Louisiana High School Football Week 8 Preview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets (5-2) at Evangel Christian Academy Eagles (5-1)
In Week 7, Byrd dismantled Parkway 49-34 while Evangel shutout Southwood 49-0. This will be a battle between the top two teams in District 1-5A and the winner of this game will be the favorite to win the district in two weeks. The unique battle to watch in this game will be the rushing attack of the Yellow Jackets against the lockdown defense of Evangel who have only allowed 10 points in four previous district games.
Byrd’s offense, who averages 32 points a game, is led by senior running back Jalin Thomas. Thomas rushed for an incredible 343 yards last week against Parkway and has accumulated 811 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this year. The Yellow Jackets use several other weapons in their triple-option attack including junior Charlie Barham and Sam Miletello.
The Eagles have only let one district opponent, Airline, score a touchdown against them and no offense has scored against Evangel’s defense since their Week 2 matchup against Allen (TX). On defense, there are three players to watch which include LSU commits Micah Baskerville and Ardarius Washington and Oklahoma State commit Jarrick Bernard. Washington and Bernard also make impact plays on the offensive side of the ball which includes Washington’s 35-yard rushing touchdown last week.
Loyola College Prep Flyers (3-4) at Green Oaks Giants (3-4)
Last week, Loyola lost to St. Mary’s 23-10 while Green Oaks routed Franklin Parish 34-18. This will be an interesting district match-up to determine who have the upper-hand in the District 1-3A race.
Loyola scores on average 20.5 points per games and gives up 26 points per game. The Flyers are led by junior dual-threat quarterback Jacob Allen who can make plays in the air and on the ground as he has 884 passing yards, 368 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. Allen’s favorite target is junior wide receiver John Williams who has snagged 37 passes for 448 yards and three touchdowns. Another weapon on Loyola’s offense is senior running back Gabe Thrash who has 447 carries on 100 carries and three rushing touchdowns.
Green Oaks scores on average 22.5 points per game and gives up on average 25 points a game. The Giants are led on offense by freshman quarterback Keith Baker who has thrown for 1,308 yards and seven touchdowns and has 86 yards and four more scores on the ground. Baker’s three favorite targets include senior wide receivers Kenric Jackson and Lexington Simon and junior wide receiver Davion Sanders. Jackson has 491 receiving yards and ties for the team lead with four receiving touchdowns. Simon leads the Giants with 613 receiving yards and one touchdown. Sanders has 437 receiving yards with four receiving touchdowns.
Other Games from Around Louisiana
Minden at Northwood
Bonnabel at Landry-Walker
West Monroe at Pineville
Ponchatoula at Fontainebleau
Sam Houston at Barbe
Sulphur at Acaidana
Homer at Parkway
Slidell at St. Paul’s
Woodlawn at Bossier
Westgate at Teurlings Catholic
North DeSoto at Booker T. Washington
Haughton at Southwood
Cecilia at Breaux Bridge
Neville at West Ouachita
Huntington at Benton
Captain Shreve at Airline
Calvary Baptist Academy at D’Arbonne Woods
Plain Dealing at Haynesville
John Curtis at Holy Cross
Photo credit: Scout.com; Evangel LB Micah Baskerville