Predicting the Winners of the Louisiana High School Football Select Quarterfinals

High School on SI is going on the record to make our predictions for the LHSAA playoffs

Teurlings Catholic coach Michael Courville / SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yesterday, High School on SI unveiled its predictions for the non-select brackets in the Louisiana high school football playoffs. Today, we continue with the 16 select games in four divisions.

Division I Select

No. 7 John Curtis (8-2) at No. 2 Teurlings Catholic (11-0)

A rematch of last year's quarterfinal won by a No. 19-seeded John Curtis team 31-10 over No. 6 Teurlings Catholic. Alex Munoz hadn't thrown an interception until the loss to the Patriots, but he was playing with an injury suffered the previous week vs. Jesuit.

With a torn MCL, Munoz wasn't able to run the ball last season vs. Curtis. This year, he has thrown for approximately 2,150 yards and 25 touchdowns vs. one interception and leads the team in rushing with almost 20 scores on the ground. Leading receiver Andrew Viator is hovering near the 1,000-yard mark. He sliced Bonnabel's secondary for 189 yards on seven receptions with two touchdowns.

The Rebels lost their starting center (Josh Burrows) and top offensive lineman Drake Perry to injury. It's unclear whether defensive end Andrew Fruge will be available after he went down last week. The Rebels were even without starting kicker Logan Boudreaux last week.

Linebackers Jaxon Broussard and Carter Macha will have to contain a John Curtis rushing attack that has produced almost 3,000 yards and 39 touchdowns. Quarterback London Padgett has passed for just under 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Curtis has extensive playoff experience, and the Rebels are beaten up with injuries. Common sense would yield a prediction for the Patriots, whose secondary is a strength, but we're calling for Munoz to find tight end A.J. Price on a play-action pass for the winning touchdown in coach Michael Courville's first year.

Pick: Teurlings Catholic

A.J. Price, Teurlings Catholic / Mike Coppage

No. 8 Evangel Christian (9-2) at No. 1 Edna Karr (11-0)

The only opponent able to give Karr a close game was American Heritage (Florida) which lost to the Cougars 24-17. Karr has played consistently well all season with 21-point wins over Archbishop Rummel and St. Augustine as their closest in-state contests. Peyton Houston and the Eagles' offense will throw a different wrinkle at the Karr defense by lining up the quarterback at punter's depth, but it's hard to see the Eagles making sufficient defensive stops vs. quarterback John Johnson and a fleet of talented skill players.

Pick: Karr

No. 5 Alexandria (9-2) at No. 4 Catholic-B.R. (9-2)

This is a true pick-em game where the seeding worked out perfectly. Alexandria got a huge night from sophomore running back Kason Williams (four touchdowns) and intercepted Brother Martin three times last week. Catholic hasn't lost since back-to-back nailbiters vs. West Monroe and Madison-Ridgeland Academy.

Trojans junior quarterback Karsen Sellers hooks up with 2027 receiver Alex Fontenot for the decisive score, and junior Letravious Williams breaks up a fourth-down pass to send coach Thomas Bachman to a potential semifinal vs. Karr in a rematch of the 2024 title game.

Pick: Alexandria

No. 11 Archbishop Rummel (8-4) at No. 3 St. Augustine (10-1)

Rummel scored the first points then St. Aug responded with four touchdowns from quarterback Vashaun Coulon in a 26-3 win for the Purple Knights in a Catholic League meeting during the regular season. The Purple Knights fought through an injury at receiver and a 14-0 deficit last week vs. Acadiana. Rummel doesn't have a quick-strike player like Acadiana's Travis Gallien to keep up with St. Aug for four quarters.

Pick: St. Aug

Division II Select

No. 8 E.D. White (8-3) at No. 1 St. Charles (10-1)

St. Charles has a fierce defense that held six opponents to single digits in the regular season. Skyler Edwards has been a touchdown-making machine at running back, and Landree LeBlanc can pass it or run it. Kicker Tyler Milioto gives the Comets an automatic three points on drives into the red zone. E. D. White has a gamer at QB in Grant Barbera and hasn't lost since an 0-3 start. The Cardinals handed Vandebilt Catholic its only loss. Speaking of Milioto, his foot could be crucial in what should be a low-scoring matchup.

Pick: St. Charles

No. 5 Madison Prep (9-2) at No. 4 University Lab (9-2)

The Chargers drew first blood on a Landon Johnson return but the Cubs won 14-8 in the District 6-3A meeting of Baton Rouge clubs in the regular season. Another four vs. five matchup that is a toss-up. Our crystal ball sees J'On Profit, who has rushed for 1,069 yards on 111 carries with 10 touchdowns, cross the goal-line for a two-point conversion in 15-14 win for Madison Prep.

