Yesterday kicked off high school football season with the 2026 Kiwanis Jamboree featuring six Lafayette area teams. Here is a quick recap of the three jamboree matchups throughout the day.
Lafayette 27, Cecilia 14
The Lafayette Mighty Lions’ offense was firing on all cylinders from the very start as Dartmouth quarterback commit Richmond Saunier hit a 70-yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Jayden Jenkins. That set the tone for the course of the game. Coming in from Comeaux High School, Lamar commit Jaden Celestine ran for another 70 yards and two touchdowns while Saunier threw for a second touchdown to Dwayne Batiste to help get the Bulldogs a 27-7 lead. The Bulldogs scored a second half touchdown from Deondre Briscoe to cut it within two scores, but the Lions offense ran out the rest of the clock to get a 27-14 win.
“I know we have it in us, but we got weapons all over the field. We came out there, fired on all cylinders, and we operated well. That’s the name of the game right now. We did our job and good things happen when you operate well. I’m proud of the way we played. There are things that we can fix up. I’m really proud of the way we played.”
Lafayette 2027 QB Richmond Saunier
St. Thomas More 41, Breaux Bridge 0
The St. Thomas More Cougars were dominant from start to finish against the Breaux Bridge Tigers in a 41-0 victory. While in the past it was the Cougars’ passing game stealing headlines, it was the run game that stole the show as Owen Bailey ran for two touchdowns while Conner Baer, Jon-Patrick McFarlain and James Lyons all played a big role. The defense was just as impressive shutting out the Tigers thanks to the efforts of a strong defensive front led by Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game invitee Tristan Klock. The Cougars also were able to show off their depth by giving a lot of players reps in the scrimmage including three different quarterbacks: Grayson Hemard, Preston Pellerin, and Eli Clark.
Southside 28, Carencro 6
The Southside Sharks showed why they are a heavy favorite to make a run in Division I Non-Select as Jess Curtis had a solid all-around effort against a talented Carencro team. On the ground, Kollen Francois and Justin Williams were a 1-2 punch with Williams rushing for two touchdowns and Francois getting a kickoff return for a touchdown. Parker Dies showed why he was a veteran starter as he even threw a touchdown himself to Jayden Moncrieffe, who would also later get reps at quarterback. Former Gridiron Football Junior High All-American QB Carson Gurzi led a touchdown drive himself for Carencro, but for the most part, the Sharks defense held the Bears’ offense in check.
“That is so important and that’s kind of the thing that scares you early on is your special teams. It’s the third aspect and the one that gets probably the least amount of time. I was proud of the kick return touchdown because that’s a big part of that. It was good to have a complete ball game.”
Southside Head Coach Jess Curtis
More coverage will be posted this weekend as I will have complete jamboree coverage of Bayou Jamb.