Louisiana's Prep Classic high school football state championships: Game previews, kickoff times
Beginning Thursday, eight state football championships will be awarded inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association's annual Prep Classic begins on Thursday with two title games. Then on Friday and Saturday, three more championship contests take place on each of those days.
Four select and four non-select state champions will be crowned over the three-day weekend. Here now is a look at each game at the LHSAA Prep Classic:
Division I non-select
No. 1 Ruston (13-0) vs. No. 6 Zachary (12-1), Saturday at 7 p.m.
Ruston reached the championship game last year for the first time since 1998 and finished as runner-up to Destrehan. Zachary, which won its most recent title in 2021, took out Destrehan in the quarterfinals.
After holding off Westgate, 20-18, in the regional round, Ruston has defeated Walker, 56-17, and Mandeville, 28-7.
Joshua Brantley, a 6-foot-5 junior quarterback, is a threat with his arm or his legs. Ruston has been a run-heavy team with tailbacks Jordan Hayes and Dylone Brooks. The two backs combined for 270 yards and three TDs last week.
The Bearcats' defense, led by LSU commit Ahmad Breaux, Tulane commit Geordan Guidry and Louisiana Tech commit Jadon Mayfield, has held nine opponents to 18 or fewer points.
Zachary has successfully employed a two-quarterback system with Hudson Spangler and Caleb Gonzales. Receivers Tyson George and Trey'Dez Green have combined for 77 catches, 1,368 yards and 13 TDs. Green, a 6-foot-6 LSU tight end commit, has been a matchup nightmare.
Tailback Kameron Thomas has rushed for 1,267 yards on 159 carries with 12 scores. The senior went for 242 yards in the 35-14 win at Destrehan.
Louisiana LookBack: Top takeaways from Week 14 of 2023 season
Division I select
No. 3 Catholic-Baton Rouge (11-2) vs. No. 8 Acadiana (11-2) Friday at 7 p.m.
Acadiana is making its first appearance in the championship game since 2020 when the Rams won the Class 5A title. The Rams won back-to-back crowns in 2019 and 2020 and are seeking their seventh title.
The Rams' split-back veer offense is powered by halfbacks Ezekiel Hypolite (146 carries, 1,221 yards, 23 TDs) and Jonah Gauthier (111-784, eight TDs).
Quarterback Caden DiBetta gives the offense a passing threat. His top targets are receivers Russell Babineaux and Collin DiBetta, who caught the game-winner against Carencro during the regular season, as well as Hypolite out of the backfield.
Five-star lineman Dominick McKinley and his younger brother, Darryus, anchor the Rams' defensive line. McKinley, a Texas A&M commit, came into the semifinal game vs. Edna Karr with 68 tackles.
Linebackers Shemarius Harris (109 tackles) and Amir Hill (68 stops) are players to watch. Babineaux has been playing at a high level in the secondary.
Catholic-BR quarterback Daniel Beale entered last week's semifinal game vs. Archbishop Rummel with 2,474 yards passing and 34 TDs. The University of Louisiana commit is a capable ball-carrier as well.
Barry Remo (1,012 yards rushing 12 TDs) is the top ground-gainer. Amari Clayton, Brooks Wright and Bradley Wright are frequent targets for Beale in the downfield passing game. Brooks Wright, a University of Louisiana baseball signee, caught the game-winning TD in the quarterfinals vs. John Curtis Christian.
The Bears last won a state title in 2021.
Division II non-select
No. 2 Cecilia (12-1) vs. No. 12 Opelousas (11-3) Friday at noon
The two District 5-4A rivals met in the regular season, with Cecilia rallying from a 14-point deficit to win, 25-22, on a Jonathan Boudreaux field goal.
The Bulldogs, who are making their first title game appearance since 1995, boast two 1,000-yard rushers in quarterback Diesel Solari and tailback Corey Broussard.
Solari has rushed for 1,551 yards on 162 carries with 32 TDs and has completed 94-of-139 passes for 1,357 yards and 18 TDs with five interceptions. He has also returned three kicks for touchdowns.
