985 Preps

An eighth different team thus far this season through just three weeks earned a No. 1 rankings in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s statewide polls for the LHSAA’s five classifications.

Calvary Baptist nudged Dunham off the top line in Class 2A to join repeat No. 1’s Ruston, Westgate and Ouachita Christian.

So early in the season , the panel of 11 sports writers (present company included) — like much of the state — is still getting a handle on the hierarchies of teams at each level.

Eleven different programs received first-place votes this week, including Westgate, Archbishop Shaw, North DeSoto and Neville all in Class 4A.

The split divisions always adds extra wrinkles as well. Consider for one example: Last year’s Division-II Select finalists St. Charles Catholic and Archbishop Shaw are in different classifications and divisions this year, while last year’s Division-II Non-Select finalists Iowa and North DeSoto are in different classifications and last year’s Division-III Non-Select finalists Sterlington and Jena are in different divisions.

Each week’s outcomes provide that much more clarity to the picture, though. Credit to so many schools scheduling strong pre-district matchups for helping — although the wealth of out-of-state matchups can also more challenging to judge when being less tuned into those opponents from outside of Louisiana and the particular measuring stick they represent in a given year.

RUSTON THE LONE CONSTANT, NOW SET FOR 1-vs-2

Ruston is the only preseason No. 1 to have not suffered a loss and to have not slipped from its pedestal atop the polls.

Even despite facing challenging competition thus far against Neville and Longview (Texas), the Bearcats’ steadiness is unsurprising.

Coach Jerrod Baugh’s squad led the Louisiana vs. All Y’all preseason Top 50 rankings across all classifications and, even in the always-tough Division-I Non-Select, is considered as clear a title favorite as arguably any team in any bracket group.

This week has been circled as as tough a test as any, though, particularly prior to district play, as Ruston takes the long trip south to face two-time defending Division-I Select champion Edna Karr in Caesars Superdome.

The Cougars are growing up on the fly after graduating a legendary class of more than two dozen college signees, but remain talented and well coach with key senior leaders and a slew of promising sophomores already with high expectations.

The matchup is about as marquee as an early-season schedule can provide.

ALL LOSSES NOT EQUAL

Résumés should gradually overtake preseason expectations in the polls as more weeks of actual performance become available to gauge the teams.

And wins and losses matter, but so does the quality of competition. And all losses are not created equal.

Preseason No. 1 teams Neville in Class 4A and Dunham in Class 2A are each 1-1 after two weeks of play with solid wins against Evangel Christian and Parkway, respectively, and losses to Class 5A powerhouses Ruston and Catholic-Baton Rouge.

Neville has spent the past two weeks of poll results at No. 4 after its loss to the Bearcats. But, as one coach in the area said this past week, “I’d like to see any of those other teams play Ruston and see if they’d actually do any better.”

Dunham’s slip was even slighter, just a single spot to No. 2. But the same conversation applies to those Tigers as well. This past week’s long night against Catholic would have likely been par for the course, or close to it, for any Class 2A team trying to battle the Bears.

BIGGEST EARLY-SEASON POLL-CLIMBER

No team has risen the ranks more in two weeks of polls than Brother Martin from the 17th-highest vote-getter in Class 5A in the preseason to No. 9 the past two weeks after road wins at Southside and now St. Paul’s.

The Crusaders opened the Louisiana vs. All Y’all preseason Top 50 at No. 19 across all classifications and would likely also be in a top-10 conversation there if a re-ranking was occurring two weeks in.

That opening win against Southside earned “Statement Win” billing, and the successful trip to Covington is another solid addition to the résumé.

And while all casual eyes are on top-ranked prospect Easton Royal — the electric wide receiver committed to Texas and still being pursued heavily by LSU — the Crusaders have been strong all-around, including a sound, stingy defense worthy of a lot of praise.

CATHOLIC LEAGUE POWER

Speaking of Brother Martin, the New Orleans Catholic League has increasingly filtered its way toward the top of the Class 5A rankings.

