In preparation for this week’s first round of the LHSAA football playoffs, let’s review Louisiana high school football Week 10 with ten things to know.
1. Kross-Check
Opelousas Catholic entered Week 5 undefeated and facing a tough matchup with St. Edmund when their quarterback, Kross Gillen, went down with an injury. The Vikings ultimately lost the high-scoring game 46-42 and then dropped two of their next three contests.
Back with a vengeance, Gillen threw for 268 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Vikings hand Catholic Pointe Coupee their first loss in a 56-32 game. Junior receiver Roderick Tezeno had an impressive night with six receptions for 146 yards, including four touchdowns, and a 65-yard kick return for a touchdown, as reported by Bobby Ardoin of St. Landry Now.
Before his injury, Gillen led the Lafayette area in passing with 16 touchdowns and only one interception. During Gillen’s absence, senior LSU-Eunice baseball commit Rowen Bergeron took over at QB and contributed 194 rushing and receiving yards in the win over Catholic PC.
The No. 14 Vikings (7-3) now host No. 19 Westminster Christian-Lafayette (7-3) in the first round of the Division IV select playoffs. Should Opelousas Catholic win, they will travel to No. 2 Ascension Catholic (8-1). The two teams faced off twice last season, with Ascension Catholic and senior running back Chad Elzy taking both games, including a high-scoring 77-43 playoff rematch.
2. Trojan Tough
Alexandria clinched its first undefeated regular season in 56 years and secured its first district championship in over a decade by defeating previously unbeaten Neville, 42-16, as reported by John Marcase of Geaux Preps.
LSU running back commit JT Lindsey dominated on the ground, rushing for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, while Vaughn Darbon contributed with 88 yards and a touchdown, according to Bret McCormick of Louisiana vs. All Y’all.
The No. 2 Trojans earned a first-round bye and are set to host the winner of No. 15 Captain Shreve (6-4) vs. No. 18 Evangel Christian (5-5). If Evangel pulls off the upset, it could lead to an exciting matchup between sophomore quarterbacks—state passing leader Peyton Houston for Evangel and Alexandria’s Karson Sellers and Max Gassiott.
Despite the loss, Neville (9-1) retained the top seed in Division I nonselect, where No. 2 Airline (10-0) is the only undefeated team.
3. Beware of these underdogs
Opelousas and Cecilia, who faced off in the 2023 Division II nonselect finals, are seeded 14th and 18th in this year’s bracket. Opelousas (6-3), which will host No. 19 Bastrop (7-3), captured the championship last season as a No. 12 seed, defeating top-seeded North DeSoto, No. 2 Cecilia, No. 4 Lutcher, and No. 5 West Feliciana along the way.
If the Tigers progress, they will head to No. 3 Jennings (9-1), a team that fell to Cecilia in last year’s quarterfinals. Jennings has retained star running back ReJohn Zeno and is benefiting from strong performances by quarterback Chris Ned.
Cecilia (7-3), playing several games without senior quarterback Diesel Solari, will look to contain Pearl River’s standout tailback Tashod Badon (6-2, 210), who accumulated nearly 1,600 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns through Week 9. Last season, the Rebels (5-4) exited in the first round after a loss at Abbeville.
4. Raider Nation
Northwest claimed its first outright district title since 2016, defeating Iota with a commanding 36-11 score. The Raiders played without junior tailback Ke’Von Johnson, who was injured early in the first quarter, as reported by Eric Narcisse of The Acadiana Advocate.
Johnson, who had been averaging over 10 yards per carry and nearing 1,700 rushing yards, was replaced by Samuel Leday, who rushed for 89 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.
The Northwest defense stifled Iota quarterback Peyton Renfro, limiting him to 8 completions on 23 attempts for 52 yards and one touchdown.
The Raiders (8-2), who fell to Cecilia as the No. 22 seed in last year’s Division II nonselect playoffs, are now the No. 11 seed and will host No. 22 DeRidder (5-5) and running back Connor Ashford, who entered Week 10 with 1,295 rushing yards.
