By JOHN JAMES MARSHALL, Journal Sports
One team is looking for an undefeated record and a district championship.
Another team is looking for a district championship with a perfect record in district.
A third team is just happy to be in the conversation for a district championship.
Week 10 of the high school football season brings about a lot of interesting storylines that affect different teams in different ways.
Calvary is looking to complete an unbeaten regular season for the third time in school history (9-0 in 2007 and 10-0 in 2019) and pick up an 11th straight district championship when the Cavaliers take on Loyola tonight at Jerry Barker Stadium.
“It means a lot because the odds of winning a district championship are better than the odds of winning a state championship,” Calvary coach Rodney Guin said. “That’s the first thing every school wants to do.
“But for us, a 10-0 season is something special,” Guin added. “The opportunity to do that doesn’t come along very often.”
Captain Shreve has an unbeaten District 1-5A season on its mind when the Gators take on Haughton (4-5, 2-4) at the Bucs’ Harold Harlan Stadium.
Shreve has already clinched the title of district champion by virtue of a win over second-place Airline and a first-round bye in the playoffs is secure. But if you think the Gators are going to rest on that and get in playoff mode, think again.
“It means everything,” Shreve coach Adam Kirby said. “Our kids deserve it. When we started off-season workouts in January, that’s what we talked about. It wasn’t necessarily to be undefeated in district, but now that we are here, it would be nice to finish it off with this group of seniors. It would be a really special moment for our program.”
Shreve is 8-1 overall and 6-0 in District 1-5A. It is the first district title for the Gators as a Class 5A school. The last district title was in 2005, when Shreve was in Class 4A.
And then there is Loyola, which has neither a perfect overall record (4-4) or a perfect district record (3-1). Even though Flyers are a longshot at best, the Jim Carrey line from Dumb and Dumber comes to mind: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?”
A win by Loyola would mean either a two-way or three-way tie (with D’Arbonne Woods) in the district standings.
In more than 100 years of football, Calvary is the only team the Flyers have played at least four times and never beaten.
“They play together as a team and they enjoy winning,” Loyola coach Mike Greene said of the Cavaliers. “They do a great job with their program. You know to beat them you have to play your ‘A’ game.”
Greene and Guin are the two most experienced coaches in the area – they have coached more than 550 games between them – and they’ve seen plenty of each other on opposing sidelines.
“Rodney has always done a great job wherever he has been,” Greene said. “I love how physical they are. Defensively they are coming after you to tackle you and move you back. That can be an intimidating factor.”
“Number 42 (junior running back Patrick Gosslee) is a heck of a player and we are going to have to tackle him,” Guin said of the matchup with the Flyers. “He’s a load and seems to be getting better every week. And (quarterback) Bryce (Carpenter) is a concern, especially with his speed. He’s dangerous if gets outside on the edge.”
Guin has been particularly pleased with the consistency his team has shown this season.
“We’ve played well every week,” Guin said. “We just got to keep going with what we have been doing. They’ve been focused all year regardless of who we have played. We just have to have to maintain that.”
Contact JJ at johnjamesmarshall@yahoo.com
CAPTAIN SHREVE (8-1, 6-0) at HAUGHTON (4-5, 3-3)
Where: Harold Harlan Stadium
Series: Haughton 16-12
Last year: Shreve 42-7
Last week: Haughton beat Natchitoches Central 36-35; Captain Shreve beat Benton 65-33
Rankings: CS #9 in LSWA 5A poll, #2 in SBJ Top 10 poll; Haughton #10 in SBJ poll
LHSAA power rankings: Haughton #36 Non-Select Div.; CS #2 Select Div. I
Radio: Captain Shreve (KLKL.FM, 95.7 FM)
Notables: Haughton will fail to make the playoffs for the first time in 27 years … quarterback Christian Turner ran for 193 yards and two scores and passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns in the Natchitoches Central win … Jalen Lewis caught six passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns … Andrew Markray led the Buc defense with 12 tackles that included two sacks. Captain Shreve can claim its first undefeated District 1-5A season …. RB Jamarlon Otis had his third game this season of 200 or more yards to tie a school record. He leads the area with 1,492 yards and has scored 16 touchdowns … Quarterback Quortni Beaner ran for a career high 163 yards and ran for four touchdowns for the second time on the season to give him 15 on the year.
LOYOLA (4-4, 3-1) at CALVARY (9-0, 4-0)
Where: Jerry Barker Stadium
Series: Calvary 6-0
Last year: Calvary 45-0
Last week: Calvary beat Lakeside 52-0; Loyola beat North Caddo 57-38
Rankings: Calvary #1 in SBJ Top 10 poll, #1 in LSWA 2A poll; LCP receiving votes in SBJ poll
LHSAA power rankings: Calvary #1, Loyola #16, Select Div. III
Radio: Calvary (The Light, 90.7 FM)
Notables: Loyola starting quarterback Bryce Carpenter has passed for 648 yards and run for 349 yards and accounted for 14 touchdowns in four games… Patrick Gosslee ran for 220 yards and five touchdowns in last week’s win over North Caddo … Rowen Guthikonda had 15 tackles to up his team leading season total to 80 … Calvary will be playing for its 11th straight perfect district record and 57th consecutive district win … It is also playing for its third undefeated regular season, the last one coming in 2019 … Both head coaches are in the top five for wins among Caddo-Bossier head coaches. Loyola’s Mike Greene is fifth with 156 wins and Rodney Guin at Calvary is third with 190 wins.