Edna Karr, John Curtis and St. Augustine have given the district three of the top six teams in the classifications in each poll thus far.

The Cougars, Patriots and Purple Knights opened at Nos. 2, 4 and 6, respectively, and hold those spots again this week, but with the latter two flipped.

Archbishop Rummel has meanwhile climbed from No. 9 in the preseason to No. 7 with wins against University Lab and Vandebilt Catholic.

And Brother Martin and Jesuit have forced their way heavily into the top-10 conversation with the Crusaders’ aforementioned road wins at Southside and St. Paul’s and the Blue Jays victories against Madison Prep and at St. Thomas More.

The Catholic League now boasts four of the top seven, five of the top nine and six of the top 12 vote-getters in Class 5A.

Calvary Baptist joined the state’s No. 1-ranked teams this week after a second straight blowout of a larger-school opponent.

The Cavaliers nudged Dunham off the top line in Class 2A of the latest Louisiana Sports Writers Association polls released Monday, taking advantage of the preseason No. 1 Tigers’ lopsided loss to crosstown Catholic-Baton Rouge.

Each classification list saw some shifts following Week 2 action, but none more so than Class 2A where every spot in the top 10 shuffled a bit, including Notre Dame, Mangham and Lafayette Christian up one, two and three spots, respectively, to follow Calvary and Dunham in the top five.

Preseason No. 1 Ruston continues to lead the Class 5A vote, while Westgate, St. Charles Catholic and Ouachita Christian repeated in Class 4A, Class 3A and Class 1A, respectively, after overtaking top spots last week.

Class 5A
School, 1^st rec, points, Prev. rank

1.Ruston (9)                                    2-0                                   130                 1
2. Edna Karr (2)                             2-0                                    122                 2
3. Alexandria                                   2-0                                   102                 3
4. St. Augustine                               2-0                                     99                 4
5. Catholic-Baton Rouge                1-1                                       83                5
6. John Curtis                                  1-1                                      78                 6
7. Archbishop Rummel                   2-0                                      70                 7
8. Acadiana                                     2-0                                       57                8
9. Brother Martin                            2-0                                       40                9
10. Ouachita Parish                         2-0                                       20             NR

Others receiving votes: West Monroe 19, Jesuit 9, Mandeville 9, Central 8, Barbe 4, St. Thomas More 2, Destrehan 1, Southside 1, Thibodaux 1.

Class 4A
School, 1^st rec, points, Prev. rank

1. Westgate (8)                                2-0                                   128                1
2. Archbishop Shaw (1)                  2-0                                   118                2
3. North DeSoto (1)                        2-0                                   104                3
4. Neville (1)                                   1-1                                   100               4
5. Lake Charles College Prep        2-0                                     88                 6
6. Madison Prep                              1-1                                    78                 7
7. Franklin Parish                           1-1                                     54                  8
8. Cecilia                                         2-0                                    51                 9
9. Plaquemine                                 1-1                                     49                 5
10. Salmen                                      1-1                                     36              NR

Others receiving votes: Lafayette Renaissance 20, John F. Kennedy 15, E.D. White 6, Belle Chasse 3, Teurlings Catholic 3, Carencro 1.

Class 3A
School, 1^st rec, points, Prev. rank

1. St. Charles Catholic (11)            2-0                                   136               1
2. St. James                                       2-0                                  114               T3
3. Jena                                               2-0                                   110                5
4. Sterlington                                    1-1                                      95               2
5. Iowa                                              1-1                                      70                9
6. University Lab                               0-2                                      67            T3
7. Jewel Sumner                                1-1                                      63                6
8. Loyola Prep                                  1-1                                       53                8
9. Marksville                                     2-0                                      49                NR
10. Vandebilt Catholic                      1-1                                       41                7

Others receiving votes: Iota 19, Northwest 4, Erath 4, De La Salle 3, Carroll 1, Eunice 1.

