An Open Letter to The Gueydan Bears Football Team

Dear Gueydan Bears,

This past Friday night, it was Halloween across South Louisiana. There were a few folks who spent the early part of the evening roaming the streets begging for candy. But this is Louisiana, so there were many more situated on a stadium cushion, cheering on their hometown high schools at a football game.

One of the games on the Halloween schedule was your game, the Gueydan Bears at the Vermilion Catholic Screaming Eagles. Vermilion Catholic, defending state champs in their classification, was an overwhelming favorite to defeat you.

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How depleted was the Bears’ lineup? Based on the broadcast I listened to, you guys only dressed fourteen players. Of those fourteen dressed in Gueydan colors for the game, a couple of them weren’t even in high school; they were players from the 7th and 8th-grade teams.

What Was the Final Score of the Gueydan Versus Vermilion Catholic Football Game?

Before the game even started, it was a forgone conclusion that Vermilion Catholic would prevail. They did. The final score was VC 63 and Gueydan 0. So, why are we writing in praise of Gueydan?
Quite simply because you showed up and competed with honor.

In the face of overwhelming odds, the players and coaches of the Gueydan team, that's you, walked out onto the field and gave it their best effort. You didn’t back down on any play from scrimmage. The breaks for the Bears were few and far between, and for Vermilion Catholic, they showed why that program is so revered in their classification.

I don’t think VC “ran up the score.” I think the Eagles played like a team preparing for the playoffs. They are well coached and well disciplined. They had some huge plays from scrimmage, they took advantage of Gueydan miscues, but never did they disrespect the team from Gueydan.

There must be something in the water in Vermilion Parish. Or maybe it’s just the way parents in the parish teach their kids about respect. The VC team and coaches certainly showed that to the Gueydan team. It’s a respect I think you, the Bears, earned.

So to the Bears of Gueydan, the parents and the players and coaches, you reminded us all this past Friday night what High School Football is supposed to be. They call high school sports the “last classroom of the day”.

Gueydan, Vermilion Catholic, Taught Us All a Lesson on Friday Night

The lesson learned on Friday night was about heart, it was about grit, it was about honoring your commitments. It was about being gracious even when the outcome is not in your favor. I would much rather be a fan of a team that holds those beliefs than a team that holds up a championship trophy.

I realize that you guys had to forfeit a game earlier in the year. Your coaches made that choice out of safety concerns for their students and players. This past Friday night, the coaches could have done the same, and nobody would have blamed them. But taking the “easy way” just because you can isn’t what folks in Vermilion Parish teach their kids.

Gueydan will close out the season against Highland Baptist, another school that has struggled to get into the "win column" this year. That team, also the Bears, is winless this season, too.

This Friday, one of those schools will likely taste victory. But no matter the outcome, they'll both be "winners" in my book because they showed up, they competed, they played with respect, and they reminded us that character isn't measured on a scoreboard and will never show up in a box score.

Go Bears.