Teurlings Looks To Derail STM In Rivalry Match

With a win on Friday night, St. Thomas More could pretty much lock up District 4-4A, which is why Teurlings Catholic can't allow them to win.

Rivalries breed passion, competition and a healthy form of hatred that can sometimes bring out greatness. Last season's 53-46 win for the Rebels didn't come without a fair share of insanity. Teurlings was down by multiple scores, and they found a way to come back and ruin the day for STM. The Cougars have been waiting to repay them for over a year. If they win the rivalry match, the district is theirs too.

With a win over Carencro last week, the only other tripping block for the Cougars to clear is their rival. Sitting in the #3 spot in the LSWA polls for 4A, it could also ensure them a top seed come playoff time.

Beyond the obvious, there are multiple layers to this rivalry game.

STM's Will Bellamy and Teurlings' Cole Kelley are two of the top QB's in the state, but they're also friends. They made the decision heading into high school to play against each other to push the limits of what they could achieve. The result has been fantastic football, and this is the last time both seniors will get to suit up against each other. Each of them will be headed off to a life of college athletics, so they better make the best of their last opportunity to out-duel a buddy.

The parallels continue. Jim Hightower will go into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his achievements with St. Thomas More. Sonny Charpentier isn't at that stage yet, but his paternal influence is already placing competent coaches around the Acadiana area as offspring. His son Roch coaches the offense along side of him, and his other son Dane is navigating the viking ship for Opelousas Catholic.

With playcallers like these two on the sidelines, expect execution and streamlined scoring.

Weaponry for both teams could be described best as deep and diverse. In terms of the head playmakers though, just take a look into the backfield.

Kelley and the Teurlings offense sport a double-edge, thanks to Noah Harris and a bruising run game. The Rebels offensive line is gigantic, and Harris does a lot of the dirty work. His style differs from the Cougars' main man, but their production is similar.

Trevor Begue is Bellamy's go-to, safety-blanket, running mate...whatever you want, he does. The Bellamy-to-Begue connection becomes maddening for defensive coordinators to disrupt, especially because Begue can be moved all around the field like a chess piece. Last week against Carencro, he was responsible for all four scores and had over 200 yards with under 10 carries. His college plans are undecided at this point, but if he's not balling somewhere, it's by his own choice.

Nothing like a good ole rivalry to split the city down the middle. Making a prediction in a game like this is absurd. Let the cards play out and the chips fall. Whoever takes home this hand has bragging rights for another calendar year.