5. Cole World
North DeSoto receiver Cole Cory is back after missing part of the regular season due to injury. Last year, Cory recorded 79 catches for 1,431 yards and 15 touchdowns, helping the Griffins secure the No. 1 seed in Division II nonselect.
Now healthy for the playoffs, Cory joins No. 7 North DeSoto (8-2) as they prepare to host No. 26 Woodlawn-Shreveport (4-6) in a playoff rematch, following their dominant 55-6 win in the regular season.
Cory has 29 receptions for 269 yards this season. Quarterback Luke Delafield has spread the ball to several receivers during Cory’s absence, with Chaz Martinez leading the way with 25 catches for 488 yards and six touchdowns.
6. Party in the Grove
Friday’s matchup between District 2-2A rivals Oak Grove and Ouachita Christian appeared to be evenly matched on paper. The Tigers entered the game on an eight-game winning streak after a season-opening loss to Calvary Baptist.
Meanwhile, OCS, undefeated at 9-0, had won every game by at least 28 points and was coming off impressive victories over two 7-3 teams, Mangham and Ferriday.
However, Oak Grove dominated, defeating the Eagles 44-14, led by quarterback Jackson Bradley and tailback Jay Freeman. Bradley completed 11 of 15 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 68 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Freeman rushed for 152 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown and caught two passes for 51 yards and another score. Brodie Stuart added five receptions for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Oak Grove, now moved to Division III nonselect, is the No. 3 seed and will host the winner of No. 14 Mansfield (6-4) vs. No. 19 Avoyelles (5-5). Meanwhile, No. 11 Ouachita Christian will host No. 22 Glenbrook (5-3) in a first-round Division IV select playoff game.
7. Cougar Feeding Frenzy
Edna Karr made a powerful statement ahead of the playoffs, dominating Archbishop Rummel 69-28 in a showdown between top Catholic League teams.
The Cougars (9-0), ranked No. 1 in the Division I select bracket, were led by junior quarterback John Johnson, who threw for six touchdowns. Johnson has been exceptional all season, entering the game with 2,085 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.
Karr will face the winner of the No. 16 Hammond (6-4) vs. No. 17 Huntington (5-5) game, while No. 5 Rummel (8-2) will host the winner of No. 12 McDonogh 35 (6-3) vs. No. 21 Riverdale.
8. Cowboy Up
Jewel Sumner overcame a two-touchdown deficit to defeat Amite in overtime, securing a 29-27 victory and clinching the district title. The Cowboys (9-1) earned the No. 4 seed in Division III select and will face the winner of the No. 13 Slaughter Community Charter (6-3)/No. 20 Thomas Jefferson (5-5) matchup at home.
Jamohn Dyson, who scored the decisive two-point conversion, rushed for 203 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown, according to Grant Chachere of Crescent City Sports.
No. 12 Amite (7-3) will host No. 21 Sarah T. Reed (4-6), with the winner traveling to No. 5 Bunkie (10-0).
9. Temporary fix?
The LHSAA originally decided that University Lab must forfeit seven victories due to two ineligible transfers from Liberty Magnet. However, this decision was later reversed after the Cubs secured a temporary injunction from the 19th Judicial District Court, reinstating their wins.
Now with an 8-2 record, including victories over Class 5A Catholic-BR and St. Paul’s, the Cubs are the No. 2 seed. A hearing for the injunction is set for next week. If U-High wins the court case, they will face the winner of the No. 15 Buckeye (6-4) vs. No. 18 Booker T. Washington-New Orleans (3-6) matchup.
10. Yellow Jackets’ stinging
Haynes Academy has been one of the standout stories of the year, finishing the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record for the first time in the school’s history. The No. 4 Yellow Jackets, who earned a bye, will host the winner of the No. 13 Istrouma (7-3) vs. No. 20 Booker T. Washington-Shreveport (4-6) matchup. Leading the way is tailback Lochlen Claverie, who rushed for 426 yards on 31 carries and scored four touchdowns in a victory over Young Audiences Charter. This marked the third time this season that he broke the school’s single-game rushing record, as reported by Chris Dabe of *The New Orleans Advocate*.