Class 2A
School, 1^st rec, points, Prev. rank

1. Calvary Baptist (9)                             2-0                       129                2
2. Dunham (2)                                         1-1                       119                1
3. Notre Dame                                        2-0                       111                 4
4. Mangham                                            1-1                         95                6
5. Lafayette Christian                         2-0                         81                8
6. Oak Grove                                          1-1                          79                3
7. Amite                                                  2-0                          76                9
8. Kinder                                                 1-1                          53                5
9. Catholic-New Iberia                           1-1                          36                7
10. Mansfield                                          2-0                         29              NR

Others receiving votes: Isidore Newman 25, Loreauville 19, West St. Mary 6, Covenant Christian 3, Country Day 2, Union Parish 2.

Class 1A
School, 1^st rec, points, Prev. rank

1. Ouachita Christian (8)                        2-0                     129                 1
2. Riverside Academy (3)                       2-0                     123                 2
3. Ascension Catholic                             2-0                      109                3
4. Jeanerette                                            2-0                        96                4
5. Haynesville                                         1-1                        83                5
6. Logansport                                          2-0                        69                6
7. Southern Lab                                       2-0                        66                7
8. Kentwood                                           2-0                         59                8
9. Westminster-Lafayette                        2-0                        45                9
10. South Plaquemines                            1-1                        25              NR

Others receiving votes: Cedar Creek 21, East Feliciana 12, Lincoln Prep 11, St. Edmund 6, Westminster-Opelousas 5.

Louisiana’s high school football season provided another nice slate of pre-district matchups in Week 2 loaded with memorable outcomes and performances.

The second straight weekend to begin the season provided some real no-brainers in the “Statement Wins” conversation, as well as some tough calls for the final couple spots in the top five because of several worthy candidates in the discussion.

Fans around the state who have followed Louisiana vs. All Y’all through the years are familiar with the weekly feature during each football season to spotlight some of these notable victories that carry some big-picture storyline.

But it’s often important to remind folks that the “Statement Wins” moniker does not mean the most surprising outcomes of the week. The “statement” may vary between each game, but each game included said something of note that caught our eye. Sometimes there’s a surprise element, but that’s not always the primary factor.

In any event, here are the five that topped the list this weekend.

1. JENA 34, STERLINGTON 28

Anytime a program gets an opportunity to beat the foe that ended its previous season carries some statement to it. Jena got the opportunity to do so Friday despite Sterlington moving up in division this year. And, notably to the teams’ history, last season’s lopsided title game ended marked the second straight year in which the Panthers’ ended the Giants’ deepest-ever playoff run. Coach Jay Roark’s team his the road to Dell Ashley Field, where it had fallen in the 2024 semifinals, and navigated that adversity and the backs and forths of a fitting slugfest and managed to pull out the victory late. Jena has been continued by many to be the favorite in Division-III Non-Select this year. That’s a conversation Roark don’t want to have just yet as their team continues to develop, but the Giants have put together a strong early résumé for that case with wins against Mangham and Sterlington.

2. MADISON PREP 38, UNIVERSITY LAB 21

Madison Prep doesn’t generally receive the same level of statewide buzz as its nearby rivals on LSU’s campus and certainly hadn’t this year with the headline names of sons of Tigers coaches and other talented student-athletes moving into town and joining the Cubs. But the Chargers have battled U-High as well as anyone through recent years, including three meetings the past two years boasted a dead-even scoring margin. Still, the Cubs have won more games in the series, including both in 2025, and had been the one with more of the lopsided victories under their belts. Madison Prep beat up its now-former district rival Thursday, though, on its way to its second-biggest victory in the series. And, even now moved up into Class 4A and Division-II Select, the Chargers continue to make early-season cases to those around the state paying attention that they are a contender to be kept squarely on the radar.

