By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports

Eleven of the 19 local high school football teams are in the state playoff brackets released Sunday, earlier than expected due to a lawsuit, and games are on for this week.

That wasn’t the only surprise. In a season full of scoring wars, the most remarkable one not only locally, but statewide and even nationally gets a second edition.

District 1-5A foes Captain Shreve and Evangel will run it back and collide again after an epic Gators’ 77-76 overtime triumph Oct. 10 that featured national and school records tumbling on both sides.

Exactly five weeks later, the teams kick off in the same location, Shreve’s Lee Hedges Stadium, on Thursday night. The Gators (6-4) are the 15^th seed in Select Division I.

After beating a one-loss Parkway team on the road Friday night on a last-play field goal 45-43, the Eagles (5-5) climbed into the bracket at No. 18, continuing their elite standing in state postseason history.

Playoff berths have been determined by the LHSAA’s power ratings for 26 years. Only 10 teams statewide have made postseason every time, and Evangel is the only local, and just one of four from north Louisiana, along with West Monroe, Haynesville and Oak Grove.

The Shreve-Evangel contest is the centerpiece of eight first-round games – five being played locally – involving Shreveport-Bossier teams.

Unbeaten Airline gets the first round off, as expected. As the No. 2 seed in the Non-Select Division I field, the Vikings play next weekend at home and will have homefield as long as they advance until the championship round at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Defending Select Division III state champ Calvary Baptist also earned a bye and homefield advantage through at least the quarterfinals as the No. 3 seed in its bracket.

Byrd, Northwood, Parkway and Loyola all earned first-round home games and will play Friday night.

Headed on the road: Huntington, Woodlawn (not far, to North DeSoto) and Booker T.  Washington.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association, in a mild surprise, set playoff brackets Sunday after issuing a press release Friday saying that process would be delayed due to a lawsuit filed by University High (Baton Rouge). U-High was forced by the LHSAA to forfeit eight wins earlier last week over use of two ineligible players.

However, the LHSAA changed course over the weekend and set brackets including U-High, which has a first-round bye. If the legal challenge is unsuccessful, the Cubs would be disqualified from postseason. That would send the Buckeye-BTW (New Orleans) first-round winner into the state quarterfinals.

 

The schedules for local playoff qualifiers (all games Friday unless indicated):

Airline – 2^nd seed, Non-Select Division I, first-round bye, second-round home game vs. winner of St. Amant (15)-Westgate (18)

Booker T. Washington – 20^th, Select D2, at Istrouma (13)

Byrd – 10^th, Select D1, hosts Woodlawn (23) of Baton Rouge, Lee Hedges Stadium

Calvary – 3^rd seed, Select D3, first-round bye, second-round home game vs. winner of DeLaSalle (14)-Fisher (19)

Captain Shreve/Evangel — Evangel (18) at Captain Shreve (15), Select D1, Thursday night, Lee Hedges Stadium

Huntington – 17^th, Select D1, at Hammond (16)

Loyola – 10^th, Select D2, hosts Sophie B. Wright (23)

Northwood – 7^th, Non-Select D1, hosts Salmen (26)

Parkway  – 12^th, Non-Select D1, hosts West Monroe (21)

Woodlawn – 26^th, Non-Select D2, at North DeSoto (7)

Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com

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