As we continue to close the book on a memorable 2025 Louisiana high school football season, Louisiana vs. All Y’all wanted to (as promised) circle back to our overall team rankings.
We have attempted on several occasions in recent years, at fans’ requests, to take stabs at listing the top 50 programs regardless of classification.
And releasing lists both before and after the season (and, when possible, when turning the page from regular season to playoffs) provides a nice opportunity to gauge where we were spot on and where we missed and where teams around the state lived up to or exceeded expectations.
As we mentioned prior to the season, a couple of important notes to know or remember:
- All-classifications lists are inherently going to feature far more larger-school programs than smaller-school programs. This lean is not at all to diminish the talent or achievements of Class 1A or Class 2A teams — it’s the nature of the exercise. There’s a reason classifications exist in the first place, and only a few elite smaller-school programs can typically compete with the better Class 4A and particularly Class 5A competition.
- The further the list goes, the more tightly packed the teams get. Part of the beauty of high school football is parity and the high potential for an upset on any given Thursday, Friday or Saturday. A few elite teams may stand out for their combinations of talent, depth and relatively consistent execution, then another tier or two may not be far off that pace. But past that (usually somewhere between about 10 and 25 teams down the list, depending on year), the tiers start to widen out to larger groups of teams that could easily split 10 head-to-head matchups down the middle or whose outcomes could vary heavily as a matter of stylistic matchups.
All that out of the way, and without any further adieu, let’s take a look at our final team rankings to wrap up Louisiana’s 2025 season.
1. Edna Karr — preseason No. 1
All-classifications rankings can be difficult, but the top of this list couldn’t be easier. There’s not other realistic place to start this list. Edna Karr won its second straight championship in Louisiana’s highest division and now boasts a 27-game winning streak that is starting to knock on the door of the best runs in the state’s history. The Cougars were loaded with NCAA Division-I talent all over the field in every position group and lived up to — if not exceeded — sky-high expectations. LSU signees Richard Anderson and Aiden Hall were headliners, but their list of college-bound standouts is staggering. Few teams even managed to challenge this Edna Karr group on the field this year, and few in recent history would even be in the same conversation.
2. Catholic (Baton Rouge) — preseason No. 2
The Bears were our No. 2 team in the preseason and our bet as the biggest threat to Edna Karr, and that’s exactly where they finish as well. Catholic gave the Cougars a semifinal battle — the most closely any in-state opponent managed to play them — and, despite missing key pieces because of injury, had the ball late for a potential game-winning opportunity before a turnover sealed its fate. The Bears boasted another of the best defenses in the state headlined by Ohio State safety signee Blaine Bradford, arguably its best running back group, a good offensive line and a pair of senior quarterbacks who consistently held their own and provided efficiency and balance.
3. St. Augustine — preseason No. 5
The Purple Knights finished the season with an impressive 12-2 record against a challenging schedule with the only two losses coming to Edna Karr. Senior quarterback Vashuan “Tig” Coulon led one of Louisiana’s most explosive offenses with a deep and talented receiving corps, and St. Augustine weathered injuries early, late and throughout the season to make its way back to a title game for the first time since 1979. Notably, the Purple Knights may return as much talent — and experienced talent — on both sides of the ball as anyone in the state in 2026.
4. John Curtis — preseason No. 6
The perennial-power Patriots suffered three losses this season — once to Edna Karr and twice to St. Augustine — and held a lead on the Purple Knights late in their semifinal rematch before falling on a walk-off touchdown by their Catholic League rival. Strings of costly turnovers let the two regular-season games get out of hand, and the third loss was a coin-flip down to the wire. Sophomore quarterback London Padgett led an offense that showed explosive flashes during the season, and a field general and tackle machine Jeffery Curtis at linebacker and an athletic, hard-hitting secondary helped headline another stout John Curtis defense.
5. Ouachita Parish — preseason No. 21
The Lions are the big party-crashers in the postseason top-10 after going on a historic run from four straight losses in district and a No. 14 seed to their first state championship since 1989. We were probably higher on Ouachita Parish in the preseason than most around the state with a No. 21 ranking regardless of classification — recognizing both their talent and their brutal District 2-5A. The Lions weathered that gauntlet, became a better team for their handling of that adversity and a storybook revenge tour through the playoffs behind one of the state’s best defenses and key playmakers on offense. Though Ouachita lost its first four against Ruston, West Monroe, Neville and Alexandria in the regular season, it won a pair of playoff rematches to finish the best of the group.
