District 10-Class 1A

28th Year Louisiana Football Magazine High School Previews for 2025

by Lee Brecheen. 

(Previews were written solely by Lee Brecheen since 1997 for Louisiana Football Magazine.)

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Riverside Academy Raiders

Head Coach:Lee Roussel(4th year)

2024 Record:9-3 

2024 Playoffs: Quarterfinals lost to Ascension Catholic HS

2023 Record:12-2.State Title Game lost to Southern Lab HS 

Key players Graduated:2024 All State Athlete Dedric Lastie rushed for over 4,000 yards with over 65 career rushing touchdowns (Nicholls State), TE Ty’lik Albert, OLB/RB Chance Tyler,2024 Hon Mention All State OLB/SS Kaleb Brumfield(Louisiana Christian),2024 2nd Team All State CB Kaden Brumfield(Louisiana Christian),2024 2nd Team All State OL Ayden Bullock, WR Preston Brown, OG/OT Lincoln Scott,2024 Hon Mention All State WR Nehemiah Phillip(Belhaven),2024 District Defensive MVP DT/DE/RB Martrell Henry Jr(Nicholls State)

Team Outlook:  Every year, we are getting better as a program. Kids are doing really well this off-season, and we are looking forward to this year. Our numbers are u When I first took the job 4 years ago, we had 38 players total in the program, and now we have 55 players, and in 2026, we look to have over 60 players in grades 9th through 12th. We will have 7 seniors on the football team in 2025 said Head Coach Lee Roussel.”

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Tidbits: The Riverside program is on a roll with Head Coach Lee Roussel building back the old tradition and in 2023 made the State Title game, and in 2024 all the way to the Quarterfinals. Heck of a job by his staff and players these last 2 years combined. In 2023, Riverside was the only school I could think of that actually stopped Class 1A MVP QB Jonathan Dartez of Vermillion Catholic with just 18 yards on 12 carries in 2023 a Semifinal game Riverside won.  So the program has had its moments, and it’s only a matter of time before they go back to the Dome and win it all. Quarterback Brock Bourgeois was not only the team's starting QB in the State Title game in 2023 for Football but was also a starter for the Baseball team that made it all the way to the semifinals in 2025.

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The Offense will be centered around leader Quarterback Brock Bourgeois, 5-10, 170, coming back for his 3rd year as a starter. Bourgeois was All District in 2024, has the moxy and arm you look for in a QB at any level.

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The program returns some special athletes with experience led by All District in 2024, 2024 Hon Mention All State WR/CB Kenric Johnson Jr, 5-9, 160, will be a 3-year starter, great playmaker, and All District 2024 WR/FS Christopher Becnel Jr, 5-10, 185, a 3-year starter, playmaker.

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More players to keep a eye on in 2025 will be OL/DT Ahmad Cage 5-10 270 great Athlete 2nd Team All State in 2024 and All District a 3 year starter, DE Jakobe King 5-11 240 quick and strong SR, DB Cameron Matt 5-9 165 a leader 3 year starter,  Center Jordan Cramer 5-8 200 a 2nd year starter, DE Justin Hall 6-0 195 a 2nd year starter, LB Brody Vicknair 5-10 200 All District in 2204 3 year starter leader, Safety Jace Trosclair 5-10 180 a 3 year starter leader, OT Gage Galvez 6-1 275 All District in 2024 2nd year starter, DT Camryn Green 6-0 215 a 2nd year starter, LB Ethan Bourgeois 5-11 210 a 2nd year starter, WR Cayden Francois 6-2 165 new starter, RB Jayden Obiekwu 5-10 195 new starter, and RB Caleb Williams 5-8 150 new starter.

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Special Teams at Kicker & Punter returning will be Will Rauch, 5-10, 170, in his 2nd year as the starter. 

