Locals punch tickets to prep football playoffs

The regular season is now over and only the very best have earned the right to play another game.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association released their playoff brackets for all nine division on Sunday.

Of the 11 local teams, seven clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Coaches around the area said this weekend that being able to take the field one more time is a blessing – something that is a feeling unlike any other for both players and coaches.

“It’s great,” Thibodaux High School football coach Chris Dugas said. “No one ever wants to have their season end, so to be able to get the opportunity to win and keep playing is something that we’re excited about as coaches, but it’s really important for our kids, as well.”

CLASS 5A

Dugas’ team punched its ticket into the 32-team field in one of the most dramatic games of the season.

Thibodaux beat Central Lafourche 23-16 on Friday in a game with high stakes.

The Tigers entered the game seeded No. 34, while the Trojans were No. 33. Both teams knew that the winner of the game was highly likely to make the playoffs and the loser would go home.

The teams fought one another throughout the game.

The Tigers scored in the fourth quarter to break a 16-all tie and take a 23-16 lead – which held up until the final whistle.

The Trojans fought back late in the game and pushed the football to the Tigers’ 20-yard-line with eight seconds to play.

But Thibodaux got a strip-sack fumble on the last play from scrimmage, which clinched the win and punched the team’s ticket into the field of 32.

“It was a great game,” Dugas said. “(Central Lafourche coach Keith Menard) told me after the game that it was one of the best, most fun games he’s ever been a part of. He’s been doing this longer than I have. For him to say that, I think it shows just how well both teams played and competed.”

With the win, the Tigers are the No. 31 seed in the playoffs. They will face No. 2 Covington in the opening round.

Also in the Class 5A playoff bracket is Terrebonne – the area’s top 5A team throughout the entirety of the season.

The Tigers had a shot to host a first-round game, but fell to Destrehan on Friday.

As a result, Terrebonne slipped to No. 18. They will travel to No. 15 Ouachita Parish on Friday.

The winner of the Thibodaux/Covington game will meet the winner of the Terrebonne/Ouachita game next week.

CLASS 4A

In Class 4A, South Lafourche will get to do something they haven’t done in several seasons – play a postseason game at home.

The Tarpons earned the No. 15 seed in the playoffs, which gave them the ability to stay at Memorial Stadium in Galliano on Friday night.

The Tarpons will face No. 18 Tioga in the first round – an Alexandria-based opponent that is 6-4 on the season.

But for South Lafourche, the key word around the locker room is progression and improvement. The Tarpons lost badly at East St. John on Friday and coach Blake Forsythe said after the game that he was awfully disappointed in his team’s effort in the game.

He said that he thinks his team was too content to just be in the playoffs, and he wants his group to shake that mentality this week.

One positive is that halfback Corbin Allen is expected to be cleared to compete this week after missing the past two and a half games with a shoulder injury – a huge blow for Big Blue.

Allen rushed for more than 1,000 yards in the first seven games of the season.

The Tarpons’ offense hasn’t looked the same since his injury, struggling to score points and finish drives.

DIVISION II

In Division II, two local teams will earn the right to keep playing – one at home and one on the road.

E.D. White is the highest-seeded local team, earning the No. 6 seed in the bracket. The Cardinals will take on No. 11 St. Louis on Friday in Thibodaux – a game that Cardinals coach Chris Bergeron said will not be easy.

St. Louis won just three games on the season, but have faced several top teams along the way.

“We’re preparing for a tough game and a hard fight,” Bergeron said. “We know that we have to be ready. Everyone is 0-0 again.”

On the top-half of the bracket, Vandebilt missed a home game by one seed, earning the No. 9-seed in the Division II bracket.

The Terriers will travel to No. 8 Hannan on Friday.

Hannan won their first seven games of the season, but struggled late, losing two of their final three.

The winner of the Vandebilt/Hannan game will take on No. 1 De La Salle, who earned a bye.

The winner of E.D. White/St. Louis will take on St. Charles Catholic.

Division IV

In the smallest private school bracket, two local teams got into the playoffs – each will have a huge challenge in the opening playoff game.

Houma Christian earned the No. 11 seed and will take on No. 6 Ascension Catholic – an awfully tough test for a Warriors team that’s had a great season.

Ascension Catholic played CCA earlier this season and won 47-0. That doesn’t look good for Houma Christian, considering that CCA beat Houma Christian on Friday night in the two teams’ annual rivalry showdown.

Because of that win, CCA improved their postseason seeding, but they’ll still have a whale of a challenge on Friday night.

The Lions earned the No. 4 seed in Division IV, which will pit them against No. 4 Lafayette Christian in the opening round.

Lafayette Christian is 9-1 and is considered to be among the favorites to win the state championship.

On Friday, they beat Jeanerette 34-26.

CCA coach Randy Boquet said his team’s opponent doesn’t matter.

He said his only concern is making sure that the Lions play their best.

“We know the opponent will be good,” Boquet said. “One of the best we’ve played all year. For us, we want to make sure that we’re ready and play the best football that we can.”

Andrew Robison

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