2016 Louisiana High School Football Division I Playoff Preview

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

Friday night is the opening round of the playoffs all over the state for Louisiana including the Division I bracket. The top three seeded teams are John Curtis, Scotlandville, and Catholic-Baton Rouge each earning a first round bye Friday night.

Last year Catholic-Baton Rouge was the Division I state champion after defeating Evangel Christian Academy on the road in the semifinals and upsetting Archbishop Rummel in the championship game.

Some storylines to follow this year include whether or not Catholic can repeat as champions?  Can John Curtis win an astounding 27th state championship? Can Evangel Christian Academy win a 14th state championship, their first since 2010? Will any lower seeded team upset a higher seeded team in the first round and make a deep run into the later rounds?

Along with these intriguing storylines there are also some great athletes to keep an eye on during the playoffs. These stars in the spotlight include Catholic-B.R. senior defensive end Aaron Moffitt (LSU), Brother Martin senior linebacker Bruce Jordan-Swilling (Georgia Tech), St. Augustine senior quarterback Justice McCoy (Florida Atlantic), Evangel Christian senior quarterback Connor Curry, and wide receiver Tanner Ash (Northwestern State).

Who can escape this tough first round and clinch a spot in an even tougher second round? Only time will tell.

Louisiana Division I First Round Matchups

No. 9 Jesuit @ No. 8 Archbishop Rummel

These two campuses are separated by less than ten miles so fans of both schools will pack the stands to cheer on both teams.

No. 12 Holy Cross @ No. 5 Evangel Christian Academy

Holy Cross will have to make the five hour drive from New Orleans to Shreveport. This is a rematch of a quarterfinal game last year where Evangel won 42-7.

No. 13 Archbishop Shaw @ No. 4 St. Paul’s

Archbishop Shaw is just a twenty minute drive from St. Paul’s in New Orleans. St. Paul’s advanced to the quarterfinals last year and is looking to take the next step in 2016.

No. 11 McKinley @ No. 6 Brother Martin

McKinley and their fans will make the 80 mile trip from Baton Rouge to New Orleans and look to upset the higher seed. Brother Martin made it to the quarterfinals last season before falling to eventual state champion Catholic-Baton Rouge, 49-48.

No. 10 C.E. Byrd @ No. 7 St. Augustine

The Byrd Yellow Jackets will make the long trip from Shreveport to New Orleans to take on St. Augustine. St. Augustine fell in the first round last season and want put on a better showing this year.

Photo credit: The Shreveport Times; Evangel Christian Academy QB Connor Curry escapes a defender