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St. Martin’s Episcopal Saints

Head Coach:Kevin Dizer(3rd year)

2024 Record:9-3 

2024 Playoffs:2nd Round lost to St. Edmunds HS

2023 Record:9-2.1st Round lost to Riverside HS

Key players Graduated:3 time All State RB Harlem Berry(LSU) 4 Consecutive 2,000 yard season’s,8,571 career rushing yards,142 career touchdowns 52 career catches,888 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, QB/FS Ashton Oliver(Nicholls State),2024 All State K/P Cooper Helmke(Tulane), OLB Cole Lacoste, OG/DT Zach Kelly, OT/OC Daniel Fink, TE/LB Thompson Becnel

Team Outlook: Everybody is counting us out and thinking that because we graduated from Harlem Berry, the program will not be the same. That is far from the truth. We return a really good team in 2025. We are going to go out there and compete, bust our tails, and we’ll be fine in the end said Head Coach Kevin Dizer.”

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Tidbits: Head Coach Kevin Dizer is an Alum of Sterlington High School(Class 2007), which is right outside of Monroe, La. Coach Dizer played college football at Bellhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, as a Wide Receiver. Coach told me that the program actually will have more football players in 2025 (38-39) than in his prior 3 years at the school.

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The Saints will count on several experienced players to lean on for another great year in 2025,  players like WR/CB Kain Oddo 5-8 145 3 year starter,  WR/CB/Safety Tyler Penny 5-8 145 3 year starter, WR/CB Kade Vinju 5-10 155 2nd year starter, RB/OLB Noah Dunn 5-9 185 3 year starter,  MLB/FB Gabe Savarese 5-10 225 3 year starter leader of the Defense, MLB/OL Ethan Williams 5-10 185 2nd year starter,  OT/DT Joseph Deviney 6-0 215 2nd year starter, OT/DE Aidan Molaison 5-11 190 3 year starter, CB/WR Koby Delatte 5-8 150 2nd year starter, OG/DT Destin Brooks 6-1 265 2nd year starter, and LB/FB Carter Furman 5-9 185 a 2nd year starter.

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More players to keep a eye on are new starting Quarterback Donnie Lawrence 6-2 210 has a chance to be a All District player in 2025, WR Cooper Wakefield 5-11 170 new starter, OG Alex Diaz 6-2 225 new starter, RB Terrell Green Jr 5-10 155 rotates in, OG/DT Will Ruffin 6-0 195 new starter, and SS/WR Will Andriance 6-0 165 new starter did letter in 2024 and got experience.

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Special Teams will have a new Kicker named in the Fall, but Punter starting will be the new starting QB, Donnie Lawrence, who has a really good leg. Long Snapper starting will be Noah Dunn, who has the potential to be a college LSP prospect.

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Varnado Wildcats

Head Coach:Vonta Owens(1st year) 

2024 Record:3-8 

2024 Playoffs:1st Round lost to Logansport HS 

2023 Record:3-7

Key players Graduated: CB/WR Tilias Hall, FS/WR Jaden Bell, QB William Hardge, OG/DE Tydarian Brooks,  OT/DT Devin Cotton,2024 Hon Mention All State OT/DT Gerald Williams. 

Team Outlook: Started working with the team in early May of 2025. I think the program had 18 to 20 players by the end of the year in 2024. This year for Spring, we have around 35 players in the program. I hope to have all 35 back for the fall. If we can get most of the kids back from Spring/Summer, we can try to make sure most of our players don't have to start both sides of the football said Head Coach Vonta Owens.”

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Tidbits: New Head Coach Vonta Owens was the Defensive Coordinator for Bogalusa High School from 2022 thru 2024. Varnado won its only Football State Championship in 1987. The school also has a  Title in Basketball 201; the Junior High 8th-grade team went 24-0.