6. Ruston — preseason No. 3
The Bearcats were within a couple minutes of holding off Ouachita for the second time this season and had another late at a potential answer that could have claimed a second title in three years and shaken up this order. Ruston was good as always defensively, this time with a smaller, quicker front and an athletic and physical cast of linebackers and defensive backs flying around. Junior tight end Ahmad Hudson continued progressing into a more complete and consistent star, junior quarterback Sam Hartwell had a solid first season as the starter and sophomore running back Dalen Powell was among the state’s biggest breakout stars before his injury in Week 10.
7. Neville — preseason No. 4
Neville narrowly trailed Ruston at Nos. 3 and 4 on our preseason list and wraps up the season similarly as Nos. 6 and 7. The Tigers were among the most balanced teams in the glut of District 2-5A contenders with second-year starting quarterback Parker Robinson at the helm and a cast of weapons around his that continued to develop depth around him. The schedule also showed as much balance as any between dominant wins, a lopsided loss and tight finishes and comebacks that went both for and against Neville. In addition to a good core returning, the Tigers also return down to Class 4A and Division II in 2026.
8. Alexandria — preseason No. 7
The only different between the Trojans’ preseason and postseason rankings ends up being the postseason surge by Ouachita Parish knocking them down a spot. As we expected heading into 2025, Alexandria remained far more in the thick of its district and division than many around the state seemed to expect after their notable graduations from last year’s runner-up run. Major breakout stars such as edge rusher Bryson Phoenix and running backs Kason Williams and Noble Williams joined the solid returning core, and the Trojans — though the finish wasn’t ideal — appear to send a message of some staying power as contenders.
9. Zachary — preseason No. 11
The Broncos battled tragedy off the field and adversity on it, but managed to still be one of the final four Division-I Non-Select teams standing in December. Zachary suffered three stumbles in the final four weeks of a tough District 4-5A stretch, but — not unlike another highly ranked team or two — responded for a strong playoff run that included some revenge along the way. This year’s Broncos were highlighted by a strong offensive line and running back duo, Jeremey Patton and Tylek Lewis, and a defense that was stout much of the season. Zachary avenged it Halloween district loss to Central with a quarterfinal win and battled top-seeded Ruston in a tight semifinal.
10. Central — preseason No. 10
Zachary and Central felt like a toss-up heading into the season and proved to be exactly that on the field with two matchups split and each decided by four points or less on plays in the final minute. The Wildcats were an explosive offense with a pair of effective quarterbacks distributing the ball to their good weapons up and down the field. The defense had some growing pains after graduating most of last year’s title-winning unit and then additionally battling key injuries, but the new group also had its moments and its own college-bound talent.
THE NEXT 10: The top eight of this list felt pretty cleanly our top three mini-tiers, but the full messiness of the process really explodes from there with a wide range of teams who split real-life head-to-head matchups in circular fashions (see examples such as: St. Charles Catholic beat Archbishop Shaw beat St. James beat St. Charles Catholic, or Archbishop Shaw beat Lafayette Christian beat Archbishop Rummel beat Archbishop Shaw) or likely would if they had played.
Five teams in our postseason No. 11-20 range were top-20 teams in our preseason rankings (so a total of 14-for-20 to this point. Division-II and -III Select champions St. Charles Catholic and Dunham were the biggest risers from just outside the preseason top 50 to inside the top 20 after memorable seasons with marquee victories against higher-classification opponents and ultimately titles in December. The Comets looked like their old selves with a stout defense, offensive line and running game and the ability to win games on special teams. And the Tigers and star quarterback Elijah Haven hit another gear during a record-setting season in which St. Charles Catholic was their only blemish.
Perhaps no team saw a bigger rankings rollercoaster than Acadiana, which would’ve slid considerably after starting 0-3. But, similarly to Ouachita Parish, credit to the Wreckin’ Rams for the way they handled, responded to and improved from adversity. Acadiana made some personnel adjustments early in the season, stuck together and looked like an entirely different team by the playoffs and actually finish a couple spots higher than it started.
