Louisiana high school playoff drama: Upsets, Standouts and Showdowns shaping the path to glory

From stunning upsets to breakout stars, here are eight key takeaways from the thrilling action in the Louisiana high school football playoffs

John Curtis Patriots head coach John "J.T." Curtis, Jr., the nation's all-time winningest high school football coach in the country, once again has his Patriots on a playoff roll. / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Louisiana high school football playoffs are heating up, with underdogs defying the odds, powerhouse teams flexing their dominance, and individual stars shining under the bright lights. This week’s matchups offered everything from nail-biting finishes to unexpected blowouts, setting the stage for high-stakes quarterfinal showdowns. As the race to the state championships narrows, these eight key takeaways capture the action, drama, and standout performances defining this season's playoff intensity.

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Sharks Make Waves in Nonselect Division I Playoffs

In Division I nonselect, No. 6-seeded Southside rolled to a 47-0 shutout of No. 22 Walker and can reach the semifinals for the first time if the Sharks can upset the reigning state champs.

The Sharks (9-2), who will travel to No. 3 Ruston next, are led by running backs Ramon Singleton and Justin Williams. Singleton has rushed for 1,239 yards on 187 carries with 13 TD. Williams has 1,074 yards on 161 carries with 10 scores. Quarterback Parker Dies is averaging 8.2 yards per carry with six TD. The Sharks were 4 of 5 passing for 82 yards and a TD against Walker. 

Three lower seeds advanced to the quarterfinals: No. 24 Chalmette upset No. 8 Hahnville, No. 21 West Monroe took down No. 5 Mandeville and No. 10 Destrehan blew out No. 7 Northwood-Shreveport, 63-21.

Malachi Dabney scored six touchdowns in Destrehan's win, according to Ryan Arena of The St. Charles Herald Guide. Receiver Jabari Mack left the game with an injury after scoring an early TD. The Wildcats (9-3) travel to No. 2 Airline (11-0) in the quarterfinals. 

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Never count out John Curtis Christian; Patriots defy odds again

John Curtis Christian finished with a sub-.500 regular-season record for the first time since 1969, but the No. 19-seeded Patriots are doing Patriot things in the Division I select playoffs.

John Curtis, which lost its last three regular season games, beat No. 14 Brother Martin and No. 3 Acadiana to advance to the quarterfinals. Quarterback Reggie Johnson marched the Patriots, who were trailing by five points, 77 yards with less than two minutes remaining and threw a TD pass to freshman Jarvis Stevenson for a 28-27 win, according to Nick Fontenot of The Acadiana Advocate. Stevenson has five catches for 77 yards on the season with the huge touchdown. 

The Patriots (6-5) travel to No. 6 Teurlings Catholic (10-1), which defeated No. 11 Jesuit, 31-23. John Curtis lost to Jesuit during district play, 17-10.

Cecilia, Opleousas notch road wins; rematch remains possible

Cecilia and Opelousas, who met in the Division II nonselect final last year, defeated higher seeds to keep the chances of a rematch alive. The No. 18 Bulldogs and No. 14 Tigers will meet in the semifinals if both can win on the road again.

No team had scored more than 20 points all season against undefeated No. 2 Lutcher before Cecilia visited on Friday, according to Reed Darcey of The Baton Rouge Advocate. 

The Bulldogs topped that total in the first half of a wild 49-41 shootout. Senior quarterback Diesel Solari accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). Sophomore Braylon Calais rushed for 113 yards on 15 carries with two TD. 

Two UL Ragin' Cajun commits went head-to-head with Cecilia's Brent Gordon and Lutcher running back Trenton Chaney, who ran for 194 yards on 24 carries with three TD.

Opelousas kept its end of the bargain by eliminating No. 3 Jennings, 30-19. The Tigers (8-3) travel to No. 6 Plaquemine (11-1), which knocked out No. 11 Northwest, 49-34. 

Cecilia (9-3) visits No. 7 North DeSoto (10-2).

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Archbishop Shaw and John F. Kennendy advance to quarterfinal showdown

No. 1 Archbishop Shaw hosts No. 8 John F. Kennedy in a highly anticipated Division II select quarterfinal. The Eagles (9-2), who beat No. 16 Loranger 49-14, got three rushing touchdowns in the first half from Michigan commit Jasper Parker.