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Some key players to look for will be WR/RB/DB Barry Thomas 5-8 165 2nd year starter,  WR/DB Elijah Lewis 5-9 160, WR/CB Travion Benne 6-0 175 SR sleeper, OG Tyler Stogner 6-0 190, Center Kenyen Keyes 5-11 190 2nd year starter, WR/RB Demarion Newkirk 5-8 165, OG Rodney Holmes 6-1 250 3rd year starter, HB/LB Kylon Roberts 5-9 170, QB Joshua Fox new starter 6-0 190, WR/DB Jhyrin Piggot 5-11 175 great hands, RB/LB Antonio Thompson 5-11 195, LB T.K McGowan 5-10 175 new starter, OT Chaston Whittine 5-8 220 new starter, DT Preston Downs 5-9 230, and DB Desmond Weary 5-9 170.

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Also, Special Teams, after talking to coach Owens, are wide open at the Punter & Kicker position going into the Summer.

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West St. John Rams

Head Coach:Derron Thomas(3rd year)

2024 Record:7-4.Lost the game because of a Hurricane.

2024 Playoffs:1st Round beat Arcadia,and 2nd Round lost to Mangham HS

2023 Record:2-9

Key players Graduated:2024 All State DB Joradae Grows Jr, 2024 stats: 120 tackles,21 tackles for loss, 6 sacks,2 blocked punts, and 2 forced fumbles, RB/LB Kailen Edwards, OLB/DE Darrious Patterson Jr, RB/CB Matthew Borne, OG/DT Cylar Narcisse, DT Ivan Miller

Team Outlook: Keep Building. A A5-game turnaround from the year before in wins. Compete for a championship. We have to keep working and moving forward, and not get caught up in what we did last year, but do even better. We as a program strive for championships daily, we preach to the kids said Head Coach Derron Thomas.”

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Tidbits: Head Coach Derron Thomas is an Alum of East St. John High School(Class 2004), but he also went to West St. John High School during his 8th grade year through his Soph year. Coach Thomas, I watched him play back in the day, and he was one of the top Running Backs in the country coming out of his Senior year. He went to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Rams return 15 seniors football team in 2025. The Rams will have one of the biggest Offensive & Defensive Lines in Class 1A football in 2025. Football has 4 State Titles 1998,2003,2004, and 2017.  Former Head Coach Hall of Fame coach Larry Dupont led the program to 7 State Title games with three State Titles.

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The offense will have a few options for players to make plays, and everything will go through a big Offensive Line. The starting Offensive Line should look like this to start off 2nd year starter OG/DT Aubrey White 6-2 305,3 year starter 2024 Hon Mention All State OL/DL Ke’Juan Fobb 6-2 270, Center Damarcus Turley 6-0 260 a 3 year starter, OG Nick Evans 5-11 265 3 year starter, OT Pierre Barre 6-0 260 new starter, and OG/DT Timothy Coleman 5-10 240 a 3 year starter and leader. The Offense will have speed and Athlete’s lead by QB Achtion Barnes 6-1 190 got experience in 2024 starting the last 2 games and looked good, teams fastest player 4.45 in the forty RB Kalon Gardner 5-8 160 2024 Hon Mention All State/All District 3 year starter also CB/SS Defense, RB/WR Jakari Milton 5-8 170 3 year starter,2024 Hon Mention All State WR/FS Chance Bovie 6-0 170 3 year starter teams best players 4.5 speed in the forty, WR/CB Jayce Farnell 5-9 155 3 year starter, RB Kayson Weber 5-8 150, and others will compete for reps in 2025.

The Defense will also return size and speed and experience in FS Terry Fortenberry 5-11 160 2nd year starter, LB Landon Thomas 5-11 215 new starter, DE Xavier Poche 6-0 220 3 year starter, FS Drake Joseph 5-11 160 new starter, SS/OLB Za’Kyrin Howard 6-0 180 big time leader 3 year starter, CB Ramone Lathers 5-9 160 3 year starter, Safety Kernell Narcisse Jr 6-0 165 new starter 4.5 speed in the forty, and new starter Defensive End Naychan Clayton 5-11 210.

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