Louisiana’s high school football season has only just begun, but messages are already being sent loudly and clearly.
Teams come out on top of games every week that open eyes around the state, surprise doubters, flex their muscles against good competition, inspire confidence in themselves or their communities or show rivals that their series dynamic may be shifting.
Fans around the state who have followed Louisiana vs. All Y’all through the years are familiar with our weekly “Statement Wins” feature during each football season to spotlight some of these notable victories that carry some big-picture storyline.
The feature has become a staple from the social media-only years to more detailed looks with the new site in 2025, and we’re excited to continue the tradition throughout this season.
Note: “Statement Wins” 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.
But, as we look at Week 1 of the 2026 season, here are the five that topped our list.
1. DUNHAM 55, PARKWAY 15
Dunham hasn’t historically played a lot of large-classification competition, per se, but has started scheduling an early-season Class 5A opponent in recent years, including four straight wins against Live Oak since a 2022 loss to Mandeville. But to go to Shreveport and nearly quintuple-up a Parkway team local coaches forecast as a potential District 1-5A favorite is an entirely different beast. Alabama-committed quarterback Elijah Haven put on a show, as he has done increasingly consistently as an upperclassman. But for the Tigers, after graduating several other key stars from last year’s Division-III Select title team, to have the strength and depth all over the field and particularly in the trenches to take care of their business that decisively against a typically solid Panthers team with high expectations once again really said something.
2. PLAQUEMINE 21, ZACHARY 16
We have been high on the Green Devils and posed them during preseason conversations as a team that was being under-discussed around the state and deserved more respect. The expectation was that this year might be a closer battle than the 29.5-point average margin the past two years, but Plaquemine outright winning was an outcome that clearly caught some attention from fans, coaches and media around the state. The road doesn’t get any easier with a trip to West Monroe and home game against University Lab before opening district action. But the Green Devils are definitely on far more radars than they were entering the season as a team to keep in mind in the Division-II Non-Select contender conversation.
3. BROTHER MARTIN 38, SOUTHSIDE 19
Southside had an immediate opportunity to strengthen confidence in its case as a challenger to Acadiana and St. Thomas More in District 3-5A and Ruston in Division-I Non-Select. Instead, Brother Martin jumped out to an early lead and doubled up the Sharks on the road to send a message that it may need to be more seriously included in the conversations of loaded Catholic League and Division-I Select races. Texas-committed and LSU-targeted wide receiver had 122 yards and two touchdowns on a handful of catches, and the physicality on both sides of the ball against a tough Southside program and way the Crusaders flew around defensively were other standout elements from the performance.
4. LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN 30, CARENCRO 6
Lafayette Christian had beaten Carencro each of the past two years, but entered this year with more questions, if not doubts, from around the state because of its heavy losses to graduation and a key transfer out of town. And not only did the Knights not stumble out of the gate, they opened the season with a handy win against a good higher-classification opponent and their biggest win yet in the series with a stifling defense and three different running backs finding the end zone — a recipe that could serve them just as well much of this season.
5. WEST MONROE 42, EVANGEL CHRISTIAN 32
Preseason matchups should be taken with somewhat of a grain of salt and are typically that much easier to flush and move on from than actual, four-quarter games that count on the record. But as much intensity and attention as any West Monroe vs. Neville meeting garners, the 27-0 loss at Bayou Jamb this past week couldn’t have been an easy pill to swallow. So the Rebels being able to regroup and start the regular season on a positive note and a win against another quality Class 5A opponent felt like a meaningful reset and something to build upon rather than risk doubts snowballing for either the team or the fan base.
