended the season 2-8 after a loss to Catholic High of New Iberia on Friday night.

The football state championship game for Division IV, VC’s division, is set for Saturday, December 14 at noon. The Class 3A state championship game, which North Vermilion and Kaplan will be trying to reach, will be played on Friday, December 13 at 8:30 p.m. The Class 2A state championship game, Delcambre’s goal, is the same Friday, but at 4:30 p.m.