Parish football teams set for fall scrimmages

Ascension Parish football teams will get their first taste of competition this week as they play in their fall scrimmage games.

Starting first in Class 1A, Ascension Catholic will host Northlake Christian at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

The Bulldogs are coming into this season with hopes of reaching the Superdome for a second straight season.

Ascension Catholic went 8-2 during the 2017 regular season and steamrolled through the playoffs to reach the Division-IV title game. Though, injuries to key personnel led to a 10-0 loss to Lafayette Christian.

The Bulldogs will return 18 starters this season.

They are led by fourth-year head coach Drey Trosclair.

Also in Class 1A, Ascension Christian will go on the road to face former district foe East Iberville at 5 p.m. on Thursday evening.

The Lions are coming off of the two most successful seasons in their young program's history. They won eight games in 2016. Last season, they won seven.

They are led by fifth-year head coach Josh Puryear.

In Class 3A, the Donaldsonville Tigers will host Baker at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening. The game will be played at the Donaldsonville practice field.

The Tigers had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory in 2017. They won seven regular-season games, and then reached the second round of the playoffs.

Donaldsonville is led by third-year head coach Brian Richardson.

In Class 5A, East Ascension will be hitting the road on Thursday evening. They'll be traveling to Central.

The Spartans experienced quite the resurgence in 2017. After finishing just 3-6 the year before, East Ascension went 8-2 during the regular season. This was enough to win them a share of the District 5-5A championship.

The Spartans went on to the postseason, where they won a playoff game for the second straight season. They were eventually eliminated by Live Oak in the regional round.

East Ascension is led by third-year head coach Darnell Lee.

Finally, St. Amant will be hosting a fall scrimmage against East Feliciana at 6 p.m. on Thursday evening.

The Gators have finished 9-1 during the past two regular seasons. Last year's run was good enough to net them a share of the district championship.

St. Amant went on to win a first-round playoff game for the third consecutive year. Though, like three other parish teams, their postseason run ended in the regional round. They were upset by Airline at home.

The Gators are led by the longest-tenured football coach in Ascension Parish, David Oliver. This will be his 11th season coaching St. Amant. He has amassed an overall record of 64-35 in his time there.