3. WESTGATE 42, SOUTHSIDE 33

Coach Ryan Antoine admitted Thursday’s short road trip up to Youngsville was a game his players had had circled on their calendars since a 35-20 home loss last season in the nearby programs’ first meeting. Both programs have been considered among the top few contenders in their respective playoff divisions, and the Tigers heading up to the Sharks’ place and snatching a victory was a marquee win early in their schedule that showed some of their potential. Also notably for Westgate, the journey to that end result was one from which the players can take a lot of lessons and confidence after the way they battled adversity, stayed their course and overcame a deficit to get the job done. The Tigers showed no quit, kept applying pressure and won the fourth quarter on the road against a good opponent — an experience that should serve them come playoff time.

4. CATHOLIC-BR 58, DUNHAM 8

Catholic-Baton Rouge bounced back — emphatically — from a tough opener against Georgia powerhouse Carrollton and reminded everyone which team tops the pecking order in capital city. There’s no surprise to the Bears beating any Class 2A opponent, even defending Division-III Select champion Dunham. But the way they so, in 50-point blowout, was enough to force fans, media and coaches around not only the city, but the state, to take notice — particularly on the heels of the Tigers’ 55-15 rout of another Class 5A opponent, Parkway, to open the season. Dunham has come a long way as a program during the past decade and is among the top contenders at its level again to potentially repeat for the first time in school history. But, with a jamboree shutout of U-High already on their résumé, the Bears made another strong statement in any debate over the kings of the Baton Rouge jungle.

5. EAST FELICIANA 30, ST. HELENA 2

This rural, small-schools showdown might not have garnered as much fanfare and headline around the state, but the outcome should not be overlooked. There’s some confidence around East Feliciana that this year’s team has a chance to make some noise in the Division-IV championship race, and the Tigers are receiving some votes in early-season polls, but outside the top 10 through two weeks. The complete script-flip to a 30-2 defeat of a respectable St. Helena program after dropping the meetings the past two years, 36-7 and 14-0, seemed to catch the attention of some peer programs’ coaches and fans — and rightfully so.

The second weekend of Louisiana’s high school football season brought another slate of eye-catching outcomes as the early hierarchy of the state’s contenders continues to gradually gain clarity.

Only one No. 1 team and six of the 25 top-five teams across all five classifications suffered Week 2 losses, with all but one coming against higher-classification competition.

The LSWA compiles “How They Fared” lists each week, which Louisiana vs. All Y’all will share to provide a big-picture rundown of the biggest stories each week of high school action.

Here’s this week’s look.

Class 5A

1.Ruston (2-0) def. Longview (Texas), 36-22
2. Edna Karr (2-0) def. Huntington, 50-0
3. Alexandria (2-0) def. Union Parish, 59-16
4. St. Augustine (2-0) def. Destrehan, 42-13
5. Catholic-Baton Rouge (1-1) def. Dunham, 58-8
6. John Curtis (1-1) def. Louisville (Miss.), 29-22
7. Archbishop Rummel (2-0) def. Vandebilt Catholic, 35-0
8. Acadiana (2-0) def. Zachary, 36-28
9. Brother Martin (2-0) def. St. Paul’s, 47-16
10. Zachary (0-2) lost to Acadiana, 36-28

Others: Ouachita (2-0) def. Wossman, 43-28, St. Thomas More (1-1) lost to Jesuit, 30-10, West Monroe (2-0) def. Plaquemine, 51-8, Mandeville (2-0) def. Bonnabel, 78-21, Jesuit (2-0) def. St. Thomas More, 30-10, Southside (0-2) lost to Westgate, 42-33, Destrehan (1-1) lost to St. Augustine, 42-13, Barbe (2-0) def. St. Louis, 47-0, Thibodaux (2-0) def. South Lafourche, 41-6.

