ST. LANDRY NOW WEEK 10 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Photograph: Opelousas High School 2022 Football Team Coaches. (Photograph by Freddie Herpin.)

Bobby Ardoin
Editor/Consulting Writer

It’s the final week of the regular season and there is a chance that by Saturday morning, St. Landry Parish could possess three high school district football champions, providing each of them closes out Week 10 with a victory.

Opelousas High and Opelousas Catholic appear destined to reign as outright district champions with no league losses, a result that would provide the city with two league titlists for the first time in well, who can remember?

Fact checking this situation if it does occur, has been difficult, but as best St. Landry Now can ascertain the last time two high school football teams from Opelousas won district championships during the same year was 2005.

Opelousas Catholic, which played for a state championship that season and Westminster Christian Academy played in different classifications that year, with each capturing a district championship.

The last time Opelousas Catholic and Opelousas High were district champions during the same year is something that needs further research.

Eunice High also has a chance to become a league champion.

The Bobcats, Leesville and Rayne each have 3-1 district records, but Eunice High has defeated each team in district games. To seal the deal for the title Eunice needs to defeat LaGrange in Lake Charles this week.

Let’s get to the completion of the regular season.

ST. LANDRY NOW WEEK 10 GAME OF THE WEEK

Beau Chene (1-8, 0-3) at Opelousas High (8-1, 3-0)
This game has always been a sustained rivalry, since the attendance zones of each school are adjacent and it seems a satisfactory year for each program occurs when a victory within the matchup. The records of the teams are reversed this season, but there is still enough rivalry juice existing to make this game one to watch. Since 2009, the teams are 6-6 against each other during the regular season. An Opelousas win will spark a celebration, while a Beau Chene victory will give the Gators some satisfaction for a season that went sideways quickly. Opelousas gets the win and an outright district crown.

St. Edmund (4-4, 2-2) at Opelousas Catholic (6-3, 4-0)
The goal at Opelousas Catholic this week is to finish 5-0 in district and that can happen if the Vikings mount a performance similar to the ones exhibited over the last five weeks. Most importantly OCS has been winning the line of scrimmage battles recently along with making the necessary personnel moves for defensive improvement. St. Edmund has a 1,500-yard rusher in Kevon Johnson along with several weapons that give defenses trouble. No trouble however for OCS in this one.

Eunice High (5-4, 3-1) at LaGrange (1-8, 1-3)
It’s been an interesting season at Eunice, with enough high’s and low’s to drive a coaching staff to seek a psychic. However the Bobcats have persevered and despite the adversities, a win over LaGrange will give them a championship, the second in three seasons for head coach Andre Vige. The Bobcats will have a happy bus ride back.

North Central (3-6, 0-4) at Sacred Heart (6-3, 2-2)
With a victory Sacred Heart finishes third in the district. What means the most to the Trojans at this point is ending the regular season with no more injuries. North Central is continuing to build a football program that deserves more support than the Hurricanes are getting right now from the LeBeau-area community. Sacred Heart snatches a playoff berth with a win.

Mamou (4-4, 2-3) at Northwest (5-4, 3-2)
Northwest needs to win in order to have a chance at making the playoffs again. The Raiders are another team wiped clean by injuries, but Northwest has won two in a row and must again rise to the occasion against Mamou. The Green Demons have rebuilt the football program and become competitive under head coach Dwight Collins. Don’t see Mamou winning this one, although the result will be close.

Port Barre (0-8, 0-5) at Pine Prairie (0-9, 0-5)
No need to speak about the records of both teams. In recent weeks however each program has flirted with victory. Pine Prairie lost by three points against Northwest and Port Barre dropped a winnable game at Ville Platte. Pine Prairie is the home team and perhaps the favorite, but Port Barre leaves Evangeline Parish with a win.

Westminster Christian (2-7, 1-3) at Catholic Pointe Coupee (8-1, 3-1)
Westminster is continuing to rebuild a football program and there is enough young talent to use as a foundation for that to occur. The Crusaders face Catholic High, which has is attempting to finish strong and accumulate more power points. Catholic High wins convincingly.