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RAYNE - On the very first drive of Thursday’s second game of the Acadia-Vermilion Jamboree, it didn’t take long for the Rayne High Wolves to show what they have to offer this season.
Accepting the kickoff, the Wolves drove in their first drive for a score and never looked back for a 35-14 win over Abbeville.
“Overall, our guys had a good night,” stated Head Coach Curt Ware as he leads his 13th football squad at Rayne High. “A good job overall for us and we are coming along as a team,” he continued.”
Offensively, the Wolves collected 297 total offensive yards in the two 15-minute halves of the jamboree, while limiting Abbeville to only 210 yards behind a tough Rayne defense minus two starters out with injuries.
“Offensively, our guys did well,” Ware noted of his offense scoring 35 points on the night. “Darian (Richard) is new at quarterback, but he did a good job. He ran the offense and our guys did what they needed to do. We have a few guys who really did a good job considering this is really our first ‘game’ for the new season.”
Richard completed three passes for 58 yards on the night. Receiving all three completions was Zach Fontenot.
“Don’t get me wrong,” continued Ware. “We need to improve -- all teams need to improve -- especially at this early stage of the game and with all the new guys we have on the line. That will come as the season progresses.”
Leading the Rayne scoring was Darien Harmon with 107 rushing yards on eight carries and punching in a touchdown.
Scoring two touchdowns each for the Wolves were Trent Winbush and Johnny Deculit. Winbush collected 92 ruching yards on nine carries, while Deculit had three touches for 15 yards.
Completing the Rayne rushing yards were Darien Senegal (3-14), Darien Wilridge (2-14) and Darian Richard (1-7).
Rayne’s veteran defense seemed ready and able as Abbeville was limited to only one score in each half.
“We looked good on offense, Ware noted of his returning veterans. “We still have two starters out right now so I was expecting a few kinks. We’re still switching some people around, but they played better as the game continued.”
Rayne tackles were led by Tony Roberts with 5.5 tackles and three solos, joined by Grant Trahan (4), Johnny Deculit (3.5), John Daigle (3), Canaan Olivier (2.5), Ron Roberts (2.5), and Daren Harmon, Zach Fontenot, Jamien Evans, Tora Benoit and Tavares each with 1.5 tackles.
Fontenot also nabbed an interception, Harmon and Winbush collected a tackles for a loss at the line, and Roberts recovered a high Abbeville snap for a recovery which led to a Rayne score.
“I think our strong point tonight were our special teams,” boasted Ware. “Yea, they really produced some big plays. You’re always glad to see that at anytime of the season, especially early on like this.”
“Zach (Fontenot) really did a good job on all sides of the ball tonight,” continued Ware. “He’s a small player but he makes big plays, especially on special teams. He’s a dedicated player and reminds me a lot of John Besse as to his hustle and drive.”
“Morgan (Manuel) did a good kicking,” Ware commented about his junior kicker. “He really has come along and will definitely make a difference for us this year.”
Morgan put up five extra points during the jamboree.
We had some good plays on both sides of the ball and we have a few guys who really did a good job considering this is really our first ‘game’ for the new season.
Rayne High will host Welsh on Friday during their opening regular game of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Wolf Stadium.

RAYNE - Funeral services for Edward Richard, 68, of Rayne were held on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. in Gossen Funeral Home Chapel.
Reverend Melvin Finley officiated. Interment followed in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery No. 2 in Rayne.
Visitation was held on Friday, Aug. 25, from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Gossen Funeral Home in Rayne, and continue on Saturday from 8 a.m. until service time in the funeral home.
Mr. Richard passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017, in a Lafayette hospital.
A resident of Rayne, Mr. Richard was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He was awarded a Purple Heart Medal for wounds received in combat. He worked for many years as a boiler maker on land rigs and in gas production refineries.
Survivors include his son, Kristopher Richard and wife Leslie of Scott; mother of his child, Judy Romero Richard of Duson; brothers, Simon Richard and wife Glenda of Rayne, Otis Richard and wife Carolyn of Crowley, Lawrence Richard Jr. and wife Juanita of Carencro, and Wilford Richard Sr. and wife Thelma of Rayne; sister, Pearl Richard of Navarre, Florida; grandchildren, Jason Hynson, Broc Richard, and McKinsi Richard; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
Preceding Mr. Richard in death were his parents, Lawrence Richard Sr. and Bernice Romero Richard; and sisters, Cecile Richard and Theresa Richard.
Serving as pallbearers were Broc Richard, Jason Hynson, Joey Richard, Ray Ballard, James Romero, and Gage Schexnayder.
Named as honorary pallbearers were Ivy Hollier Jr., Anthony Richard, Chad Richard, and Kevin Richard.
Condolences may be expressed online at www.gossenfuneralhome.net.
Arrangements were entrusted to Gossen Funeral Home, Inc., of Rayne, (337) 334-3141.

