The weekend’s surprising cool temperatures were a good prelude to Tuesday’s Iberia Parish Sugar Cane Jamboree Luncheon, the annual kickoff to the opening of prep football season.

The event sponsored each year by Community First Bank and The Daily Iberian is a great chance to see what kind of monkeyshine the coaches are up to.

Listening to these men talk about the team “expectations” is always fun. They never refer to their own players by name, but will certainly compliment their opponents’ teams when they have an exceptional player.

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It’s all for fun, which is easy to tell.

As you might have already read on today’s front page, New Iberia Senior High School head football coach Rick Hutson garnered the Not-So-Sweet Award for his telling of how his team will “struggle,” especially against cross-town rival Westgate High School. He talked about how he and Westgate head football coach Brian Fine had great respect for one another and how in recent years the two schools have developed a healthy rivalry. Of course, he couldn’t get away without a little dig, however friendly, on Fine. At the end of the long-awaited golf game,  the two coaches didn’t care who won, Hutson said as he held up a sign exclaiming he finished eight strokes ahead of Fine.

Delcambre High head coach Darcy Delcambre raised the laughter of the crowd when he proclaimed that as host of the jamboree next year, he’s sure to have a win when he schedules to play his own team.

“I can beat Delcambre’s JV (junior varsity team),” Delcambre said. “At least I think so ...”

Jeanerette High head coach Terry Washington told a great story about trying to make off with a couple of LSU football players this summer in hopes of improving his Tigers. And Loreauville High head coach Trent Delahoussaye had a knee slapper with his solution to missing practice jerseys. Instead of “Property of Loreauville High Football,” this year’s practice jerseys will say “Loreauville High Football - Fourth String.” So far, Delahoussaye says none have gone missing.

Catholic High School got a shot or two volleyed its way but could not answer them because the school last year decided it would forego the parish jamboree in favor of one in Lafayette.

Whatever the reasoning the school gives, it is a shame all local high schools with football programs will not be participating in the jamboree Friday. It might be cool for a team to play on a college field, but when a big part of the community is left out, it takes some of the spirit away.

But on the eve of prep football, it is still great to look forward to the next 11 weeks and what drama each team will bring to its fans. Thank goodness for football season.

JEFF ZERINGUE is managing editor of The Daily Iberian. He can be reached at iberianedit@bellsouth.net.