Louisiana LookBack: Top takeaways from Week 11 of high school football

SBLive Louisiana is continuing its new weekly statewide recap called Louisiana LookBack.

This week, we will look back at Week 11, the opening week of the playoffs, and take a sneak peek at some of the best second-round games later this week.

There were a limited number of playoff games taking place in the bi-district round due to first-round byes. In the non-select divisions, there were a total of 16 first-round byes. There were 32 first-round byes in the select divisions.

1. Tigers' Upset Special

Looking over the brackets, the first 'upset special' that stood out to many people was No. 26 St. Martinville at No. 7 Leesville. The Tigers didn't have an impressive record at 3-7, but they have University of Louisiana tailback commit Steven Blanco, Arizona State receiver commit Cullen Charles and quarterback Kaden Zenon.

Blanco rushed for 306 yards and four touchdowns and collected 10 tackles to help offset Leesville tailback Xavier Ford's 54-carry, 291-yard, five-TD performance in a 46-40 win.

St. Martinville will host No. 10 Jennings (8-3) in the Division II non-select regional round. The Bulldogs eliminated St. Martinville's District 5-3A rival, Kaplan, by a 34-6 margin. ReJohn Zeno rushed for 257 yards on 27 carries with three TDs for the Bulldogs.

2. Game-Saving Block

In Division I non-select, No. 25 Northshore bounced No. 8 West Monroe, 9-7, the Rebels' first opening-round playoff loss since 1992.

Ethan Hannahan's 27-yard field goal with 5:26 remaining gave the Panthers their final two-point advantage, according to Joseph Halm of nola.com, and Jackson Fugate blocked a 31-yard field goal attempt in the final minute to preserve the win.

The defensive-oriented Panthers will host No. 9 Walker (9-2) in the regional round. The Wildcats blasted No. 24 Benton, 55-26.

Four of Northshore's losses were by a total of 15 points. The Panthers have held eight opponents to 16 or fewer points.

Updated high school football brackets across the country (11/13/2023)

3. More Upsets In Division I Non-Select

There were two more upsets in Division I non-select. No. 21 Mandeville beat No. 12 Sam Houston, 50-36. The Skippers (7-4), who will host No. 5 St. Amant (10-1), led 28-14 at the half.

Junior tailback Nate Sheppard rushed for 328 yards on 37 carries with three TDs for Mandeville. Isaiah Barham added 116 yards on 13 carries with two scores, and quarterback Ben Hendricks carried 10 times for 69 yards with a touchdown. Malcolm White returned a kick 85 yards to paydirt.

No. 18 Central-Baton Rouge defeated No. 15 East St. John, 43-15. Tailback Damien Blocker ran for 205 yards with three TDs for the Wildcats (8-3), who will travel to No. 2 Neville (8-1).

4. Breaux Bridge Spoilers Again

As a No. 28 seed, Breaux Bridge was the final team to make it into the 2022 Division II non-select playoff bracket. The Tigers staged two upsets, knocking off No. 5 Carroll and No. 12 Iota before bowing out vs. No. 4 North DeSoto.

Coach Zach Lochard's No. 19 Tigers were up to their old tricks again on Friday, upsetting No. 14 Eunice, 35-19. Quarterback Kelby Hypolite rushed for 157 yards on 24 carries with four TDs and completed 5-of-8 passes for 95 yards.

The Breaux Bridge defense held Eunice to 1-of-11 passing for 5 yards. The Tigers (6-5) travel to No. 3 Assumption (8-2) this week.

5. Runnin' Raiders

Also in Division II non-select, No. 22 Northwest upset No. 11 Franklin Parish, 42-20. Tailback JaVian Reese ran for 171 yards on 26 carries with three TDs. The Raiders, who have won six of their last seven games, only attempted one pass.

Northwest (8-3) will host No. 6 Wossman (9-2), a 26-7 winner over No. 26 Brusly.

6. Double Dip

Division II non-select No. 15 Iota faced District 4-3A rival Church Point for the second time in two weeks. The Bulldogs won a 48-44 shootout in Week 10 in Church Point.

In the rematch at Iota, the Bulldogs (8-3) won handily, 35-6. Peyton Renfro completed 12-of-23 passes for 207 yards and three TDs. Renfro also had a big night in the previous meeting, completing 18-of-23 passes for 302 yards and five TDs.

The Bulldogs' defense was the difference in the playoff game vs. the No. 18 Bears (6-5), whose quarterback, Jaden Reese, rushed for 306 yards and threw for 144 with three TDs in the Week 10 encounter.

Iota travels to No. 2 Cecilia (9-1) this week.

7. Purple Knights' Night

In Division I select, No. 22 St. Augustine jumped all over No. 11 McKinley. The Purple Knights blew out the Panthers in Baton Rouge, 43-6. Quarterback Dawson Simmons threw three TD passes to Joshua Jackson as St. Aug built a 25-0 halftime lead, according to Eric Brown of Crescent City Sports.

The Purple Knights (4-7) travel to No. 7 John Curtis Christian (7-2) this week. The Patriots defeated St. Aug, their District 9-5A rival, 36-26, in Week 8.

NOTEWORTHY

Division II select No. 16 Northside hosted its first playoff game since 2010. The Vikings lost to No. 17 Istrouma.

Division II select No. 14 Peabody Magnet won its first playoff game since 2016. The Warhorses (7-4) travel to No. 3 Lafayette Christian (8-2) this week.

Division III select No. 9 Notre Dame-Crowley trounced No. 24 Green Oaks, 49-14, for coach Lewis Cook's 400th career win. The Pioneers (8-3) make the trip to Union Parish to challenge No. 8 D'Arbonne Woods (8-1) this week.

Photo of St. Martinville receiver Cullen Charles (2) by Brad Bowie, The Acadiana Advocate

-- Mike Coppage | @SBLiveLA