Class 4A

1. Westgate (2-0) def. Southside, 42-33
2. Archbishop Shaw (2-0) def. West Jefferson, 35-0
3. North DeSoto (2-0) def. Natchitoches Central, 56-21
4. Neville (1-1) def. Evangel Christian, 43-27
5. Plaquemine (1-1) lost to West Monroe, 51-8
6. Lake Charles Prep (2-0) def. Peabody, 60-7
7. Madison Prep (1-1) def. University, 38-21
8. Franklin Parish (1-1) def. Oak Grove, 42-20
9. Cecilia (2-0) def. Teurlings Catholic, 44-21
10. E.D. White (0-2) lost to Dutchtown, 35-7

Others: Teurlings Catholic (0-2) lost to Cecila, 44-21, Salmen (1-1) def. Live Oak, 51-14, Lafayette Renaissance (1-1) def. Catholic-New Iberia, 46-0, John F. Kennedy (1-1) def. H.L. Bourgeois, 63-13, Leesville (1-1) lost to Iowa, 39-28, Carencro (1-1) def. Northside, 57-8.

Class 3A

1. St. Charles (2-0) def. Hahnville, 28-27 (OT)
2. Sterlington (1-1) lost to Jena, 34-28
3. St. James (2-0) def. West St. John, 53-0
3. University Lab (0-2) lost to Madison Prep, 38-21
5. Jena (2-0) def. Sterlington, 34-20
6. Jewel Sumner (1-1) lost to Kentwood, 40-32
7. Vandebilt Catholic (1-1) lost to Archbishop Rummel, 35-0
8. Loyola Prep (1-1) lost to Parkway, 42-41
9. Iowa (1-1) def. Leesville, 39-28
10. Iota (1-1) lost to Sulphur, 38-14

Others: Marksville (2-0) def. Abbeville, 30-14, Northwest (1-1) def. Kinder, 22-20, Carroll (1-1) lost to Southern Lab, 40-8, De La Salle (0-2) lost to Northshore, 40-28, Erath (1-1) lost to Walker, 56-49.

Class 2A

1. Dunham (1-1) lost to Catholic-BR, 58-8
2. Calvary Baptist (2-0) def. Bunkie, 58-12
3. Oak Grove (1-1) lost to Franklin Parish, 52-20
4. Notre Dame (2-0) def. Church Point, 37-0
5. Kinder (1-1) lost to Northwest, 22-20
6. Mangham (1-1) def. Caldwell Parish, 28-20
7. Catholic-New Iberia (1-1) lost to Lafayette Renaissance, 46-0
8. Lafayette Christian Academy (2-0) def. Westminster-Opelousas, 42-0
9. Amite (2-0) def. Livonia, 34-7
10. Newman (1-1) lost to Sante Fe Christian (Calif.), 41-7

Others: West St. Mary (0-2) lost to Jeanerette, 26-22, Loreauville (1-1) def. Central Catholic-MC, 41-14, Mansfield (2-0) def. Washington-Marion, 48-0, Union Parish (0-2) lost to Alexandria, 59-16, Covenant Christian (1-1) lost to Riverside Academy, 55-13, Avoyelles (1-1) lost to Sacred Heart-VP, 48-30.

Class 1A

1. Ouachita Christian (2-0) def. Madison, 49-0
2. Riverside Academy (2-0) def. Covenant Christian, 55-13
3. Ascension Catholic (2-0) def. Hammond, 43-7
4. Jeanerette (2-0) def. West St. Mary, 26-22
5. Haynesville (1-1) def. Junction City (Ark.), 23-7
6. Logansport (2-0) def. Buckeye, 60-7
7. Southern Lab (2-0) def. Carroll, 40-8
8. Kentwood (2-0) def. Jewel Sumner, 40-32
9. Westminster-Lafayette (2-0) def. Port Barre, 50-8
10. Westminster-Opelousas (0-2) lost to Lafayette Christian, 42-0

Others: South Plaquemines (1-1) def. Bogalusa, 35-24, East Feliciana (1-1) def. St. Helena, 30-2, Cedar Creek (2-0) def. St. Frederick, 32-10, Lincoln Prep (2-0) def. Block, 46-8, St. Edmund (2-0) def. Morgan City, 65-6.