Louisiana’s high school football regular season is hitting its midway point, and the Week 5 slate is loaded with intriguing matchups loaded with talent and district, rivalry, revenge and bragging rights implications.
Louisiana vs. All Y’all continues to select 10 games to spotlight each week, and narrowing this list was the toughest yet this season.
But here are notes on 10 of the best from a loaded set of options for fans to enjoy during the next couple days.
AMITE (2-2) AT KENTWOOD (2-2) — Thursday, 7 p.m., at Kentwood Kangaroos Stadium
The Tangipahoa rivalry has always come with some intensity and fanfare, and recent years have also provided some tight finishes with each of the past three games decided by eight points or less. Both teams have rebounded for back-to-back wins after 0-2 starts and are receiving votes in their respective classifications’ polls, including Kentwood at No. 8 this week in Class 1A. The headline senior prospect is versatile Amite star Franklin Morgan Jr. (Louisiana Tech), though both teams bring notable talent to watch. Linemen Vincent Wilson and Jaylen Haywood, running back Jamyron Dillon and wide receiver Braylen Taylor are among other top Warriors, and a few Kangaroos to know would include athlete Ahmade Bickham Jr., running back Obie Hookfin and defensive standouts Adrian Burton, Chance Knighten, Jamarrious Campbell and Chance and Ricky Briggs.
ST. AUGUSTINE (4-0) AT EDNA KARR (4-0) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Morris FX Jeff Stadium
Call this Catholic League battle of unbeatens a “showdown” or don’t, but no game anywhere in the state is higher-profile or more prospect-packed. Edna Karr and St. Augustine enter the week ranked No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, in the LSWA’s Class 5A poll. The Cougars have won meetings each of the past three years — unsurprisingly given they have only lost one regular-season game during the past four and a half years since a loss to the Purple Knights in 2020. Listing all the talented prospects who will go on to play college ball could take a few paragraphs. But Edna Karr boasts three top-10 seniors with a pair of LSU commits in defensive tackle Richard Anderson and safety Aiden Hall and Texas-committed cornerback Hayward Howard Jr., and St. Augustine is headlined by two of the nation’s top 2027 wide receivers in Miguel Whitley and Ray’Quan Williams. Great talent will cover the field, but no strength-on-strength matchup will garner more spotlight than Whitley, Williams and the Purple Knights’ deep receiving corps against Hall, Howard, Maurice Williams Jr. (Colorado), Torrence Sanders (South Alabama) and the Cougars’ loaded secondary.
MADISON-RIDGELAND ACADEMY (MISS.) (5-0) AT CATHOLIC-BR (3-1) — Friday, 7 p.m., at BREC’s Memorial Stadium
Catholic-Baton Rouge returns home this week aiming to rebound from its first loss of the season with another big challenge and opportunity next on the schedule. Madison-Ridgeland Academy, arguably Mississippi’s top team thus far this season, will visit the Bears as they try to get back on track following a loss at West Monroe in which they uncharacteristically struggled to find success running the football or slowing down the Rebels’ run in key moments. Will the Catholic ground attack featuring a deep backfield headlined by Jayden Miles and Justin Batiste bounce back to high expectations? The Patriots would figure as capable an opponent as any to pose some issues for a second straight week.
TERREBONNE (4-0) AT DESTREHAN (2-2) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Wildcat Stadium
Terrebonne managed to hand Destrehan its first district loss since 2019 last year, and the Tigers are off to their first 4-0 start since 2018 with Quincy “Bear” Adams putting together an eye-popping senior season behind his big offensive line bookended by Tadan Bingham (Louisiana Tech) and O’Ryan Mosley (North Texas). But the Wildcats enter this year’s matchup talented as always — including college-committed seniors such as wide receiver Jabari Mack (LSU), quarterback Jackson Fields (Incarnate Word), cornerback Damien “Deuce” Richard II (Louisiana Tech) and Braylon Montero (Arkansas-Monticello) — and 2-2 as the result of a challenging pre-district schedule, not a down season. The finish line of the district race will still be several weeks away, but Friday will determine the driver’s seat, particularly if Terrebonne can win the matchup for the second straight season with a victory against Hahnville already secured in Week 4.
OUACHITA PARISH (4-0) AT FRANKLIN PARISH (3-1) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Patriots Stadium
Ouachita Parish is 4-0 for the first time since 2010 and heads to Winnsboro for a a game that’s been circled for Franklin Parish after coming up just short, 51-47, in last year’s shootout for its only loss of the 2024 regular season. Each team has a top-10 senior prospects in Ouachita defensive lineman Dylan Berymon (Texas) and Franklin Parish quarterback/athlete Dezyrian “Pook” Ellis along with other future college talent — including Franklin Parish running back/safety Trey Martin, who earned an LSU offer Wednesday morning.