Parker, the district MVP, finished the regular season with 1,501 all-purpose yards and 22 TD.

John F. Kennedy (7-4) is a dangerous No. 8 seed that lost three games by forfeit. The Cougars got a scare from No. 9 Lake Charles College Prep but held on to win 51-37. JFK had allowed only 20 points during its last six games. 

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Tiger Tales: Loreauville stuns No. 2 Erath in Division III

The No. 2 seed in Division III nonselect was ousted when No. 15 Loreauville defeated No. 2 Erath, 28-7, in a rematch of Week One won by Erath. Loreauville exerted control from the outset, stopping Erath on its first possession and taking a 7-0 lead on a 48-yard pass from Hayden Benoit to Gavin Judice.

Maddox Savoy didn't reach the end zone, but he moved the chains with 155 yards on 27 carries for an offense that had 23 first downs and outgained the Bobcats by 200 yards.

Loreauville (6-5), which began the year 0-4, travels to No. 7 Jena (9-3). Blake Delcambre relieved Benoit at quarterback during a drive and capped it off in two plays, completing a long pass to Blaise Romero and keeping the ball himself for a 30-plus yard TD run. 

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Lafayette Christian’s underdog story continues

Lafayette Christian, like John Curtis, worked its way through a sub-.500 regular season. The Knights faced a challenging schedule that included Archbishop Rummel, Archbishop Shaw, Central-BR, Evangel Christian and a Westgate team that was fully loaded with Jaboree Antoine at the time. 

The No. 9 Knights avenged an earlier loss by beating No. 8 Notre Dame in Division III select, 35-28. Ball-hawking defensive back Chris Helaire and LCA will have to upset No. 1 Dunham (11-0) and five-star QB Elijah Haven to keep their streak of consecutive title game appearances alive.

Junior quarterback Braylon Walker dissected the Notre Dame defense for 103 yards on 11 carries with four TD. He completed 14 of 17 passes for 187 yards and a score. 

In the regular season loss to Pioneers, Walker rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries with a TD. This is the third time in eight years the Knights have lost a district game and avenged it in the playoffs, according to statistician Hayden Lessard. LCA did it in 2017 (Vermilion Catholic) and 2022 (Teurlings Catholic), beating both in the semifinals.

No. 7 Catholic-New Iberia (10-1) and QB Luke Landry travel to No. 2 Isidore Newman (9-0) in another marquee D3 matchup. Landry has passed for 31 TD with only one interception. The Greenies will counter with QB Eli Friend.

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Jeanerette romps with some Devine intervention 

Jeanerette pounded No. 13 Grand Lake, 46-24, in Division IV nonselect. Sophomore running back Devine Duhon, who was sidelined by injury late in the regular season, returned and accounted for 261 yards and six TD. The No. 4 Tigers (8-2), who host No. 12 General Trass in the quarterfinals, were also without quarterback Zyon Colar for a loss to Central Catholic. 

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St. Edmund's Henry Summerlin rushes for 326-yards; overshadows 5-star LSU commit Harlem Berry

The nation's top running back, five-star LSU commit Harlem Berry, and the ninth-seeded St. Martin's Episcopal Saints were handled by a St. Edmund offense that has produced zany numbers all year.

Quarterback Kane West completed 12 of 14 passes for 237 yards and two TD and rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries with five TD. But that's not all. The strongman converted eight two-point conversions in the 78-37 win. 

Tailback Henry Summerlin went over the 1,600-yard mark for the year with a 326-yard effort for the No. 8 Blue Jays (10-1), who travel to No. 1 Vermilion Catholic (11-0) and 2,100-plus yard rusher Jonathan Dartez in the Division IV select quarterfinals.

West, who threw touchdowns on approximately half of his regular season completions, has 14 rushing TD. He scored five two-point conversions in a win over Opelousas Catholic.

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With upset wins, stellar individual performances, and underdogs rewriting expectations, this year’s Louisiana high school football playoffs are shaping up to be unforgettable. The stakes only get higher as the quarterfinals loom, promising more drama and excitement ahead.