Looking ahead to the weekend of prep football games in the Baton Rouge area, starting with Thursday’s action.
FOUR DOWNS
1. WARRIORS HOT START One program that entered the year with high expectations was St. Michael. The Warriors proved why with a 49-14 win over Loranger in Week 1. QB Caden Levingston threw three touchdowns in the win. St. Michael will play Slaughter this Friday.
2. PLAQUEMINE’S ROAD TEST The Green Devils opened the year with a 21-16 upset at home over Zachary. Plaquemine will play another Class 5A school on the road in West Monroe this week. Another win could prove the Green Devils even better than last year when they made the Division II nonselect semifinals.
3. EARLY STATEMENTS Three schools competing at the Division IV select level made statements in Week 1. Ascension Catholic, ranked No. 3 in the LSWA poll, shut out Episcopal 36-0 at home on Thursday. No. 7 Southern Lab dominated Belaire 43-6 at home on Friday night, and No. 8 Kentwood rolled past Westminster-Opelousas 42-6.
4. BOUNCE BACK One district in the area with several state title contenders is District 4-5A. Central, Catholic-BR and Zachary all opened the season in the LSWA Class 5A top 10. All three schools fell in Week 1, but will all look to get back on track this week.
TOP GAMES
Dunham at Catholic-BR
7 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium
Catholic (0-1) hosts Dunham (1-0) in Week 2 in a battle of top teams in their respective classes. Catholic fell to Carrollton (Georgia), but still features one of the most talented teams in the state. Dunham, led by star QB Elijah Haven, is coming off an impressive 56-15 win over Parkway.
Denham Springs at Central
7 p.m. Friday, Central Stadium
Central (0-1) and Denham Springs (1-0) face off in another chapter of the “Amite River Rivalry” this Friday night. The Wildcats won the trophy last year at Denham Springs, after a late touchdown with less than a minute left helped Central win 34-28. This year’s game promises to be a great matchup.
Jewel Sumner at Kentwood
7 p.m. Friday, Kentwood High
One of the more intriguing matchups in the state is Kentwood hosting Jewel Sumner. The Cowboys (1-0) are No. 6 in the LSWA Class 3A poll after a 35-14 win over St. Helena. The Kangaroos (1-0) move to No. 8 in the Class 1A poll after a 42-6 drubbing of Westminster-Opelousas, which started the season ranked No. 6 in Class 1A.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Elijah Haven, Dunham: The 5-star Alabama commit could make history over the next two weeks. Haven threw for three touchdowns in Week 1, putting his career passing touchdowns total at 138. He is just seven touchdowns away from tying Brock Berlin’s record of 145 set at Evangel in 1999.
QB Skyler Kelly, Prairieville: The senior quarterback will try to help the Hurricanes bounce back after a Week 1 loss. Kelly offers dual-threat ability, running for 1,381 yards and passing for 1,082 yards last season, helping Prairieville make the playoffs in 2025.
WR/DB Bra’jon Melancon, North Iberville: The two-way Kansas State commit made several big plays on both sides of the ball in the Bears’ Week 1 win over Fisher. Expect the 6-foot, 165-pound star athlete to make some more exciting plays this Friday night.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
All games at 7 p.m.
Thursday
Helix Mentorship Academy at McKinley at Broadmoor High
University High at Madison Prep at Memorial Stadium
Liberty at St. Amant
Glen Oaks at Abramson
Friday
Northeast at Broadmoor
Port Allen at Baker
Dunham at Catholic at Memorial Stadium
Denham Springs at Central
Lutcher at Donaldsonville at Floyd Boutte Memorial Stadium
Istrouma at Scotlandville
St. Martin’s at White Castle
Walter L. Cohen at St. John at Plaquemine High Stadium
Salmen at Live Oak
Belaire at North Iberville
Amite at Livonia
Brusly at Woodlawn
Capitol at Tara at Istrouma Middle/High Stadium
Central Private at Ascension Christian
Ponchatoula at Prairieville
Ferriday at West Feliciana
Zachary at Acadiana
Dutchtown at E.D. White
East Ascension at Sam Houston
Ascension Catholic at Hammond
Walker at Erath
Plaquemine at West Monroe
Parkview Baptist at Archbishop Hannan
St. Michael at Slaughter Community Charter
St. Thomas Aquinas at Albany
Southern Lab at Carroll
Jewel Sumner at Kentwood
West St. John at St. James
Episcopal at Northlake Christian
Acadiana Christian at Springfield
East Feliciana at St. Helena College and Career Academy
Catholic-PC at Vermillion Catholic
East Iberville at JS Clark Leadership Academy
Thrive Academy at Highland Baptist