72nd Annual Lafayette Kiwanis High School Football Jamboree: Standout players from Day 1

Over hundreds of Lafayette Parish high school football fans gathered at St. Thomas More’s Cougar Stadium for the first day of the 72nd Lafayette Kiwanis High School Football Jamboree.

The two-day jamboree pits all the Lafayette and Acadiana area schools against each other as teams look for their final tune-ups before the high school football starts on Sept. 5.

Day 1 of the jamboree featured three games with Notre Dame taking on Lafayette, host St. Thomas More vs. Southside, and Carencro vs. Teurlings Catholic. With each team giving it their all for half a normal game, four athletes stood out among the rest.

Here are the standout players from each matchup who showed they are more than eager to get to Friday Night Lights, as well as scores from each game.

Notre Dame vs. Lafayette

Player of the matchup: Jackson Casanova, senior, linebacker, Notre Dame

While the Pios offense was driving down the Lions' throat, its defense was like a brick wall. They only allowed Lafayette one touchdown over the two quarters, and Casanova was a big body in the middle, helping to limit the Lions' run game led by Kevonte Landry. Casanova had a big sack that took away the Lions' momentum.

“I thought up front we really blocked them and I think all of all linebackers did a really job,” Notre Dame coach Lewis Cook said. “Wesley Duplechin, Jackson Casanova got the big sack, and William Prevost was solid in the middle. They didn’t really have much success running.”

Final score: Notre Dame 21, Lafayette 7

St. Thomas More vs. Southside

Player of the Game: Cole Bergeron, junior, quarterback, St. Thomas More

Even though Bergeron was sharing snaps with senior Matt Parker, he made his presence felt with every snap he got. He ended the game with two of the Cougars' three touchdowns, making the Sharks pay in the air and on the ground. He connected with wide receiver Jackson Watts for a 7-yard touchdown and took it to the end zone himself for his second score of the game.

“I think I came out and performed well,” Bergeron said. “I did what the team needed me to do. You know, I got the ball in the end zone, and we came out with a win. The quarterbacks and receivers, we can kind of gain more chemistry, and we can become more on time with our routes and our throws, and that’ll help our team get better.”

Final score: St. Thomas More 21, Southside 0

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Carencro vs. Teurlings Catholic

Player of the game: Chantz Babineaux, junior, ATH, Carencro

Babineaux did it all for the Bears, leaving everyone on the Teurlings sideline wondering where No. 7 would be on the offense. The junior athlete threw for around 80 yards, caught close to 30 yards, and rushed for around 50 yards and a touchdown. He did all he could to help his team tie the game up before the clock expired.

“Chantz is a special player,” Carencro coach Gavin Peters said. “We’re not very good upfront right now, we’ve got to get a lot better, but he’s saving us. I think he's already a phenomenal player but I think he's got a chance to be a legendary player, and he's working his way to become that and tonight he showed out.”

Player of the game: Doug E Viltz, running back, senior, Teurlings Catholic

Once Viltz got going, there wasn’t much Carencro could do to stop him. The power back rushed for nearly 100 yards and ended the game with both of the Rebels' touchdowns. He broke out for a big run around 45 yards to give his team its first score of the game and continued to be a productive part of Terulings' offense throughout.

“I got hurt in the jamboree last year and was out for six weeks, so this is my revenge year,” Viltz said. “I feel I perform well, but I feel we got to perform better as a team if we want to win a state championship. It's not all about me. We're trying to work harder because we want to get over the semifinal hump.”

Final score: Teurlings Catholic 14, Carencro 14

Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Here are the Players of the Game from Day 1 of Kiwanis Jamboree