CCHS to participate in innaugural jamboree

Central Catholic will hit the road Friday to participate in the inaugural Kiwanis Select Jamboree at Teurlings Catholic High School in Lafayette.
The Eagles will face Sacred Heart of Ville Platte, which, like the Eagles, are led by a new coach this season in Gary Adkins.
Central Catholic coach Tommy Minton said Adkins is trying to implement an option-based offense.
“A lot of it’s out of the Wing T, but he’s running a lot of option,” Minton said. “In the scrimmage, they played a lot of different backs,” he said. “They played two quarterbacks with the first team, so it looks like he’s trying to get to know his personnel.”
However, at this juncture, Minton said the Eagles’ coaching staff is more concerned about Central Catholic.
“We want to see improvement in what we’re trying to do on a week-to-week basis,” he said. “We want to execute better on offense. We want to be able to operate at a better tempo on offense. We want to make sure we’re gap sound on defense. We want to make sure we’re lining up where we need to be. We want to play hard, play fast on defense, and those are things that we control and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get better ourselves.”
The Eagles are one of three contests that will be played Friday and one of six in the two-night event, which begins today.
Central Catholic’s game, set for 8:30 p.m. Friday, is the nightcap with games prior featuring Ascension Episcopal and Hanson at 6 p.m. and Tuerlings Catholic and Catholic High-New Iberia in the middle game.
Today, Vermilion Catholic will face Opelousas Catholic in the opener, while St. Thomas More and Notre Dame will square off in the middle contest and Lafayette Christian and Westminster Christian in the finale.
While rain is a possibility Friday, an advantage for the teams in the jamboree is that the field will hold up even with the rain, Minton said.
“One of the things you look at, there’s about a 50 percent chance of rain Friday night, but we’re playing on one of the nicest turf fields in the state, so if it rains, we’re still going to be on a good playing surface, and that’s what you want,” Minton said. “You want to be able to go out there and not be slopping around in the mud and be able to play.”
The games will consist of two 15-minute halves, Minton said.
Presale tickets from the contest are being sold in the Central Catholic front office for $8 through lunch Friday. Minton encouraged those attending to purchase their tickets here, noting the money from presale tickets will be kept by the school.
At the game, tickets will be sold for $10.
Additional reporting by The Acadiana Advocate and www.theadvertiser.com.