As anticipation builds for the upcoming LHSAA football playoffs, the final weeks of the regular season are providing plenty of memorable excitement and drama in their own right.
Week 9 was full of eye-popping outcomes that included a range of dominant messages being sent, upsets and other surprises.
Louisiana vs. All Y’all, as always, took some time as the dust settled to unpack and weigh some of the most notable results, attempting to better contextualize the week through the lens of some of those impactful contests.
A reminder that the “Statement Wins” list does not signify the most surprising results, though surprise can be among the factors in the overall conversation.
1. ST. AUGUSTINE 52, EDNA KARR 14
Was there any doubt where this list would start? Make no mistake: Anyone shocked that St. Augustine won this game just hadn’t been paying attention. The Purple Knights have excellent all year with a great combination of talent and coaching that has made them disruptive and explosive while also executing consistently and rarely making costly mistakes. But all of that was on display on a huge scale Saturday as the marquee football matchup in the state not just on the high school schedule, but at any level. And St. Augustine didn’t just beat Edna Karr and halt its 35-game winning streak. It dismantled its Catholic League foe in a fashion few others ever have. The Cougars shot themselves in the foot at times. But burying them too hard would be a mistake. Saturday was more a declaration of St. Augustine as the state’s best team heading into November — and, hand-in-hand, an escalation of junior quarterback Jaelle Noble from budding star known around the city to someone who should be a household name around the state.
2. EAST FELICIANA 22, KENTWOOD 6
Few teams around the state have had as stark a contrast as East Feliciana in on-field success while still remaining largely under-the-radar. Part of that dynamic is being a rural small school who hasn’t been one o the typical perennial powers like a Haynesville, Oak Grove, Ouachita Christian, or, say, a Kentwood. And part was a dynamic of a largely hit-or-miss strength of schedule that only featured two opponents with winning records. Friday marked the Tigers’ announcement to the rest of the state that they are very much for real this season, though, handling the aforementioned Kentwood, which had been rolling this season with one of the state’s best point differentials in any classification. East Feliciana’s latest victory definitely opened some eyes, finally, and, more importantly, likely secured the No. 1 overall seed in the Division-I Non-Select playoffs.
3. JESUIT 37, ARCHBISHOP RUMMEL 33
The perspective around the state had seemed to be St. Augustine and Edna Karr atop the Catholic League with Archbishop Rummel a clear and close third and then, with a losing skid by John Curtis, a gap before the battle for fourth, fifth and beyond. But Jesuit has now beaten Curtis and Rummel in back-to-back weeks and climbed to No. 3 in the Division-I Select power ratings. The Blue Jays have won four of their past five, and the lone loss in that span came to St. Augustine by a smaller margin of defeat than Edna Karr’s. This week’s games could shake up the playoff picture a bit, but Jesuit may be positioning itself to not have to leave the city all postseason and to have a résumé that shows it must be taken seriously in any matchup that arises.
4. LEESVILLE 55, JENA 40
The Wampus Cats have been another of those teams not being discussed nearly as much as they probably should considering the level of success they’ve had on the field. But that dynamic could change some with arguably their marquee win thus far this season — or certainly one of their their top couple. Leesville went to Division-III Non-Select title favorite Jena in a battle of ranked teams and won by two scores, earning their seventh straight victory and moving up to No. 5 in the Division-II Non-Select power ratings. The Wampus Cats have another tough matchup in Week 10, but another win would likely earn their highest playoff seed since 2020.
5. JOHN EHRET 35, WARREN EASTON 19
The magnitude of the Friday and Saturday action — including specifically in New Orleans, but also around the state — overshadowed a solid Thursday slate’s good team, games and “Statement Wins” candidates. But the Patriots’ rally on the West Bank deserves some flowers for a variety of reasons and messages sent. John Ehret’s players showed no quit, even when falling behind 12 points, and instead battled back to outscore the Eagles, 35-7, the rest of the way. The schools haven’t played each other often in recent years, but Warren Easton had swept the two meetings in 2022 and 2023 by an average margin of 27.5 points. The Patriots now have meanwhile won their most games in a season (5) since 2023 and are aiming to win their most since 2020 and secure a home playoff game in the upcoming Division-I Select bracket. A lot of positive takeaways for coach Wallace Foster III’s bunch, thanks to a lot of resilience and belief.
