The first weekend of October was a memorable one for Louisiana’s football landscape, even with a limited slate of college action Saturday.
High school matchups all over the state Thursday and Friday provided tremendous team and individual performances, one of the in-state Division-I programs and a few natives playing their college ball elsewhere highlighted Saturday, the New Orleans Saints notched their first win of the season and a former Heisman-winning LSU quarterback returned from injury with a big Sunday.
As always, Louisiana vs. All Y’all identified nine of the best efforts from all three phases and all three levels. Congratulations to the latest Player of the Week winners.
HIGH SCHOOL
Offense — Trevin Simon (2026), Ascension Catholic RB/DB: The senior running back and three-phase standout had a monster night to help the Bulldogs’ bounce back from a loss the previous week with a 49-40 road win at Episcopal-Baton Rouge. Simon racked up 283 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries and caught another touchdown.
Defense — Tyree Burton (2026), Salmen DB: The senior defensive back racked up more than 10 tackles in a 35-28 upset of former district rival Lakeshore, a highly ranked team in Class 4A, and an 85-yard scoop-and-score fumble return that helped the Spartans blow open a big lead they would ultimately preserve to win their third straight game and take a positive record into District 7-5A action.
Special Teams — Jaylen Mims (2026), North Iberville KR/ATH: When Vinton pulled back even in the third quarter of Friday night’s back-and-forth affair, the versatile senior athlete popped an 83-yard, go-ahead kickoff return for a touchdown as his most explosive of a few critical plays down the stretch in the Bears’ win. Mims fielded the ball inside the 20-yard line, dashed his way 25 or 30 yards, worked through some contact just before midfield and accelerated back off to the races, making one more player miss before coasting to the end zone. He later threw for a two-point conversion and rushed for a touchdown to ensure North Iberville never lost the lead provided from his big return.
COLLEGE
Offense — Nate Sheppard, Duke RB: The freshman running back out of Mandeville continued his quick emergence for the Blue Devils with a second straight start and a second straight two-touchdown performance. Sheppard carried 12 times for 91 yards, an average of 7.6 yards per attempt, to lead Duke to a 45-21 defeat of California — another of his recruiting finalists last year — and bring his two-week totals to 259 yards and four scores.
Defense — Ian Conerly-Goodly, Southeastern Louisiana DB: The former Covington star kicked off the Lions’ road shutout of McNeese State with an early interception he housed 33 yards to the end zone. He finished with two tackles and helped lead a coverage effort that held the Cowboys to 5-for-18 passing for 37 yards. After a combined two interceptions the previous three years, he now has two during the past two weeks, including his second career pick-six.
Special Teams — Alec Mahler, Southeastern Louisiana K: The former St. James standout kicked off seven times in the Lions’ 38-0 shutout victory at McNeese State on Saturday and never allowed the Cowboys better starting field position than their own 25-yard line. He averaged 62.4 yards per kick with two touchbacks; fair catches at the 1-, 3-, 4- and 10-yard lines; and return from near the goal line that the coverage team corralled for a stop at the 19.
PROFESSIONAL
Offense — Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders QB: LSU’s 2023 Heisman-winning quarterback returned from two missed weeks working through a knee injury and helped his Washington team shake off a slow start on the road in Los Angeles to come back and beat the Chargers, 27-10. Daniels completed 15 of his 26 pass attempts for 231 yards anda. touchdown and rushed eight times for another 39 yards.
Defense — Bryan Bresee, New Orleans Saints DL: The third-year defensive tackle earns the Player of the Week nod from a finalist group that included five Saints defenders who all would have been worthy candidates following the team’s first win of the season thanks to five takeaways. Bresee, who earned PFF’s highest grade for the New Orleans defense, forced a game-swinging red-zone fumble that Jordan Howden returned for a touchdown to not only preserve a tight lead to open the fourth quarter, but extend it.
Special Teams — Blake Grupe, New Orleans Saints K: The third-year kicker’s Sunday afternoon wasn’t perfect, but it was critical. Grupe finished 4-for-6 on field goals, including a 53-yarder, and 2-for-2 on extra-points for a game-high 14 points — enough to match the New York Giants’ total — in the Saints’ first win since Dec. 8, 2024. As New Orleans struggled to finish drives, including an 0-for-3 performance in the red zone, Grupe more often than not still ensured enough points to give the team its first lead in weeks and set up the eventual win.