New Iberia Senior High School head football coach Curt Ware saw the Yellow Jackets make steady improvements throughout his first season with the team in 2019.

Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, he’s seen further improvements as the Jackets went through the offseason, which was extended beyond the normal start date for the sport. After initially planning to start the season the week of Oct. 8, the start date was moved up to the week of Oct. 1 by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. NISH will open its season Thursday at home against crosstown rival Westgate High School.

“It’s like we’ve been practicing forever,” Ware said. “The kids were just excited last week to get to play (after the LHSAA allowed teams a scrimmage/jamboree game), you could tell. They had a little pep in their step for practice last week. We had a really good practice today. The kids are just excited because there’s always the thought that you might not get to play at all.”

It’s been different this year with all the safety protocols and precautions, he said. But the team is looking forward to the season.

“That’s a game that I don’t think any of the kids wanted to miss,” Ware said. “You missed the first two (since the season is starting in week 3 of the normal schedule), so I think if they’d have missed that one, I think they would’ve been upset. I don’t think this group of seniors has beat Westgate. Obviously both sides are pretty motivated. It’s a rivalry.”

Westgate has won three straight in the series after NISH had won five in a row before that. The teams had alternated wins in the first 10 years of what has become known as the Bayou Berry Bowl, with NISH winning in even-numbered years and Westgate winning in odd-numbered years.

NISH played Teurlings last week in preparation for the opener, and Ware said he liked what he saw from his team.

“Teurlings is always a good football team,” he said. “They do things right, real sound, typical Catholic school team. We played well. I’ve seen improvement even from the jamboree to right now. I don’t know how many games we’re going to win, but I know we’re a much, much improved football team.”

The Jackets were much more physical against Teurlings than they were during the 2019 season, he said.

“Last year we really didn’t block anybody, we just didn’t,” he said. “We didn’t know how to block people. Last year, good athletes in the backfield enabled us to move the ball a little bit.”

But because the timing wasn’t there with the offense, plays that he normally would’ve expected to go for big yards ended up being relatively short gains.

A big part of that was because the switch from a spread offense to the Wing-T under Ware was such a big change.

“It’s almost like a different game. It’s completely different,” Ware said. “Our backs understand where they need to run. Our offensive line understands the blocking schemes.”

NISH also has a good senior class, he said.

“This is a talented class,” Ware said. “We got better and better as the season went on. We played some real good competition. Some of those games we were in the games, we just weren’t seasoned enough and experienced enough to close them out.”

The players told Ware when watching film of last year’s games that they didn’t look like a very good football team, he said, but Ware said it was part of the learning curve. The Jackets should continue to get better as they get more experience in the system, he said.

“If we can stay healthy, I think we’ve got a pretty good football team,” Ware said.

Defensively, NISH is running the same defense but using different terminology under new defensive coordinator Danny Carroll. Ware likes what he’s seeing of the defense this year.

“It’s the second year under the same defense,” he said. “The schemes are basically the same. I think they’re more comfortable. Obviously on either side of the ball, if you’re doing a whole lot of thinking, you’re probably not moving as fast as you could.

“I just think we’re much more aggressive. Our front four on defense, that’s a good-looking group.”

Westgate lost some really good players, he said, but is still very athletic and has a lot of speed.

“Obviously they can score at any time, so we’ve got to limit the big gains and hopefully we can control the football, keep it away from them as much as we can,” he said.

Another thing nobody talks about is Westgate’s kicking game last year.

“Last year they had a great kicker,” he said. “He’d kick it in the end zone every time. He’d kick a field goal from 40 yards. Punted the ball 40 yards. That was a big loss, to lose that kid.

“The average fan doesn’t think anything about that (special teams). As far as that goes, all they every really talk about is what offense you run. There’s a lot more to it than offense.”

Ware said he’s glad to get the season under way. He just wishes there were no crowd size restrictions because of the coronavirus.

“Looking forward to it. The only regret I have — I say regret, really something not like you want it to be — is the crowd size,” he said. “It could’ve been a great atmosphere and we could’ve made a little money. But, just happy to get to play.”

Results in the annual New Iberia Senior High-Westgate football game:

2003 Westgate 23, New Iberia 8 (3-5A)

2004 New Iberia 14, Westgate 6 (3-5A)

2005 Westgate 35, New Iberia 22 (2-5A)

2006 New Iberia 36, Westgate 29 (2-5A)

2007 Westgate 41, New Iberia 7 (4-5A)

2008 New Iberia 14, Westgate 7 (4-5A)

2009 Westgate 31, New Iberia 17 (4-5A)

2010 New Iberia 29, Westgate 10 (4-5A)

2011 Westgate 31, New Iberia 14 (7-5A)

2012 New Iberia 43, Westgate 7 (7-5A)

2013 New Iberia 17, Westgate 7 (non-district)

2014 New Iberia 15, Westgate 12 (non-district)

2015 New Iberia 44, Westgate 7 (non-district)

2016 New Iberia 34, Westgate 0 (non-district)

2017 Westgate 31, New Iberia 23 (non-district)

2018 Westgate 7, New Iberia 3 (non-district)

2019 Westgate 26, New Iberia 14 (non-district)