Varnado will hit the road tonight and head to North Vermilion, as the Wildcats try for three straight wins.
“They have a very good 3A team that lost to one of last year’s state champions last week (Division IV’s Ascension Episcopal),” Varnado coach Scott Shaffett said. “They’re a very, very good ball club. It’s a four-hour bus ride there, so you’ve got to fight the bus ride. They’re a very good team, very disciplined and good size. We have to bring our ‘A’ game and play four quarters. Even though we don’t have the depth they have, we still have to play for four quarters.”
The Wildcats enter tonight’s game with a 2-1 record after defeating St. Helena College & Career Academy, 34-6, last week.
Shaffett said he was proud of the way the whole team played, especially in the second half.
“We stepped our game up,” Shaffett said. “We started out slow in the first half. I was proud of the way the entire offense played. Defensively, I was happy with the way we played all night long. They had been scoring 50 points a game and we held them to six.”
Last week, James Williams accounted for three touchdowns. He threw one to Armontee Kemp and ran for two others.
Kemp intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. That was one of two defensive touchdowns for the Wildcats, as JoNathan Green scored on a fumble return. JaDarrell Magee scored a two-point conversion.
North Vermilion, which is located about 15 minutes outside of Lafayette, has a 2-1 record after losing for the first time this season in a 47-7 loss to Ascension Episcopal.
“We were kind of reeling last week,” North Vermilion coach Richard Prejean said. “We lost our quarterback the previous Friday. We didn’t think it was a serious injury at first, but it was. We had a freshman quarterback starting last week and he’ll start again this week.
“We made some special teams mistakes last week. We had a fumbled snap on a punt. We had a couple of muffs and one was right there on the 2-yard line.  We also had a sky kick that went about 15 yards. We didn’t execute in all three phases. Varnado’s a very talented team. They know how to win. They’ve got some experienced guys in there.”
Junior Garrett Becker started every game at quarterback last season and is out with an injury. Dale Martin takes his place under center.
“I think he’s a different style of quarterback,” Prejean said. “He’s a passing guy, big tall lanky kid with a strong arm. I think he’ll make up for his lack of experience with good decision making.”
The running backs are Malik Criner and Kendrick Baudoin. Prejean said Criner is their go-to guy in the running game and Baudoin is a change of pace back.
Also, Ryan Broussard is a starting free safety, but is being used in the backfield.
The wide receivers are Darius Davis, Monty Breaux and Darius Gilliam.
Prejean said some of the team’s top defenders are Broussard, nose tackle Drake Griffin, and linebackers Joel Pigron and Tyler Plaisance, along with Cooper Derouen. Derouen also plays tight end.