16 teams expected at Pirate Relays

The Pirate Relays are expected to be one of the biggest track meets in Vermilion Parish this track season.
There are 16 teams expected to participate in the relays.
All seven of the Vermilion Parish teams will participate, and joining them will be, Church Point, Crowley, ESA, Eunice, Notre Dame, Tuerlings, Lafayette Christian, Westminster, and Opelousas Catholic.
The field events will start at 3:30 p.m. and the track events will begin at 5:45 p.m.
There is also a bit of a shift in the girls 3200 meter race. It will be ran at 4:30 p.m. to accommodate the large number of teams.
This meet also marks the last meet before the Parish, District and Regional track meet.
“At this point everyone is going with their A team,” Kaplan’s head girls track coach Craig Blanchard said. “I have told our kids that if they want to compete at the parish and district track meets, they better compete this week.
“I feel the rest of the coaches feel that way too. The experiments are over. Now we are just trying to get our kids in the best possible spot they can be in before parish and district.
Coach Blanchard isn’t the only one trying to make sure his kids peak at the right time.
“We are starting to put the puzzle together,” Erath head girls track coach Jonathan Bouillion said. “We just want to make sure that we are were we need to be come the district meet. We have a couple of meets between now and then, and they are very important to us, to make sure we are ready.”
To go along with the big field of participants, it looks as though mother nature is going to play nice this afternoon and tonight.
The Patriot Relays, two weeks ago, had to be moved because of rain, and the Cashen Relays were on the verge of being moved because of rain.
The forecast for the Pirate Relays looks free and clear of rain, and hopefully they will go off without a hitch.
Again, the field events will begin at 3:30 p.m., and the track events going off at 5:45 p.m., with the only exception being the girls 3200 meter race, which will begin at 4:30 p.m.
The meet is being held at Kaplan.

Andy Bullard
Sports Editor