Rivals face off in district showdown

Familiar foes are set to do battle tonight in a district 6-3A opener.
The North Vermilion Patriots travel to play the Kaplan Pirates at 7 p.m.
It has been a rough start for the Richard Prejean era in North Vermilion, as the team has sputtered out of the gates with a 1-4 start to the season.
Things have not gone as planned so far, but the four losses, have come to good teams. The Patriots have suffered losses to Episcopal Baton Rouge, Rayne, Loreauville and Church Point. Those teams combine for a 16-3 record so far this season.
Ty Desormeaux leads the way on offense for North Vermilion.
Desormeaux has thrown for 566 yards and two touchdowns.
North Vermilion may be without leading rusher Taylor Abshire due to injury.
If Abshire can’t go, it should be Jordan Windham and Flavors Caldwell handling most of the rushing duties.
At receiver, Desormeaux has a plethora of receivers at his disposal.
Junior Dade Dieterich leads the receiving corps with 16 receptions for 153 yards.
Seth Patin, Connor Dupuy and Alan Rowell pose a threat to defenses on the outside.
The Kaplan Pirates enter the game riding high on a three-game winning streak after losing the first two games of the season.
“We have cleaned up a few things,” said head coach Stephen Lotief. “Not anything major, just some small things.”
The Pirates have defeated Westminster, Iowa and St. Martinville in their last three games.
The running game propels the Pirate offense and the slew of running backs: Grant Frick, Julius Johnson, Justin Stoute and Darren Istre benefit from it.
“It is just a testament to our offensive line,” Lotief said. “They have gotten better.”