Righting a wrong

It is human nature to tear down an endowment, especially one that has been generously handed down by an act of Providence. For we are mere mortals, flawed by our jealousies and our apprehensiveness toward our fellow man. For reasons beyond our comprehension we choose to distrust rather than to embrace our diversity.
So, the question must be asked. Why?
We may never know the answer to that question.
For a majority of us living in this small community we call home, the answer may lie in the nefarious forces imbedded inside of us that were put in place from the day we took our first breath. Forces that we fight every second with the help of a Divine power.
Unfortunately, it seems that no institution is immune from those forces, even those institutions that may seem microscopic in the grand scheme of things.
Such is the case of the Tee Cotton Bowl.
Four years ago, those forces extinguished an event that celebrated our diversity and created fissures in the bridge building that began 13 years earlier.
Now, some might assert that a high school football contest could never be utilized as a tool to bring a city of differing backgrounds in a unified way for any substantial amount of time. But, the Tee Cotton Bowl is no ordinary football game. It transcends.
Don’t believe it. Ask anyone who has participated in the game itself. They will tell you that at no other time in their high school playing career have they felt the camaraderie and respect for an opponent lined up against them.
For that one night, two teams come together to celebrate the best that any sporting event has to offer, the feeling of admiration for your opponent and the desire to see them compete at their highest level; to be at their absolute best. That mentality is then transmitted beyond the field of battle into the community.
Unbelievably, that was lost four years ago and may have never been recaptured if it were not for the patience and prayerfulness of a number of people, especially the founder of the game, Tim Fontenot.
“When the Tee Cotton Bowl was suspended four years ago, my wife told me that God must have a reason for the game to not be played,” stated Fontenot. “And you know, she was right. For whatever reason, there were people that did not want this game. I truly believe that God gave us this game and he took it away because we did not believe in what it stood for anymore. But when He closes one door, a window opens somewhere else.”
And now, that window has been thrown wide open, as the Tee Cotton Bowl will be played once again on September 1. A wrong has been righted. An opportunity to mend the flaws that dwell inside of us has been presented.
So, what does that mean for Fontenot? Oh, just a few months without any sleep trying to think of ways to deliver back the Tee Cotton Bowl magic that brought acknowledgement from the Pope, NFL Films and a slew of other local and national entities.
The first item on Fontenot’s agenda, to make a long desired inspiration come to fruition; throwback jerseys and helmets.
When Fontenot and his son Jacob first conceived the Tee-Cotton Bowl, the concept of having the teams wear throwback jerseys was a dream that never developed. Now that the game has returned, Fontenot has made it his mission to make that dream become reality. And, with the help of several business and individual donors, both Sacred Heart and Ville Platte High will don that equipment on that first Saturday in September.
“After the first Tee Cotton Bowl Jacob and I thought it would be cool to have the two teams wear jerseys that represented the history of the schools,” said Fontenot. “With the game being essentially dead, we had to put that on hold. But, now that it has come back, what a great time to have it happen. For a while, it did not look like it was going to happen. But, I had some people up to the plate. For example, Evangeline Bank and Mr. Jasper Fontenot at Brown’s Furniture really stepped up.”
“We have also had a number of individuals donate money. A lot of former players have given. We are very close to having them being paid for,” continued Fontenot. “But, if anyone wants to make any kind of donation they can call me. It could be in memory of a loved one, or a class can get together and make a donation altogether. We will recognize all those that give on social media, on the radio, and before the game at midfield.”
Those jerseys, along with the retro style helmet decals, are not necessarily recreations of past regalia donned by the royal defenders of the gridiron. Instead they represent the best of the two schools. A nod, if you will, to the gladiators of yore.
“We chose purple and grey for Ville Platte High,” explained Fontenot. “The purple because of the school’s main color and the grey to represent the gray steps of the stadium. That stadium was built out of World War I battleship scrap iron. And, those battleships as we all know are gray. What a fitting tribute to those that served the school and this country. The helmet decals have one lone stripe in the middle and a number on the side. During the 60’s and early 70’s Ville Platte High had some dominating defenses. Those decals remind people of teams in that era, like Alabama, that won on dominating defenses.”
“For Sacred Heart, there are four blue stripes on the jersey, two on each side, that represent the four games won by the six-man football team in seven days during the gas rationing of World War II,” continued Fontenot. “Back then you couldn’t drive back and forth out of town for games because of the gas shortage. So, they had to play a lot of games in short period of time. Sacred Heart’s helmet decals are patterned after the Michigan helmet and has three stripes that stands for the three state championships won.”
It just so happens that both jerseys are designed with dark colors as the main hue. Normally, one team has to wear jerseys with white as the main color to have a contrast for the officials. But, in typical Tee Cotton Bowl fashion, Fontenot has cajoled the assignment secretary for the Lafayette Officials Association to waive that rule so that the two teams can showcase their new garb.
Of course, no event with the stature and meaning of this classic game could go without the media coverage and revelry seen at the best college football games across the country. For starters, KLFY will be on location at Ville Platte High from dawn’s early light into the night.
The morning show Passe Patout will have live cut-ins during their time slot in the morning and Sports Director George Faust will broadcast live during his segment on the evening news. Media day will take place on Tuesday, with Wednesday being the weekly coach’s show, and Friday there will a special Tee Cotton Bowl edition of La Tasse de Cafe.
And, what is football without food and tailgating? Well, those of us fortunate enough to live in this culinary paradise know that you cannot have one without the other. Food has always been a part of the Tee Cotton bowl tradition, and it will continue to do so this year.
“We want to turn Ville Platte into the tailgating capital of the world,” an elated Fontenot stated. “There will be a tailgater’s row inside the stadium. People have bought spots to cook all type of food including venison chili, a hen and sausage sauce piquant, a smoke ponce and jambalaya. They will be cooking during the game and fans can purchase this food. All money made will be donated to the Ville Platte High booster club.”
“We will also have the Commissioner of Tailgating Mr. Joe Khan back this year,” Fontenot continued. “He will be kicking off his tailgating year with this game. Our Mayor, Jennifer Vidrine will declare Ville Platte Tailgating Town, U.S.A. on game day. I am hoping that with Ville Platte High having a half day of school that the people will start their own tailgates early. We want to see as many tailgaters as possible all over town.”
As usual, game day will be filled with all the pomp and circumstance that this special contest deserves. Pep rallies will take place at both schools. A main street parade is planned that afternoon.
Pre-game activities will once again include honoring the police, sheriff’s and fire departments. Former KLFY newscaster Blue Rolfes will conduct the coin toss before the game. That commemorative coin, along with the game ball, will be brought in by helicopter at mid-field. The pre-game plan also includes a live band, a visit by the Contraband pirates of Lake Charles, and fireworks.
One pre-game tradition that has infiltrated the Tee Cotton Bowl’s concept of respect, the Haka, will be brought back in its full ceremonial display. The Haka, a traditional dance of the Maori, is done by both teams to show their respect and to challenge each other to give their absolute best on the field of battle.
Of course, the week would not be complete without the traditional Tee Cotton Bowl junior, played by the two Junior Varsity teams on Monday.
Everyone who knows Tim, Doctor Tim as he is affectionately called, knows there will be more inspirational activities conjured up in the next month and a half, and all of those activities will be for the benefit of the players.
“Homecoming is for the court and the alumni,” said Fontenot. “But, the Tee Cotton Bowl is for the players and the town.”
With that in mind, hopefully those forces that once shut down a one of a kind bridge building event will remain in a deep chasm of shame, never to be engendered again.