The rivalry between Breaux Bridge and Cecilia is called "The Civil War" for a reason. It's pretty much impossible to play both sides, except if your name is Terry Martin.

Terry Martin started his coaching career with the Breaux Bridge Tigers, but most recently he helped the Cecilia Bulldogs win District 5-4A for the first time in years. He also defeated Breaux Bridge in the Civil War, breaking a dry spell that lasted over a decade. The folks in Breaux Bridge didn't want to lose the parish to the folks in C-Town, so they hired their coach.

Breaux Bridge's legendary coach Paul Broussard hung up the whistle, leaving large shoes to fill for the Tigers. Martin is an impressive candidate, and they snatched him up, regardless of who he was coaching last season. Last year's 5-4 finish wasn't up to Breaux Bridge standards, and it will be Martin's job to raise the bar again.

As Trey Labat wrote for The Advertiser, it's a bit of a homecoming for Martin. At Cecilia, he built the program up to a 10-2 mark, but it took him over 130 games to get to that point. At Breaux Bridge, he won't need to build his foundation from scratch. If he can pick up the reins where Broussard left them and add onto the structure, the Tigers could be making noise again deep into the playoffs.

It's a testament to Martin's ability as a coach and his likability off the field. Not too many guys could coach on both sides of the Civil War, but his skill set and personality fit the bill perfectly.

The hiring will surely help the Tigers come next season, but it leaves a void at Cecilia. Who will step up and fill the shoes left by Martin? Will they be able to carry the torch he used to light up their program? The landscape of District 5-4A changes in a major way, and it absolutely makes one of the most interesting rivalries in the state a little bit spicier.

Martin should feel an odd cocktail of emotions in the next Civil War. He will be leading a new group of young men against the team he coached, passionately and successfully, last year. Instead of wearing green and yellow, he will wear maroon and white.

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