North Shore (TX) vs. John Curtis Christian (LA) Live Score Updates: Interstate Showdown at Cajun Field in Lafayette

Last year in Lafayette, John Curtis knocked off undefeated Teurlings Catholic in the state quarterfinals. On Friday, the Patriots make another trip from suburban New Orleans to the Hub City to take on the defending champions of Texas Class 6A Division I, North Shore.

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First Quarter

John Curtis has won more state titles (28) than any program in Louisiana. The Patriots, who are coached by J.T. Curtis, are no strangers to facing out-of-state competition, either.

20 years ago, the Patriots stunned the high school football world with a come-from-behind win at national No. 1 Hoover (Alabama).

In 2012, John Curtis routed a highly touted Florida team, Tampa Plant, 35-3 in the Superdome en route to be named national champion by multiple publications, such as Scout (now part of 247Sports).

And last year, the Patriots made their longest road trip ever to California to defeat Los Angeles Cathedral.

A win over Friday's opponent, North Shore, would rank up there with the Hoover victory. While John Curtis is playing its season opener, the Mustangs are 1-0 after a 35-0 beatdown of Lancaster - and enter the contest with High School On SI's No. 1 ranking in Texas.

North Shore's defense is led by four-star edge Ezarian Fields (6-foot-5, 210 pounds), the No. 11 player in Texas (Rivals). Safety Tony Guillory is a three-star prospect and Florida Atlantic commit.

Maryland commit Abdus Kone (6-5, 315) anchors the offensive line, where he's joined by another three-star prospect, Chase Brown (6-4, 295). Three-star receiver Aubrey Johnson (Memphis) is among the top skill players.

Last week, North Shore senior quarterback Darrell Haynes ran for 81 yards on eight carries with two touchdowns. Running backs Javoris Taylor and Kaden Brandley combined for 146 yards rushing on 19 carries with each scoring a TD.

John Curtis features a talented secondary with four-star Jaden Keelen accompanied by a trio of three-star prospects in Jewellz Tapp, Craig Connor and Prentice Mackyeon. Tapp is committed to TCU, and Connor is a South Alabama pledge.

Offensively, the Patriots hope to present problems with their vintage split-back veer option attack led by junior quarterback London Padgett. In last week's preseason jamboree win over East Jeferson, Padgett threw it 16 times with 6-foot-5 three-star prospect Jarvis Stevenson as his favorite target.

Stevenson, who missed last year with an injury, caught the game-winning pass as a freshman in the playoffs against Acadiana.

John Curtis won its last state championship in 2022. The Patriots lost in last year's Division I Select semifinals to district rival St. Augustine and are ranked No. 3 in Louisiana by High School On SI.

Coach J.T. Curtis is only the second head coach in school history. His father, J.T. Curtis Sr., founded the school and served as the first head coach.

North Shore has an enrollment of over 4,000 students, which is substantailly more than the largest high school in Louisiana. John Curtis, meanwhile, competes against the state's largest schools in Class 5A, even though the school has an enrollment of around 400 students from grades 9-12.

Tonight's game will be played at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, known as Cajun Field and home of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette (UL) Ragin' Cajuns.

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