Broussard has rushed for 1,218 yards on 156 carries with 22 TDs. Ellis Stewart, Brent Gordon and Boudreaux pace the receiving corps.
The Cecilia defense is undersized but active. Linebacker Bronson Patt (5-6, 190) had a strip-sack in the regular season meeting with Opelousas that changed the complexion of the game.
In the previous game vs. Opelousas, Solari completed 12-of-14 passes for 105 yards and a TD and rushed for 44 yards on 16 carries with a score.
Opelousas is vying for its first state title. The Tigers have been trending upwards under coach Jimmy Zachery, who led the program to a 2022 district title, its first since 1994. The school hosted a playoff game last year for the first time since 2004.
The Tigers have a bruising ground game, sparked by tailbacks D'Shaun Ford and Zay Amos. Ford, a 6-foot, 230-pound junior, is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 4 player in Louisiana by Rivals.
Quarterback Zack Malveaux, also a junior, is a dual-threat whose favorite receiver has been Korey Fontenot.
Ford ran for 159 yards on 31 carries with two TDs in the regular-season game at Cecilia. Amos added 68 yards on 12 carries, and Malveaux carried nine times for 56 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs limited Malveaux to 3-of-8 passing for 18 yards with two interceptions.
Linebacker Corey Amos is the marquee player on the Tigers' defense. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior is rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 4 player in Louisiana by ESPN.
Division II select
No. 1 St. Thomas More (13-0) vs. No. 3 Lafayette Christian (11-2) Saturday at noon
The District 4-4A rivals meet again in a rematch of last year's title game.
St. Thomas More stormed back from a 48-38 deficit with 1:46 remaining to win that game, 52-48. It was the Cougars' third title in four years.
This is the seventh consecutive year that the Knights have reached a state final. They've done it in three different divisions.
The two teams combined for 58 first downs and 1,392 yards in last year's title game.
Both quarterbacks return in STM's Sam Altmann and LCA's Ju'Juan Johnson. Altmann has passed for over 2,500 yards with 30 touchdowns. Johnson - an LSU commit as a defensive back - has passed for 3,356 yards and 41 TDs and has rushed for 1,321 yards and 22 scores.
Hutch Swilley has rushed for 977 yards on 102 carries with 15 TDs for the Cougars. Landon Strother has 60 catches for 1,025 yards and 13 TDs.
For the Knights, Jalen Noel has rushed for 1,201 yards on 137 carries with 14 TDs. TJ Marzell (46-811, 12 TDs) is the leading receiver.
Defensive backs Gavin Duplechin and Brian Broussard have been stingy in the STM secondary. The LCA defense includes University of Texas commit Melvin Hills and McNeese State commit Sandy Lewis.
STM defeated the Knights, 44-40, in Week 6.
With Swilley sidelined by an injury, John Luke St. Pierre (27-159, TD) and Gabe Mocek (20-107, two TDs) stepped up carrying the football. Altmann rushed for two scores.
Johnson completed 19-of-29 passes for 395 yards and three TDs and rushed for 143 yards and a TD on 22 attempts. Trae Grogan caught six passes for 154 yards and a score.
Division III non-select
No. 3 St. James (11-2) vs. No. 4 Union Parish (9-4) Friday at 3:30 p.m.
St. James is seeking its sixth state title and first since 2019. Union Parish, which has runner-up finishes each of the last three years, won crowns in 2001 and 2013 as Farmerville High School.
St. James QB Brayden Williams has passed for 2,494 yards and 30 TDs with five interceptions. He has also rushed for 697 yards and 15 TDs.
Sophomore Kani King-Young leads the team with 812 yards on 77 carries with six TDs. Cameron LeBlanc has rushed for 606 yards and 11 scores.
Receiver Kobe Young has 77 catches for 1,243 yards and 15 TDs. Sophomore Jakias Villanueva, who has 698 yards on 47 receptions with five TDs, had a big return in the semifinal win over Sterlington.
