Copyright American Press
By now, most area high school football teams have a pretty good idea of their postseason fate. Some know they are in, some know they will have to wait until next year, and others are fighting for a chance to host in the first round. With two games remaining before the regular season changes course to the postseason, six area teams — DeRidder, Leesville, Westlake, Lake Arthur, Elton and Basile — sit in that gray area where the final two weeks will mean the difference between playing in front of a home crowd or a long road trip when the postseason begins. DeRidder (4-4, 2-1 District 3-4A) has battled injuries and lost three of four games at one point, with at least one starter out every game. However, as players have started to return, they are back to .500 and ranked No. 17 in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s Nonselect Division II power ratings, 0.33 points behind No. 16 Cecilia. “I am super proud of this team staying together through all the injuries,” DeRidder head coach Brad Parmley said. “There are going to be a lot of things that can happen in the next two weeks. It is going to be interesting how it all shakes out.” The Dragons will focus on hosting Washington-Marion (3-5, 1-2) on Friday with a matchup at Louisiana Sports Writers Association No. 5 Iowa (8-0, 3-0) next week. “Right now, we are playing a quality opponent in Washington-Marion,” Parmley said. “They have skill all over the field. It is a big ballgame for us for district purposes and playoff seedings. We have to limit their explosive plays and establish our run game. We have to get our playmakers the ball — Connor (Rushford), Javaughn (Fairley) and Jayden (Merriwether).” Rushford is one of the Dragons who has battled injuries but had his biggest game last week with 172 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-8 win over LaGrange. Westlake is 16th in Nonselect Division III and coming off a 28-14 loss to Class 3A No. 9 Lake Charles College Prep. Only 0.22 points separate them from No. 17 Pine and No. 18 Many. They host South Beauregard (2-6, 0-2) on Friday and travel to Jennings (5-3, 1-1) next week. “For us to be certain to be at home, we probably have to win the next two,” Westlake head coach John Richardson said. “Obviously we are going to take it one game at a time. “We are going to go out there and play hard and focus on this week. Hopefully we can come out with a win.” Leesville (3-5, 2-1) is riding a two-game win streak and sits at No. 17 in Select Division II. It will likely need to win at Eunice on Friday and take down LaGrange at home next week to secure a home playoff game. The Wampus Cats have one of the best quarterback-receiver combinations in Southwest Louisiana in Trel Broom (98-171-3, 1,607 yds., 15 TDs) and Mike Davis Jr. (27 receptions, 758 yds., 8 TDs). Lake Arthur (5-3, 0-2) has a little more wiggle room than the other three as it sits at No. 14 in Nonselect Division IV. But the Tigers are 0.12 points ahead of No. 17 Elton, which would be the first team on the travel list in that division. The Tigers will host their biggest rival in Welsh (3-5, 0-2) in a District 6-2A game on Friday, then travel next week to play Class 2A No. 1 Lafayette Christian (7-1, 3-0). Elton (5-3, 1-2 District 4-1A) dropped three spots after a loss to Basile last week, the Indians’ second consecutive loss. The Indians will look to rebound with two home games to close the regular season, starting with Grand Lake (6-2, 1-2) on Friday. The Indians must jump-start their powerful run game, led by Makelin Lemoine (1,657 yds., 27 TDs), which was limited to 73 yards by the Bearcats. Basile (4-4, 3-0) pushed its season-best win streak to three games last week as its defense continued its rival. Through the first four weeks, the Bearcats allowed almost 30 points a game, but over the last four, it is down to 4.75 points per game. They have forced eight turnovers in the last three games. The Indians have jumped 11 points in the Nonselect Division IV power ratings to No. 18 and are 0.35 points behind No. 16 Franklin. Their remaining games include a trip tonight to Oberlin (2-5, 1-2), then a potential District 4-1A title match with No. 2 Hamilton Christian (7-1, 3-0) next week.