Teurlings Catholic made the next-largest leap here behind St. Charles Catholic and Dunham. The Rebels started the season a bit higher up at No. 37, but exceeded those expectations with 11 straight wins under first-year coach Michael Courville before falling to John Curtis in the quarterfinals by a respectable 21-7 margin. Archbishop Shaw was another notable climber (from No. 34) and rankings rollercoaster after a new-look team endured some growing pains during the course of its regular-season schedule, but then came within seconds of avenging one of those losses and potentially winning back-to-back titles. Division-III Non-Select champion Sterlington also climbs a few spots into the top 20.
11. Acadiana — preseason No. 13
12. Destrehan — preseason No. 9
13. Teurlings Catholic — preseason No. 37
14. St. Charles Catholic — just outside preseason 50
15. Archbishop Shaw — preseason No. 34
16. Dunham — just outside preseason 50
17. Lafayette Christian — preseason No. 20
18. Archbishop Rummel — preseason No. 12
19. Evangel Christian — preseason No. 17
20. Sterlington — preseason No. 27
THE NEXT 10: The circular and transitive messiness doesn’t clean up as we move farther down the list. A sixth state champion, Division-II Non-Select winner Iowa, joins the list and with a big leap forward after finally breaking through to the Superdome and converting its first trip into its first title. A few of our top tier of Class 4A and Class 3A teams from the preseason rankings finish in solid (and in many cases nearly identical) footing. And Jena makes a big leap from outside our preseason top 50 into the top 30 on the final list. The Giants proved more effective moving the ball in the air than we’d anticipated, were more dominant in several marquee wins than anticipated and gave Sterlington a battle deep into the teams’ title bout.
21. Southside — preseason No. 19
22. St. Thomas More — preseason No. 8
23. University Lab — preseason No. 25
24. Madison Prep — preseason No. 24
25. Iowa — preseason No. 50
26. North DeSoto — preseason No. 38
27. Jena — not in preseason 50
28. St. James — preseason No. 26
29. Brother Martin — preseason No. 14
30. Jesuit — preseason No. 16
THE NEXT 10: This range sees the biggest influx of teams from outside of our preseason top 50 into the final list, whether those like Calvary Baptist, Notre Dame and Belle Chasse who fell just on the wrong side of the bubble in final cuts in August or like Barbe who had been further down the list and earned a ranking with a series of eye-catching statement wins in November.
Barbe’s second-round stunning of West Monroe made the Rebels one of the most complicated teams to handle in these entire rankings after their marquee win against Catholic (Baton Rouge) early and strong work in the District 2-5A race had them looking like a potential top-10 team and title contender. The final note was a tough one, though, and pulled West Monroe back behind not only the ascendent Barbe, but another crew of teams by proxy.
31. Calvary Baptist — just outside preseason 50
32. Notre Dame — just outside preseason 50
33. Carencro — preseason No. 36
34. Belle Chasse — just outside preseason 50
35. Barbe — not in preseason 50
36. West Monroe — preseason No. 18
37. Westgate — preseason No. 22
38. E.D. White — preseason No. 32
39. Parkway — preseason No. 30
40. St. Paul’s — preseason No. 15
THE NEXT 10: Several teams ranked in the preseason No. 31-50 fill the final segment of the postseason top 50 — good teams that had good seasons fairly in line with expectations, or perhaps slipping a few spots after earlier playoff exits than anticipated. But two newly ranked teams, Vandebilt Catholic and Lake Charles College Prep, lead the way after meeting in an overtime quarterfinal thriller in the Division-II Select bracket. And Denham Springs breaks into the top 50 after a particularly strong second half of its District 5-5A run that featured a few program records, including a No. 4 seed and a bye in the Division-I Non-Select bracket.
41. Vandebilt Catholic — not in preseason 50
42. Lake Charles College Prep — not in preseason 50
43. Holy Cross — preseason No. 44
44. Lutcher — preseason No. 31
45. Franklin Parish — preseason No. 29
46. Terrebonne — preseason No. 33
47. East Ascension — preseason No. 39
48. Denham Springs — not in preseason 50
49 Captain Shreve — preseason No. 49
50. Plaquemine — preseason No. 35