UNIVERSITY LAB (2-2) AT ST. PAUL’S (3-1) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Hunter Stadium
University Lab shook off back-to-back losses to good Class 5A opponents this past week to open District 6-3A play with a dominant, 64-0 roll past Collegiate-Baton Rouge. This week, the Cubs make their final regular-season dip outside of league play to travel out to Covington to face a good St. Paul’s team fresh off back-to-back wins against other notable Class 3A foes in De La Salle and John F. Kennedy. U-High is headlined by Louisiana’s top-ranked senior prospect Lamar Brown, the LSU-committed two-way lineman, along with fellow committed seniors Jordan Pinnock (Ragin’ Cajuns), Erin Moore (Navy) and Lawson Dixon (Southeastern Louisiana); the running back duo of Sage Ingram and Corbin Odell; and highly recruited juniors Emmanuel Moses and Maison Smith and sophomore Kameron Grisby. The Wolves meanwhile boast their own strong mix of veteran and young talent, including seniors Gage Brown (Nicholls State), Cody Corales, Troy Willis, Dylan Post, Aiden Brooks, Brennan Villa and sophomores Andrew Shofstahl, Christian Martin, Rodrick “R.J.” Payne Jr. and Waylon Johnson to name a few.
LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN (3-1) AT CENTRAL-BR (4-0) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Central School Stadium
Lafayette Christian, the No. 3 team in the latest LSWA Class 2A polls, has compiled a strong 3-1 record against all Class 5A and 4A and now heads east across the Atchafalaya Basin for arguably its toughest test yet: a date with the reigning Division-I Non-Select state champion, undefeated Central. Louisiana (Lafayette) commit Braylon Walker leads a typically high-powered LCA offense with weapons like new Oklahoma commit Brayden Allen and Draylon August on the outside and Caiden Bellard emerging as one of the state’s top young running backs. That group will try to get back to their high-scoring ways against a Central defense with lineman Scott Smith Jr. (Houston); linebackers JaMichael “J-Mike” Garrett (Ole Miss), Lane Billings and Jake Jarreau and defensive backs Marvin Joseph Jr. and Mason Moore among a strong core.
ST. CHARLES CATHOLIC (4-0) AT ST. JAMES (3-1) — Friday, 7 p.m., in Beautiful Downtown Vacherie
Two title-hopeful perennial powers from the River Parishes will square off for the second straight year after a five-year layoff in the series. St. James scrapped out a 15-11 road win last season, and both teams return large talented and experienced cores from 2024. St. Charles Catholic grew up through a challenging year and has looked like its old self with Skyler Edwards running behind Jacques Vicknair and a veteran offensive line and Brooks Monica, Tyler Bovia, Byron Bailey, Kayden Asevedo and company leading a stout defense. St. James meanwhile returns the bulk of its team that made a second straight Caesars Superdome trip including senior offensive weapons Jakias Villanueva, Kani King-Young and Kanye Zenon and upperclassman defensive standouts such as Nolan Zenon, Jye Blain, I’Xavier Anderson and Kendrick Joseph Jr. In this week’s LSWA polls, the Comets were No. 7 in Class 4A, and the Wildcats were No. 2 in Class 3A.
NOTRE DAME (3-1) AT CECILIA (1-3) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Cecilia Bulldog Stadium
This season represents an interesting juncture in the typically entertaining cross-Lafayette rivalry. Cecilia has won the past three, but all within two scores and two by a combined five points. But the Bulldogs, though still talented, have had a difficult time finding their early stride in their early weeks without a legendary 2025 class that spearheaded the program’s first title in three decades. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has been solid early, even against a schedule loaded with higher-classification competition, and particularly opened eyes in Week 4 by overcoming a four-score deficit to upend defensive Division-III Select champion Catholic-New Iberia in overtime. LSU target Braylon Calais, a 2027 prospect, headlines the Cecilia roster from a recruiting standpoint with quarterback Collin Dore, tall target Jayden Lewis, speedster Jermaine Davis, linebacker Braylon Jones and safety Franky Frank Jr. among other top names to know. Notre Dame is loaded with versatile, veteran senior athletes, many of whom helped lead last week’s valiant rally, including Drew LeJeune, Joachim Bourgeois, Cameron Stelly, Wesley Duplechin, Brice Duhon and William Lavergne.
RIVERSIDE ACADEMY (3-1) AT VERMILION CATHOLIC (1-3) — Friday, 7 p.m., at Eagle Stadium
The Running Rebels and Screaming Eagles will meet for the third straight year after splitting a pair of memorable games with former stars Dedric Lastie and Jonathan “JonJon” Dartez and their 2025 senior classes leading the charge. They cross paths as top-10 teams in the LSWA Class 1A polls once again at No. 7 and No. 10, respectively, with four weeks of exclusively facing larger-classification competition under both of their belts. A few of Riverside Academy’s notable players to know include quarterback Brock Bourgeois, running back Jayden Obiekwe, versatile athlete Kenric “Boogie” Johnson Jr. and two-way lineman Ahmad Cage, while Luke McLain, Seth Boudreaux, Caleb Guidry and Will Simon are among the Vermilion Catholic standouts.