Pick: Madison Prep

No. 6 Vandebilt Catholic (10-1) at No. 3 Lake Charles College Prep (9-2)

Lake Charles College Prep got quarterback Dylen Vital back from injury last week. The Trailblazers were highly effective feeding junior running back Ayden Carter during the regular season as the 5-foot-7, 175-pounder racked up over 3,000 all-purrpose yards. No need to throw it around too much when you have Carter, Phillip Hunter and Kylon Guillory (12 carries, 94 yards, two TDs last week) running behind offensive lineman Myles Joseph. LCCP has a win over Barbe, the Cinderella story of Division I nonselect. Vandebilt Catholic's defense held six opponents to 14-or-fewer points.

Pick: LCCP

No. 7 Archbishop Shaw (7-4) at No. 2 Loyola Prep (10-1)

If Loyola Prep wins, it would be considered an upset by many. Shaw, which has played the tougher schedule, intercepted Lafayette Christian QB Braylon Walker six times in the 10-1 Knights' only loss. Can the Eagles solve Loyola QB Bryce Restovich, who threw for 3,200 yards and 45 TDs in the regular season? Shaw was shutout in back-to-back losses to Belle Chasse and St. Charles at the end of the regular season.

Pick: Loyola

Division III Select

No. 9 Catholic-N.I. (10-2) at No. 1 Lafayette Christian (10-1)

We were set to pick LCA until chewing on this game with the information that Catholic QB Xander LaBauve will be back after missing the 41-13 quarterfinal win over Bunkie with injury. LaBauve, like LCA's Braylon Walker, had only one bad statistical game all year. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is a great complement to running back Owen Morris, who has several 200-yard games and played QB with five rushing TDs last week.

LCA counters with its own one-two rushing punch in Walker and sophomore Caiden Bellard. Speed kills, and Walker has it, but the Panthers are athletic on defense with four-star Karon Eugene, Layton Mitchell and linebacker Izaac Andre. Eugene and Mitchell, along with Zavier Ledet and Kyan Batiste, will present an interesting matchup vs. LCA receivers Brayden Allen and Draylon August.

Pick: Catholic NI

Catholic NI QB Xander LaBauve / Mike Coppage

No. 5 Dunham (10-1) at No. 4 Isidore Newman (7-2)

This one is an upset only in terms of seeding. Elijah Haven and the Tigers are quietly having a great season with only a single digit loss to St. Charles.

Pick: Dunham

No. 6 Calvary Baptist (10-1) at No. 3 Jewel Sumner (11-0)

The city dwellers from Shreveport make the long trip to rural Tangipahoa Parish to challenge the undefeated Cowboys and their powerful ground game. Sumner impressed in a win over Franklinton in a Thursday night game broadcast by the LHSAA Network, and we see the Cowboys controlling the clock early before Calvary Baptist advances after making second-half adjustments. The Cavaliers, like Dunham, have quietly gone about their business.

Pick: Calvary Baptist

No. 7 Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy (9-2) at No. 2 Notre Dame (9-2)

The Pioneers won this regular season matchup 38-19. Joachim Bourgeois ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns in the District 6-2A contest and could be the toughest pound-for-pound runner in the state. Lafayette Renaissance, which is making its first quarterfinal appearance, will go as far as junior quarterback Kennan Brown can take the Tigers. Brown has nearly 40 touchdown passes. Last week, it was running back Jaydon Polk who grabbed the spotlight in a defensive struggle vs. Amite.

Pick: Notre Dame

Division IV Select

No. 9 St. Edmund (10-2) at No. 1 Westminster Christian (11-0)

A rematch from the regular season in which WCA defensive back Damien Thomas intercepted three passes. The Crusaders have tons of talent with QB Stephen George, RB Kyle Horde and WRs Gavin Frith and Evan Lemon. St. Edmund RB Wyatt Dubois has nearly 30 TDs and 40 two-point conversions. Should be a close one in a chess match between coaches Byron Porter and James Shiver. Could kicker Mac Proffitt boot another game-winning field goal for WCA?

Conner Payne (Westminster Christian) / Mike Coppage

Pick: WCA

No. 5 Ascension Catholic (9-2) at No. 4 Catholic-P.C. (9-2)

We love a dominant tailback, and Ascension Catholic boasts the states leading rusher in Trevin Simon, who ran for 40 touchdowns in the regular season. Last week, the Bulldogs beat down No. 21 St. Mary's 62-9. On the flip side, Catholic PC is at home and comes out of rugged District 5-1A.

Pick: Ascension Catholic

No. 6 Ascension Episcopal (10-1) at No. 3 Hamilton Christian (10-0)

Two electric QBs square off in Branon Mitchell and Javon Vital. Mitchell has a better supporting cast with RB Andre Abshire and WR/RB DJ Kelly. Ascension Episcopal's special teams are always top-notch if it comes down to that. Backup kicker Hayes Trotter made the game-winning field goal last week against Kentwood with Andrew McCormick injured.

Pick: Ascension Episcopal

Ascension Episcopal LB/RB Owen LeBlanc / Mike Coppage

No. 7 Ouachita Christian (10-1) at No. 2 Riverside Academy (9-1)

This is one of the best matchups in any class. The consensus on the Louisiana Sportsline message board puts the winner as the favorite in Division IV. We're not ready to go that far, but the Eagles' 38-0 drubbing of Southern Lab was impressive.

Pick: OCS

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