For the Farmers, quarterback Jordan Hill has passed for 903 yards and 12 TDs with six interceptions. Tailback Jy'Marion Island has rushed for 2,318 yards and 23 TDs. The senior is averaging 7.9 yards per carry.
Junior linebacker Ty'Quereis Wilson has 193 tackles (58 solo) with eight sacks, an interception and six forced fumbles.
Division III select
No. 1 St. Charles Catholic (13-0) vs. No. 2 Calvary Baptist (13-0) Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
This may be the most attractive of all eight matchups. The fact that both teams are undefeated lends intrigue.
St. Charles Catholic, the defending champions which will move up to Class 4A next year, is playing in its fifth consecutive title game and can win its third straight championship.
It's a classic matchup of Calvary Bapttist's offense vs. the Kyle Cannon-led Comets' defense that has limited eight foes to 15 or fewer points.
The Cavaliers, who won state in 2013, 2014 and 2020, have scored 601 points. Junior QB Abram Wardell has thrown for 3,634 yards with 43 TDs and one interception.
Wardell spreads the ball around to four receivers who each have at least 600 yards, led by senior Aubrey Hermes (63-1,267, 14 TDs).
Tailback James Simon has rushed for over 1,400 yards with 18 TDs and is averaging 8.7 yards per carry.
QB Brady St. Pierre, a Southeastern Louisiana baseball commit, directs the Comets' offense. Jeremiah Wills and Skyler Edwards are the primary running options. Kicker Tyler Milioto has been a potent weapon all season. Kaden Foster has also been a factor on special teams.
Division IV non-select
No. 3 Oak Grove (11-2) vs. No. 4 Haynesville (12-1) Thursday at 7 p.m.
Two north Louisiana powers go at it for the second time in a rematch of Week 6 when Oak Grove defeated Haynesville, 61-27.
The Tigers outscored Haynesville in the second half, 28-6. Quarterback Jackson Bradley passed for 233 yards and five TDs and rushed for 147 yards and two more scores.
On the year, the Louisiana Tech commit has passed for 1,613 yards with 20 TDs and three interceptions. The junior has rushed for 1,180 yards and 17 TDs. Jay Freeman leads the team with 1,422 yards on 20 carries and is averaging 9.7 yards per carry. Freeman does an excellent job catching passes out of the backfield (22-497, eight TDs).
Linebacker James Harris roams sideline to sideline for the Oak Grove defense.
Oak Grove has won seven titles, including last year. Haynesville, whose most recent crown was in 2014, has 17 championships.
Haynesville players to watch include linebacker/running back Alonzo Jackson, running back Donnie Critton, running back/linebacker Byruss Burns and QB/DB Isaiah Washington.
Division IV select
No. 2 Southern Lab (11-1) vs. No. 5 Riverside Academy (12-1) Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Southern Lab has won five titles, the last in 2021. The Kittens were forced to vacate two other championships in 2015 and 2016. Riverside Academy won in 2016.
Southern Lab scored 18 straight points in the final 5:46 last week to rally past Ouachita Christian, 38-34. Defensive back Dylan Day, a University of Miami commit, returned an interception for a touchdown to cap off the comeback.
Marquez Williams had a 61-yard punt return as part of the unusual sequence of events. QB Marlon Brown completed 5-of-17 passes for 195 yards and rushed for 96 yards on nine carries with a score, according to Vashon Jones of Crescent City Sports.
Armriyan Asberrry ran for 47 yards on 11 carries with two scores.
Riverside Academy eliminated top-seeded and undefeated Vermilion Catholic on the road, 34-7. The Rebels held Vermilion Catholic quarterback Jonathan Dartez to 18 yards on 12 carries. Dartez came into the game with 1,822 yards and 28 TDs.
The Rebels' offense is led by tailback Dedric Lastie, who rushed for 1,868 yards during the regular season, averaging 10.8 yards per carry and scoring 31 TDs.
Photo of Ruston tailback Jordan Hayes by Josh McDaniel, Ruston Daily Leader
-- Mike Coppage | @SBLiveLA
