High School Football Forecast Playoffs Third Round
We're deep into the playoffs, and the Acadiana area is still kickin'. STM and Teurlings this week...and could we see AES and VC in the Dome?
Before we get all wrapped up in this week's action, let's give some kudos to the dudes who went out and earned it last week. The Player of the Week for the last round was going to go to Cole Kelley for leading Teurlings to a convincing 36-14 second round victory over higher-seeded De La Salle, but he gave it to his offensive line. What a nice guy.
Those are some big boys. A veteran bunch in the trenches, led by Zeb Burley, serves as the engine to the Rebels offensive motor. With Noah Harris back healthy, "The Great Wall" should be licking their chops to fire off the snap and go get a taste again this week...
Whenever it came time to choose Team of the Week, I had to take the full resume into factor. The Notre Dame Pios continue to crush people in slow, devastating fashion each week.
Their crushing defense held the defending state Champs, Calvary Baptist, to a single touchdown on their way to a comfortable 28-7 win. You just don't see that happen this late in the playoffs, but the Pios made it seem like business as usual. Hayden Bourgeois collected three of the four scores, and Notre Dame waltzed into the semifinals of the Division III bracket. The #2 seed, St. Thomas Aquinas, awaits them in the next round. Grab your popcorn.
Now that we're talking about this week's matchups, it's time to get into our games of the week.
Of course, STM and Teurlings makes the cut. The Cougars and Rebels put on a show every time they play, and this one is bursting at the seams with storylines.
If you want to sink your teeth into this rivalry game, you might want to do it bite by bite. Whet your appetite with a little revenge, as the Cougars are trying to get back at Teurlings for handing them two straight losses. Follow that up with a personal note from the two quarterbacks, Cole Kelley and Will Bellamy. The two long time friends chose to play on different teams to spread the talent, and this will be their last go round.
Oh yeah, the winner of this game goes to the Superdome with a chance to hoist the state championship in Division II. Can it hurry up and be Friday already?
There's a chance we could see an All-Acadiana State Championship Game in Division IV, but there's still some work to do for Ascension Episcopal and Vermilion Catholic to make that happen.
Ascension Episcopal takes on a St. Mary squad that hasn't allowed over two scores to a single team all year long, so it's certainly a steep slope on their possible road to the Dome. The Blue Gators defense will have to slow down St. Mary's offense, and Head Coach Michael Desormeaux's play calling skills will get tested, for sure.
If Jake Arceneaux, Ja'Ciery Linzer, Ronald Leblanc and the rest of AES hold up their end of the bargain, they'll be waiting for Vermilion Catholic. VC's task is equally as tough.
Southern Lab might be the #6 seed, but they proved to Central Catholic-Morgan City, 30-8, that their seed is a sad representation of the talent on their roster. That being said, Hunter Frith, Tyler Deroeun, and Emile Trahan are torching opponents. Frith is putting up NFL numbers (3,436 passing yards, 42 TD's), and there isn't a single thing Derouen can't do on the football field. Trahan is a playmaker, and William Noegel's presence on the defense and at tight end brings real balance to Russel Kuhn's unit.
Southern Lab is good, but VC won't be scared. They want a rematch with Ascension Episcopal, who beat them earlier this year on a two-point conversion. This time, the state championship would be on the line.
We can't forget about Crowley and Kaplan either. There's a real good chance the Acadiana area could bring a couple trophies back from New Orleans. If so, we'll all be waiting to celebrate. Nobody parties like Cajuns.