Louisiana High School Football Division I Quarterfinal Preview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
It was an exciting opening weekend in the Division I playoff bracket as we saw two shutouts and two close games. The only blowout came in Shreveport as No. 9 Archbishop Rummel blew out the No. 8 seed C.E. Byrd 55-28.
Some notable star players to watch this weekend include Evangel athlete Ardarius Washington (LSU commit) and linebacker Micah Baskerville (LSU commit), John Curtis quarterback Collin Guggenheim, St. Augustine running back Garland LaFrance (Texas Tech commit), Archbishop rummel safety Aaron Brule (Georgia commit), Scotlandville running back Trenton Charles (Yale commit), and Brother Martin offensive lineman Zach Breaux (Louisiana-Monroe commit).
Louisiana Division I Quarterfinal Matchups
No. 9 Archbishop Rummel Raiders (6-4) at No. 1 Evangel Christian Academy Eagles (7-1)
In the opening round, Archbishop Rummel clobbered C.E. Byrd, 55-28, while Evangel earned a bye week. This will be the second consecutive week that the Raiders will have to travel from southern Louisiana all way up to Shreveport, almost five hours north.
Rummel’s star wide receiver JaMarr Chase injured his knee last week and is doubtful for Friday’s game at Evangel. Other players to watch includes quarterback Chandler Fields who has thrown for 1,667 yards and 19 touchdowns and running back Keirell Jackson who has 714 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Without Chase, Rummel might need to play a perfect game to take down Evangel but don’t be surprise if this is a close game.
Evangel had two bye weeks in the regular season and has played just once in the last three weeks so rust might be a factor when the Eagles host the Raiders. The Eagles lockdown defense gave up just 31 points and shutout three opponents in six district games. Evangel’s offense is led by running back Tamauge Sloan.
No. 5 St. Augustine Purple Knights (7-3) at No. 4 Catholic-Baton Rouge Bears (8-3)
In the first round, St. Augustine shutout Jesuit 27-0 while Catholic-Baton Rouge destroyed Archbishop Shaw 44-0. The Purple Knights defense had five interceptions in their first-round win against Jesuit. Their offense is led by running back Garland LaFrance. St. Augustine will travel 75 miles west on I-10 to Baton Rouge in hopes of clinching a spot in the semifinals.
Catholic has shutout two out of their last three opponents and is looking to dominate a second straight opponent. Running back Parker Smith had 85 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Cameron Dartez threw for 90 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bears last week.
No. 6 Brother Martin Crusaders (7-4) at No. 3 Scotlandville Hornets (9-1)
Last Friday, Brother Martin dominated McKinley, 28-12, while Scotlandville had a first-round bye. This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal game where Scotlandville squeaked past Brother Martin 18-16.
The Crusaders were led last week by Davon Moore who had 115 total yards and a touchdown. Quarterback John Paul Pierce threw for 134 yards with his only touchdown pass coming on a 24-yard pass to Moore. Much like St. Augustine, Brother Martin will also be traveling to Baton Rouge for a spot in this year’s semifinals.
Scotlandville is led by running back Trenton Charles who has 1,154 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The Hornets quarterback is Cameron Armstead, who has thrown for 1,355 and 20 touchdowns.
No. 7 St. Paul’s Wolves (7-4) at No. 2 John Curtis Patriots (9-1)
Last week, St. Paul’s squeaked past Holy Cross 27-24 while John Curtis earned a first-round bye. St. Paul’s survived the opening round by leaning on junior quarterback Jack Mashburn. Mashburn threw for 269 yards and a touchdown and ran for 144 yards and two more scores in the Wolves win. Mashburn and the rest of his teammates will need to put up a similar performance if they want to upset John Curtis.
John Curtis is led by sophomore dual-threat quarterback Collin Guggenheim who has 938 passing yards, 778 rushing yards and has 19 total touchdowns. Another weapon for the Patriots is senior wide receiver Tyrone Legette who has snagged 24 passes for 476 yards and five touchdowns. One Patriot to watch on defense is linebacker Jay Curtis who has 66 tackles including 19 for a loss and six sacks.
Fans of both schools will pack the stands for this quarterfinal matchup as both schools are just 43 miles apart.
Who will survive and advance to the semifinals? Only time will tell.
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Photo credit: John Curtis QB Collin Guggenheim lines his team up against Brother Martin