By GARLAND FORMAN

   Although the 2015 football season will feature several new opponents for the parish’s three high school teams, it will start the same way it has for many years -- with the Avoyelles Parish Football Jamboree.

    This year’s version of the annual tradition will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. at the Avoyelles High School Mustang Field with host AHS taking on district rival Marksville.

     The Mustangs and the Panthers -- also not tangling during the regular season -- will play in the event’s nightcap.

    Each game will be 15 minutes. Tickets for the game are $8 at the gate for non-students and $4 for students.

   The regular season opens with a bang -- actually, three bangs -- at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 when Bunkie travels to Pine Prairie, Avoyelles hosts Welsh and Marksville goes to Lake Charles to play Washington-Marion.

   Mustangs Head Coach Andy Boone will be back for his seventh year while Marksville Head Coach J.T. Dunbar will return for his 14th season at the helm of the Tigers. 

  Bunkie will begin the season with its third coach in three years with Freddie Hallman leading the Panthers.

   Boone had about 40 players in practice. The Mustangs’ planned  scrimmage against the Pickering Red Devils this past Friday was cancelled.

   “We are going to keep running the same offense and defense as we have for the last several years,” Boone said. “Just like in years past, we have to keep players healthy because we have no depth.”

   Dunbar said he will start the season with 57 players. The Tigers have scrimmaged ASH and Menard in the past two weeks.

   “It is always an exciting time of the year when the football season starts,” Dunbar said. “We have two tough road games to open the season, but I feel the games can only make us better for the rest of the season.”

   Hallman goes into the Jamboree with 40 players in uniform. The Panthers scrimmaged Christian Life and Mamou last Friday.

   “This has been a tough summer as the players are trying to learn their third offensive and defensive scheme in the last three years,” Hallman said.  “This is a work-in-progress and we will see how it goes as the season starts, but we still have a way to go as a team.”

   Avoyelles and Marksville will compete in District 3-AAA while Bunkie will continue to play in District 3-AA.