With still no “professional of record” signed on, work at the former Rayne-Branch Hospital is limited to exterior cosmetic projects.
Rodney “Coonie” Richard, owner of Building Code Inspection Services, LLC, the city of Rayne’s third-party code inspector, told members of the city council recently that a “stop work” order has been issued as it relates to all interior work at the facility.
Tim Cormier appeared before the city council in July to tell his plans for the former hospital.
Cormier’s Recovery Ministries recently purchased the former Rayne-Branch Hospital building and is in the process of converting part of it into a “faith-based Christian retreat center providing hope and healing for individuals, families and communities struggling to recover from alcoholism and drug addiction.”
But, according to Richard, it’s going to take a lot more than discarding old equipment and cleaning up the individual rooms to reopen the building for public use.
“In any building in which there is overnight occupancy, a sprinkler system is required,” Richard stated. “The hospital was built in the 1950s, long before such systems were common.”
Then there’s the asbestos and the mold to deal with.
Richard said Cormier obtained permission to get one of the air conditioning chillers “up and running” to help deal with the mold and he has obtained a permit to reroof the building.
As is common practice with construction/renovation projects, the city granted Cormier 90-day permit for utilities, which, according to Mayor Charles “Chuck” Robichaux, “we’ll probably extend so that he doesn’t lose everything to mold again.”
Richard, a state Certified Building Official, said he got involved with the project at the mayor’s request after the issue “hit the fan” last month.
“With a change of occupancy or change of use such as what is being planned, he (Cormier) is required to have a professional of record to submit design plans for the renovation work,” Richard said. “The building is not in code compliance right now and the code for an institution — which is what this will be — is the strictest next to hazardous material.”
Richard said he has given Cormier three names of professionals.
“We’ve gone into the building and taken pictures of every room to verify no work is being done inside,” said Richard, who will have the final word on code compliance before the city will issue a certificate of occupancy.

Since the end of 2013, the city of Rayne has sought funding to build a new Martin Luther King Center through the state Capital Outlay program.
The approval and amount have been bounced around the legislature since then but never making it to the required “Priority 2” or “Priority 1” status that would assure the funding.
Each year, the council is required to adopt a resolution committing a 25 percent match to the state funding and this year is no different.
“The legislature acted on the application during the 2017 session and the project made the vinal version of HB2 as $315,000 in Priority 5 and survived the governor’s line item veto pen,” Tim Mader, engineer, told council members at their August meeting.
“The project has been granted a ‘non-cash’ line of credit by the state Bond Commission and (the state office of Facility Planning and Control) is needing assurance from the city that local funding is in place to match the grant.”
At its current funding level, the city’s match amounts to $105,000.
“That’s not a problem,” said Mayor Charles “Chuck” Robichaux. “We have $108,000 set aside in a special account just for this project.
“In fact, when I saw Rep. (John) Stefanski was here tonight, I was hoping maybe he was bringing the check.”
Stefanski laughed, responding, “I’m just glad it made the cut.”
Robichaux went on to say that the city has recently done some maintenance to the existing Center, repairing a wall and replacing some countertops, “but a new building is long overdue.”
He added that the MLK Center is used almost daily for feeding programs for area elderly.”
The state funding, with the city match, will allow for demolition of the existing building and construction of a new one, either on the same site or at a new location.
“That will be decided at a public hearing,” the mayor said.