Road to the Dome: LHSAA Division IV Semifinals Preview

by Jace LeJeune, Cameron Cerniglia, and Lee Brecheen

12 teams are down and there are 4 more teams left to go. All 4 teams have their own strengths and weaknesses, but they all have one goal in mind. That is to be one of nine teams in the end holding a state championship trophy in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with the Queen smash hit “We Are the Champions” playing in the background. For Louisiana football fans, this is the most wonderful time of the year. It is our version of “March Madness”. This year, we got you covered as for the next couple of weeks, we will go through all of the matchups from 1A all the way to 5A each and every week leading up to the All-State Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Prep Classic from December 6th-8th. Louisiana Football Magazine’s expert Lee Brecheen has seen all of these teams play and gives his insight on which teams will survive and continue their march to the Superdome. Today, we preview the Division IV semifinal matchups.

#1 Southern Lab (11-1) vs. #4 Lafayette Christian Academy (12-0)

Jace’s Game Preview: You can make the argument that the winner of this game is most likely the state champion. That’s how big this semifinal matchup is. Between two of the biggest favorites in the Division IV bracket as well as the last two state champions in the bracket, this is another matchup of epic proportions. It almost was not that way because the Ouachita Christian Eagles gave the Southern Lab Kittens all that they could handle in the quarterfinals jumping up to a 21-8 lead. With 12 seconds left and the Kittens down by five, it was the Kittens’ passing attack that made the game winning play when senior QB Travon Myles threw the ball up for senior WR Reginald Johnson to get it and after that, Johnson was able to outrace Eagle defenders for the game thrilling and season saving touchdown. However, the team must play even better against the defending Division IV state champion Lafayette Christian Academy Knights that are trying to go for an undefeated season and a repeat after their 56-14 dominating victory over the Opelousas Catholic Vikings. With the Southern Lab high powered rushing attack led by LSU commit Tyrion Davis versus the high flying Lafayette Christian Academy passing attack led by senior QB Zachary Clement, this is another game that high school fans surely do not want to miss.

Jace’s Pick: Southern Lab

Lee’s Pick: “This is going to be a tough game for Southern Lab. I saw Lafayette Christian Academy, which is the defending Division IV state champions, last year. They beat Ascension Catholic for the state championship. I think Trev Faulk’s team is even better than last year. If Tyrion Davis has a great game and the defense gets turnovers, Southern Lab will win, but if Lafayette Christian Academy scores their normal 40 points per game, it will be tough for Southern Lab to keep up. I am going to go with Lafayette Christian even though I think this game will come down to the wire only because I think Southern Lab defeated Ouachita Christian on the road, which is pretty hard to do. With that being said, it is going to be a phenomenal game. It’s just that this Lafayette Christian program can run, throw, and play good defense. Tyrion Davis will get his yards, but I am going to go with Lafayette Christian Academy to go to the Dome once again.”

#2 Ascension Catholic (11-1) vs. #3 Vermilion Catholic (11-1)

Cameron’s Game Preview: Both of these teams won big in the second round of the playoffs. Ascension Catholic defeated Catholic-P.C. by a score of 66-20 while Vermilion Catholic defeated St. Frederick 50-0. This will be an interesting game with both teams having good defenses and explosive offenses.

Cameron’s Pick: Ascension Catholic

Lee’s Pick: “Vermilion Catholic has been the surprise team for me over the last two years. There are not a lot of prospects, but it is just a great coached team with great kids. Ascension Catholic is on a mission to get back to the Dome. I just think the running game of Ascension Catholic is going to be too much with Jai Williams and Jamar Barber. I think it is going to be a control the clock type of game and Ascension Catholic does a great job of doing that so I am going to go with Ascension Catholic.”

Hey football fans. Like our recruiting interviews, stories, and other content on our website? Click on our website daily to view articles on recruits, coaches, and so much more at our website: http://www.lafootballmagazine.com/. Also, we have exciting news that for the second straight year, we will have our North and South LA issues and both are now out! Both issues will continue to cover all the Louisiana colleges as well as all the high schools in state, but there will be 16 pages that will focus on North Louisiana as well as South Louisiana. For more information, please check the following link to where you can find the magazine in a store near you. Also, below are the two covers as well as where you can order both magazines on our website.

Stores Link: http://www.lafootballmagazine.com/news/c48-recruiting/2018-louisiana-football-magazine-north-and-south-editions-now-available-in-stores-near-you/

North Cover: South Cover: