Welcome to unique high school season

The 2020 high school football season is going to be like no other, thanks to COVID 19.
The season officially gets underway Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with parish teams playing real games.
But before you walk into a high school football stadium in Vermilion Parish, there are new rules to follow before, during and after the game.

Buy tickets now

The state is requiring that each football stadium have only a 25 percent capacity. That means that high schools can only allow 250 people for every 1,000 seats the
stadium sits.
Abbeville has the largest stadium in the parish with a capacity of 4,000. That means the stadium can hold 1,000 fans at 25 percent.
High schools are pre-selling game tickets this week and will not be selling any tickets at the gate.
Tickets are being sold at each school.
Vermilion Catholic plays Abbeville at Wildcat Stadium on Friday.
VC began selling pre-game tickets last week for Friday’s game. As of now, there are 275 pre-game VC tickets sold and today is the final day to purchase them, said VC athletic director Kim Guidry.
On Wednesday, Guidry will contact Abbeville High with the amount of VC pre-sell tickets sold.
Today, if VC sells 300 pre-sell tickets, that leaves Abbeville High with 700 more pre-sell tickets to sell.
A ticket to a VC-AHS game is $8.
Kaplan entertains Church Point on Friday.
Kaplan High has already sold close to 200 pre-sell tickets to Pirate fans and around 150 to Church Point fans. As of Monday, there are only 250 pre-sell tickets left.
North Vermilion will not be playing Friday. Instead, the game has been moved to Saturday and will be played at Wildcat Stadium in Abbeville.
NV will be playing all of its home games at Wildcat Stadium because of the capacity.
The Patriots will have two Saturday home games at Wildcat Stadium and a Friday home game in Wildcat Stadium against Washington Marian.

Superintendent explains

School Superintendent Tommy Byler explained the new high school football guidelines to parents and fans in social media post.
The first thing that is required by everyone who is not playing the game is a face mask.
Byler explained that everyone has to enter the stadium wearing a mask. He also advised fans to go to the concession stand before the game because it will close down at halftime.
Family members can sit next to one another in the bleachers, but they must sit six feet apart from another family.
Byler said if you are not eating or drinking in the stands, a mask must be worn.
If you go downstairs, wear a mask.
Byler said children would not be allowed to play outside the bleachers.
“Our goal is to do what is right,” said Byler. “We want to play eight games this season. We are asking everyone to do your part and follow the mandate.”
There will be no tail-gating before and after the game.

No fans on the field

A tradition in Vermilion Parish has been to let fans onto the field with the players during the football coach’s post-game speech.
That is not happening in the COVID-19 crisis.
Once the game is over, fans will be told to head towards the parking lot. The team will exit the field, as well.