The last time Kaplan High head football coach Brent Indest coached college-level talent, he actually was coaching college players, as an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech in 2007.

As a high school coach, the New Iberia native and Catholic High graduate has only coached four players who have gone on to sign Division I scholarships, and only one at a BCS school, he said Thursday as he prepared the Red team to play for Saturday’s Sportsman’s Paradise Bowl at St. Thomas More’s Cougar Stadium.

That All-Star game, which features 70 of the top seniors from Louisiana high schools, has given him the chance to coach a whole team of college-caliber players, including a pair from New Iberia, Westgate linebacker Seth Stansbury and NISH linebacker Michael Lamothe.

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“It’s been neat working with so many unbelievable athletes,” said Indest. “We’ve got LSU commitments, Alabama commitments, Texas A&M commitments.”

Among the players signed up for the game are running back Michael Ford of Leesville, an LSU commitment; defensive lineman Darrington Sentimore of Destrehan, an Alabama commitment; and offensive lineman Patrick Lewis of East St. John, who will join Lamothe at Texas A&M next year.

Players not yet decided on their colleges include Stansbury, Sulphur linebacker Tajh Jones, John Curtis running back Kenny Cain and quarterback Blake Matherne of Belle Chasse, recently named Mr. Football for Louisiana by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

“Brian Rigby, who put the whole thing together, contacted me right after the season had ended (about coaching one of the teams),” said Indest. “I just thought it was a good opportunity.

“Brian was the guy who started the Bayou Bowl, and that’s become a good deal. I was going to be the offensive coordinator for (the Louisiana team in 2007) but I took the job with Louisiana Tech so I couldn’t do that.”

Rigby, of USA High School Football, founded the Bayou Bowl, which features an All-Star team of players from Louisiana facing a squad of players from Texas, mostly from the Houston area, each summer. With the Louisiana High School Athletic Association and the Louisiana High School Coaches Association no longer sponsoring a state All-Star game each summer, Rigby thought that forming another All-Star game featuring Louisiana players would benefit the state. Proceeds from the Sportsman’s Paradise Bowl benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

“There was an instant legitimacy” to the Sportsman’s Paradise Bowl because of Rigby, said Indest, who had four practices with his team during the Christmas break, and another couple this week in Lafayette. Doug Pederson of Calvary Baptist is coaching the Blue team in Saturday’s game.

Indest said that in addition to working with the talented players, he’s also excited to get to work with some of the coaches who will be his assistants on Saturday, including Teurlings Catholic defensive coordinator Tony Courville, Breaux Bridge assistant coach Ryan Frederick, Belle Chasse head coach Clint Harrison and St. Amant assistant coach Dwayne Thomassee.

Courville will coach linebackers and special teams, Frederick the line, and Thomassee, a Breaux Bridge graduate, will be the defensive coordinator for Saturday’s game.

“Both offenses will be going out of the spread,” said Indest. “That should make it exciting for the fans. We’re trying to stay pretty basic (because of the limited practice time), but the kids are picking things up pretty well.”

And while the game is supposed to be a showcase for the players, as well as a fun time, Indest isn’t letting them forget why they’re playing.

“The first thing I told the kids is, as long as somebody’s keeping score, we’re going to try to win,” he said. “As far as I know they’re keeping score. We don’t want anyone to get hurt, but we want to win the game.”