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Travin ‘Tiki’ Moore would love to be just like his dad.
“I know my dad (Travin Moore) was a great athlete at Abbeville High, (2000 AHS grad),” he said about his dad, who was a standout player at Abbeville back in the day. “But I would also like to be better than he was .. someday.”
That is pretty big words to say considering his father’s athletic accomplishments in high school and college.
The elder Moore was an All-State football player and track star for the Wildcats. He played football at Northwestern State. Travin is also in the Abbeville High Hall of Fame.
Tiki and his dad also have different middle names, which sets them apart. Tiki’s middle name is Kohl while Travin’s middle name is Shawndale.
Where did the name ‘Tiki” come from?
His father has a simple answer for that question.
“Instead of calling him ‘Travin’ and I answer, my wife started calling him TK,” his father answered. “I did not like TK, so I called him Tiki and then everyone started calling him that.”
Tiki may well get his chance to match or exceed his father’s exploits on the football field this season.
The junior is slated to be the starting running back and linebacker for Vermilion Catholic this year as he returns from a knee injury sustained during the spring.
“It happened in February,” Moore said. “I thank God that it wasn’t serious, just a small meniscus injury.”
Moore said that he injured his knee playing basketball and that it wasn’t going to slow him down as he prepared for a return to the football field in the fall.
But after playing last year in the season of COVID-19, nothing was going to prevent him from coming back for the Screaming Eagles.
“Last year was hard, there were a lot of obstacles to overcome,” Moore said. “It was fun to do it in some ways but we know what we need to do to accomplish our goals.
“We had a great team last year with a lot of dynamic players that are going to need to be replaced but I feel that this year’s team is going to be just as good.”
Moore added that he felt that it wouldn’t be too hard to replace those players considering the new scheme that VC is going to run this year and with the players that return from last season’s t eam that advanced to the Division IV semifinals.
For Moore’s part of the VC offense, he gets down to the chase of what he does very quickly.
“I run the ball,” he said. “I go where my blockers lead me. I have a great line that helps me do what I want to do and does a great job in making me look good.”
Moore said that he’s both an inside runner and an outside runner. Not afraid to go between the tackles to get the hard yards but also enjoying running wide and putting a move on a cornerback or linebacker to spring a play for long yards as well.
Coming back from any knee injury is hard enough but for a running back, it can be double hard. But Moore credits his physical therapist for helping him recover from meniscus surgery and getting him ready for the season.
He said he was down for a couple of months and is about 80-85 percent back as the season nears.
And he can’t wait to see how the new offensive scheme the Eagles will run takes off.
“It’s not a hard scheme to learn or to run,” Moore said. “I’m up for the challenge of what I am expected to do in the new scheme, It should be fun.”

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette has erased $2.7 million in student debt.
UL Lafayette utilized allocations from the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, part of the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law in March. It provided $39.6 billion to higher education institutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 1,175 students at UL Lafayette benefited from the debt relief.
To qualify, they must have been enrolled on or after March 13, 2020. The University eliminated debts incurred between the Spring 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. If a student enrolled in Spring 2020 had an account balance from a previous semester, it was forgiven as well.
“We care about students and their success,” said Dr. DeWayne Bowie, UL Lafayette’s vice president for Enrollment Management. “By eliminating balances, we’re providing students with much-needed relief that will enable them to focus on their academic journeys and move them closer to completing their degrees.”
The debt forgiveness applied only to balances students owed to UL Lafayette and not to any private loans.
Separately, the University utilized HEERF funding to provide direct grants to students enrolled during the Summer 2021 semester. Those funds were disbursed in late June.
Qualified undergraduate and graduate students received between $500 and $900. The amounts varied depending on the number of credit hours they were enrolled.
The University plans to issue similar payments to registered students in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters as well. Students will receive more information regarding payment dates and amounts at the beginning of each semester.
More information on HEERF disbursements is available on the University’s website, louisiana.edu/heerf.

DELCAMBRE – Private Graveside services will be held for Mrs. Otis Jean Comeaux, the former Gertrude Bertrand, age 92, at Our Lady of the Lake Mausoleum.
Fr. Buddy Breaux will officiate the service.
A Memorial Service will be announced at a later date.
Mrs. Comeaux passed away on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at 8:20 am at her residence.Gert, as she was affectionately known, graduated from Erath High School.
She was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church where she was a devoted and faithful servant of God. She was employed as a clerk at Riley LeBlanc’s and LeBlanc’s Food Center. She then went on to work at Pam’s Hair Hut for many years where she was known for giving the best head washes and scalp massages.
Gert enjoyed spending time with her family, family gatherings and going out to dinner with her sister in law and nieces.
She is survived by her half-brothers, Chester Bertrand, Charles Bertrand and Jessie Bertrand; her sister in law, Lily Gerard Bertrand; her nieces, Jackie Toups and husband Wayne; Cora Bertrand and companion Kenneth Theriot; Lena Myers and husband Darryl; Tammy Gordon and Husband Ches and numerous great nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Otis Jean Comeaux; parents, Soline and Marie Degeyter Bertrand; stepmother, Alfreda Bertrand; two sisters, Gladys Touchet and Elvie Fabre and two brothers, Clarence Bertrand and Rex Bertrand.
To view the on-line obituary and sign the guest register, please visit www.evangelinefuneralhome.com.Evangeline Funeral Home of Delcambre is in charge of arrangements.

The Abbeville Police Department is having to make changes to its everyday operations due to the COVID-19 virus.
The police department issued a press release on policy changes due to COVID.
“Abbeville Police Chief William Spearman and The Abbeville Police Department remain committed to the safety of the citizens of Abbeville.
The health and well-being of each citizen is always a concern. With this in mind, the Abbeville Police Department will be altering operations within the agency.
Effective August 6, 2021, the Abbeville Police Department will be suspending all fingerprinting and salvage vehicle inspections at our office. All visitors coming into the Abbeville Police Department will be required to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. These protocols will remain in effect until further notice.”
The Abbeville Police Department is asking that anyone who has any information regarding any crime to please contact the Abbeville Police Department by calling 893-2511.
You may contact their “Tips” line at 892-6777.
All callers may remain anonymous. Citizens may also send anonymous tips through the Tip411 system at the department’s Facebook page @ www.facebook.com/AbbevillePolice Department/, the official web page @ www.abbevillepd.com by clicking on the “Submit a Tip” link provided or through the official Abbeville Police Department app, which can be downloaded through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.