Eight-game slate in Louisiana's Prep Classic football title games kicks off Thursday

By LaMar Gafford 

Photo of Homer's 2021 state title win by Crescent City Sports

Thursday is the opening day for the Ochsner/LHSAA Prep Classic, which will be held through Saturday in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome.

The three-day championship showcase will kick off at 3:30 p.m. with the Division IV non-select title between the last two Class 1A champions, Homer and Oak Grove.

The Pelicans return to the Dome behind the legs of senior running back Ely’jay Curry, who rushed for 232 yards in last year's title game against Logansport. This season, Curry is having another strong season with 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been rolling since knocking off top-seeded Kentwood in the quarterfinals and that is because of sophomore quarterback Jackson Bradley, who accounted for four touchdowns in last week’s win over Haynesville.

Bradley has accounted for 2,716 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, while not only serving as leader of the passing attack but playing an integral role of Oak Grove’s three-headed rushing attack.

Day 1’s nightcap at 7 p.m. will pit Vermilion Catholic and Ouachita Christian against each other for the Division IV select title.

Ouachita Christian is no stranger to the Prep Classic, and is making its fourth straight title game appearance since winning it all in 2019. Senior quarterback Landon Graves is one of the more prolific quarterbacks in the state, and has thrown for 2,599 yards and 31 touchdowns to propel the Eagle offense.

Vermilion Catholic has not played for a title since winning Division IV in 2013, but sophomore quarterback Johnathan Dartez can match Graves’ output with his arm and feet.

In last week’s 41-7 win over St. Martin’s, Dartez accounted for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

Friday’s slate opens at noon in a crosstown battle between Lafayette-based schools St. Thomas More against Lafayette Christian for the Division II select title.

The Cougars and Knights have been models of consistency since the select/non-select split, with both teams making six title games and winning at least three titles since 2015.

STM won, 41-34, in the regular season finale thanks to Christian McNees’ six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, but LCA quarterback Jujuan Johnson stole the show by accounting for 575 yards - 451 of those passing.

In the playoffs, Johnson has passed for 1,113 yards and 14 touchdowns - helping LCA average 60.7 points in the postseason.

Dunham has had its playoff runs end the last two seasons by St. Charles, but it will hope to get some payback this year in the Division II select finals at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The Tigers have won 12 straight since dropping their season opener and that can be attributed to quarterback Jackson House’s play. In the semifinals against University Lab, House rushed for 266 yards and the game-winning touchdown for their first semifinal win since 2004.

St. Charles snapped LCA’s four-year championship reign last season and is now looking to add another title after holding Crowley Notre Dame to 195 yards in the semifinals.

Friday’s finale, kicking off at 7 p.m., features Destrehan and Ruston in the Division I non-select title game, which is a rematch of playoff matchups from 2020 and 2021 - both won by Destrehan.

The Wildcats held Westgate to 159 yards last week and are led by senior cornerback Jai Eugene Jr. - a Tulane commitment.

As for the Bearcats, they have been tested with a tough non-conference schedule that included Lafayette Christian, Warren Easton and Neville and that has resulted in Ruston's first state championship game appearance since 1998.

Ruston is powered by the running of Jaden Osborne, Dyson Fields and Jordan Hayes. Hayes and Fields combined for 213 rushing yards in last week’s win over Zachary.

Saturday’s schedule opens at noon with the Division II non-select championship game between North DeSoto and Lutcher.

The Griffins are new to this stage, but head coach Dennis Dunn is not - having won nine state championships with Evangel from 1992-2005.

Dunn is relying on a balanced attack with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in John Lewis and Brian Banks, as well as a 2,000-yard passer in Luke Delafield. On defense, Jordan Milton is a top disruptor with 12.5 sacks.

The Bulldogs have a rich pedigree, but have not won a title since 2016. Senior quarterback D’Wanye “Lunch” Winfield has powered Lutcher this season, and is coming off one of his best performances of his career after rushing for 331 yards and five touchdowns against West Feliciana in the semifinals.

While the first game might be about the quarterbacks, the Division III non-select championship game between Many and Union Parish (3:30 p.m. Saturday) will be a run-heavy affair.

USC commit and Many senior Tackett Curtis is one of three Tiger seniors that have rushed for at least 600 yards this season and helped them gain 321 yards last week against St. James. He also is one of the top defensive players in Louisiana and he will have a tough task in helping slow down Farmers senior and LSU commit Trey Holly.

Holly, who is Louisiana’s rushing king with 10,409 career yards, has rushed for 2,580 yards and 37 touchdowns this season. Holly has also rushed for at least 100 yards in 40 of his last 41 games of his career.

To close championship weekend will be an all-New Orleans Division I select final between John Curtis and Brother Martin (7 p.m. Saturday), for the first All-Catholic League final since 2014.

The Patriot defense has given up just 17.2 points per game this season and is led by linebacker Justin Horne, who has made 136 tackles.

For the Crusaders, they are playing in the championship game for the first time since 1989 and looking for their first title since 1971, thanks to Torey Lambert’s 279 yards and five touchdowns last week against Carencro.