Just when you may have thought you had this season all figured out, Week 7 provided some notable curveballs.
When the dust settled on Friday night’s action, a few high-profile victories and notable first wins or first wins in several years in series were clear “Statement Wins” selections.
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 carried some notable weight.
Here’s a look at the five that ultimately topped the list.
1. LIBERTY MAGNET 52, ZACHARY 31
A much-improved Liberty Magnet program authored one of the biggest surprises of the entire football season in its upset of perennial power Zachary. The win is the Patriots’ biggest since the program began varsity action in 2021 and moved their record to 4-3 on the season, already marking their most victories since moving up to Class 5A in 2022. The Broncos had entered the week among the state’s final remaining undefeated teams and a 36-5 district record dating back to 2017.
2. RUSTON 41, NEVILLE 37
The only other game that may have had the state talking as much as Liberty’s upset of Zachary was Ruston’s thrilling comeback against Neville. Just as they had in the preseason jamboree, the Bearcats overcame a deficit to upend their longtime rival. Neville had gotten the best of the 2024 district meeting, and which team would be better in 2025 was a reasonable debate heading into the season. But Ruston has now swept a pair of meetings in a two-month span and and done so in come-from-behind fashion — in and of itself notable for a traditionally run-heavy offense with a first-year starting quarterback.
3. HAMMOND 20, MANDEVILLE 17
The Tornado had lost their past six meetings with Mandeville by a combined 154 points, an average of 25.7 points per contest, and its past two in particular by an average of 30.0 points. Hammond had come close in 2021 and 2022 before losing heartbreakers, but couldn’t get back over the hump until Friday for its first win in the series since 2018. Coach Dorsett Buckels and company are no 5-2 on the season with the opportunity for the program’s best finish since before Hurricane Katrina.
4. MANGHAM 49, OAK GROVE 28
The Dragons rolled past perennial power Oak Grove by three scores for their sixth straight win on the season and their first against the Tigers since 2022. Mangham had been just outside of the top 10 in the LSWA’s Class 2A polls, behind District 2-2A rivals Ferriday and Oak Grove, before beating the Trojans and Tigers and moving its way up those rankings and the Division-IV Non-Select bracket seeding.
5.ASCENSION EPISCOPAL 35, VERMILION CATHOLIC 14
The Blue Gators got onto the right side of the matchup with the reigning Division-IV Select champion Eagles and did so emphatically. The teams have now played annually the past four years after a long layoff, and Vermilion Catholic had won the previous three by an average of 16 points per contest, including two wins of 22-plus points. But, this time around, Ascension Episcopal was the team securing a three-touchdown victory and continuing to solidify its position as this year’s District 6-1A favorite and a high seed in the upcoming playoff bracket.