The temperatures have started to drop, Louisiana’s high school football playoffs are on the immediate horizon and teams all over the state are continuing to open eyes and send messages.
Whether pivotal district battles or other high-profile showdowns, the weekly “statement wins” have far from slowed down. Rather, some are packing some of the biggest punch of the season to date.
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.
About a dozen games made the initial “short list” of top candidates, and eight earned top-five votes from our small committee of coaches and reporters.
Here’s a look at the five that ultimately topped the list.
1. TEURLINGS CATHOLIC 38, ST. THOMAS MORE 14
Teurlings Catholic had lost 10 straight to its crosstown rival during the past decade. For the third time in the past four years, the Rebels entered the matchup undefeated. But this time, first-year coach Michael Courville and a strong senior class helped lead program back over the St. Thomas More hump — and handily so. Teurlings Catholic now heads into Week 10 as one of the state’s 15 remaining undefeated teams and the potential No. 3 seed in the Division-I Select playoff bracket.
2. BELLE CHASSE 14, ARCHBISHOP SHAW 0
Since Archbishop Shaw dropped to Class 4A in 2022, Belle Chasse had dropped all three matchups to the Eagles by at least three scores and all in increasingly lopsided fashion from 38-14 in the first meeting to 41-15 in 2023 and 54-7 a year ago. Thursday belonged to the Cardinals, though, as they joined Edna Karr and Archbishop Rummel as the third team to shut out Shaw this season. Belle Chasse has now positioned itself for a likely top-four seed and first-round bye in the upcoming Division-II Non-Select playoffs.
3. LAFAYETTE CHRISTIAN 24, EVANGEL CHRISTIAN 22
The message that Lafayette Christian is back to not only competing with, but beating good Class 5A and Class 4A opponents should have already been received with its pre-district wins wins against Archbishop Rummel, Carencro, Westgate and Central. But Thursday’s defensive scrap past typically high-powered Evangel Christian appeared to catch the state’s attention as much as any — whether because of the stage of the season, the Eagles’ high ranking going in or the success they were able to have slowing them down. Lafayette Christian has secured the top seed in Division-III Select and leads that playoff picture by a wider power-rating margin than any team in any division.
4. THIBODAUX 27, TERREBONNE 21
Thibodaux got back on the right side of the bayou Tigers’ tilt after having its run of success in the series halted in 2024. Terrebonne won last year’s meeting, 46-17, and has largely had the higher expectations and attention around the state thus this season. But Thibodaux upset its higher-seeded rival Thursday for its most eye-catching victory thus far in a strong first season under new coach Lowell Narcisse Jr., shaking up some of the Division-I Non-Select playoff picture and likely solidifying a first-round home game for the first time since 2016.
5. SOUTHSIDE 70, CARENCRO 35
The Sharks shook back for their first district loss in emphatic fashion to claim one of their marquee wins — if not likely their biggest — of the season thus far. Southside racked up a program-record 70 points and one of their most lopsided victories of the season, all against a nearby rival also enjoying a strong season overall and battling to potential host a first-round playoff game. The Sharks enter Week 10 as the No. 8 team in the Division-I Non-Select bracket with the potential to host multiple playoffs games in November.