A win’s a win, but some wins can pack a bit more of a message.
Every week, Louisiana high school football teams come out on top of games 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 dynamics may be shifting.
Fans around the state who have followed Louisiana vs. All Y’all on social media through the years will be familiar with our weekly “Statement Wins” feature during each football season.
Now, with the site launched, we’ll have the opportunity to devote a little more ink and detail to these spotlighted outcomes.
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 not that caught our eye.
And, as we look at Week 2 of the 2025 season, a pair of ended droughts and a high-profile national showdown topped another strong list of candidates.
1. SOUTHWOOD 16, ARCADIA 15
The magnitude of Southwood holding off Arcadia on Thursday, even by a single point against the Class 1A foe, should not be understated. The Cowboys hadn’t won a game since 2019, a drought that could make buy-in and belief from a team of teenage athlete and their community a difficult uphill battle to navigate. But coach DeAumante Johnson and his players needed just one game this season to get back on the right side of the win-loss columns, shut the book on the five-plus years of struggles and give themselves a positive outcome on which to build.
2. COMEAUX 34, PATTERSON 30
Comeaux’s drought wasn’t quite as long as Southwood’s, but the dynamic was largely the same. The Spartans hadn’t won a game since the current senior class was in eighth grade in October 2021. But, as of Friday, the program can put that distinction to rest, celebrate victory and work to build on that positive step.
3. EDNA KARR 24, AMERICAN HERITAGE (FLA.) 17
An injury to star American Heritage quarterback Dia Bell, the Texas commit, diminished some of the hype. But Edna Karr’s matchup with the nationally ranked Patriots remained one of the country’s highest-profile games on the early-season schedule, and the Cougars survived a dog fight to successfully represent both themselves and the state in the spotlight.
4. MADISON PREP 30, MANDEVILLE 21
Another week, and another Madison Prep victory against a Class 5A opponent. Mandeville has enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons and a combined four playoff victories in that span and is anticipated to have another solid season even after notable 2025 graduations. But Madison Prep continues to show its capability of competing with almost anyone in the state now with two wins by a combined 16 points against two Class 5A foes to whom the Chargers fell by a combined 36 points a year ago.
5. LAKE CHARLES COLLEGE PREP 70, BARBE 65
Lake Charles College Prep needed caught the state’s attention with the dramatic, high-scoring fashion with which it came back to upend traditional power Barbe for the first time in the schools’ young series. While the Bucs haven’t been at their title-contending best in a few years, the Blazers’ furious rally from a 25-point deficit and win against the Class 5A opponent sent some messages around the Lake Charles area and state — and potentially internally as well — about their potential.
