A major rivalry, huge matchups, and the potential to shake up the standings. It's a big week for high school football in Acadiana. Lafayette Daily Advertiser


In football, the battle for field position is often described as “hidden yardage.”

It’s yards gained or lost that have nothing to do with what offenses and defenses do. We often get distracted by scoring plays and turnovers when games can come down to certain things that don’t show up in a traditional box score.

That’s why Lafayette High coach Rob Pool values junior kicker Jacques Comeaux. 

“It’s an unspoken power struggle that you really don’t think about,” Pool said of excelling in the kicking game. “But at the end of the day, it changes the game.” 

There are the easily recognizable things that Comeaux contributes to the Lions (2-4, 1-2). The third-year kicker is 6 for 6 on field goals for the year, including three makes in a 30-13 win against New Iberia last week. His 46-yarder in the third quarter was his longest of the season. Comeaux’s range is from 50-55 yards, Pool said.

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When you throw his 17-for-17 mark on extra points, Comeaux is responsible for 35 total points this season.

But what Comeaux brings on punts and kickoffs might be as equally valuable. On the season, he’s punted 21 times for 853 yards, an average of 40.6 yards per punt. He’s down four punts inside the 20 and has a long of 67. 

“As far as punts go, every time we punt it, if he kicks it 40 yards, that flips the field,” Pool said of Comeaux, who was a second-team All-District punter as a freshman. “And he’s got good hang time, so we’re able to cover it. So people aren’t returning them, and if they do catch it and have a return, they haven’t been able to bust it very far.” 

And when he’s booting the ball into the end zone for touchbacks on kickoffs, the Lafayette High defense has an inherent advantage. 

“It’s huge because every time we put it in the end zone of kickoff, the offense has to drive 80 yards, so that’s one aspect of it,” Pool said. “The the other thing is I can game plan because I know where the ball’s going to be set off the kickoff. So I have a middle-of-the-field call, first down, so it makes the offense a little bit more vulnerable there.”

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