By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
ALEXANDRIA — Two years is a long time in the life of a high school athlete.
Case in point: Six starters for Alexandria Senior High’s football team, including both of its quarterbacks, weren’t even enrolled at the school two years ago.
Yet the date November 18, 2022, is a significant one for the Trojans, especially for the senior class.
That’s when the Trojans traveled north to Shreveport for a second-round playoff game against Byrd and came home after a 49-10 defeat that ended their season.
This time around, 10th-seeded Byrd (9-3) travels to Alexandria tonight for a Select Division I quarterfinal matchup against the No. 2 Trojans (11-0).
“You never enjoy losing,” ASH coach Thomas Bachman said. “We haven’t spent a whole lot of time talking about it. Obviously, it’s been mentioned, but it’s not something we’ve focused on.”
Several of this season’s ASH stars saw action in that playoff game two years ago. Running back JT Lindsey, the team’s dynamic LSU commit, is one of those players. Two other offensive standouts, running back Vaughn Darbon and receiver Jimmie Duncan, played defense for the Trojans in that playoff loss.
Byrd brings a disciplined option running attack to Friday’s game, one that has rushed for more than 300 yards in a game eight times this season along with a school-record 3,946 yards.
The offense is triggered by senior quarterback Harrison Ayres, who has four options who have rushed for between 700 and 900 yards.
Sophomore wingback Christian Maxie leads the way with 900 rushing yards and eight TDs in nine games. Senior fullback Desmond Simmons, who missed five games earlier in the season, has rushed for 891 yards and eight TDs – 347 yards on 57 carries, including two touchdowns, since returning two weeks ago for the playoffs. Sophomore Collin Deere stepped in for Simmons and has gained 743 yards with six touchdowns, while explosive senior wingback Quinton Hilliard has 704 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns.
“They execute at a high level,” Bachman said, “and that’s what I think good football teams do, regardless of scheme. They execute their schemes well.”
Ayres, who has rushed for 448 yards and seven scores, has passed the ball just 53 times on the season, completing 23 for 501 yards with six TDs and one interception. Senior Alex Schoonover (10-206, 4 TDs) and Hilliard (5-180, TD) are the Yellow Jackets’ leading receivers.
Defensively, senior linebackers Sam Greer and Ethan Sipes lead the Jackets. Greer’s 129 tackles are the most for any Byrd player over the past two decades, and he also has 15 tackles for loss and five sacks. Sipes has 107 tackles with 13 tackles for loss on the season.
Byrd’s secondary has intercepted 10 passes on the season, led by senior cornerback James Logan’s four picks, and coach Stacy Ballew’s Yellow Jackets have forced 20 turnovers this season.
Junior kicker Asher Murray has made 10 of 12 field goals, including two from 50-plus yards.
Byrd is coming off perhaps its most complete performance of the season, a 37-15 beating of No. 7 St. Paul’s on the road in Covington. The Jackets rushed for 298 yards on 63 carries, getting two 1-yard TDs from Ayres, who also completed 5 of 6 passes for 82 yards. Simmons led the rushing attack with 150 yards and a touchdown.
The Byrd defense blanked Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) 20-0 in the opening round of the playoffs before forcing four turnovers to trigger last Friday’s win at St. Paul’s, which scored on the opening drive and didn’t scratch again until trailing 37-7 in the fourth quarter.
But the Jackets run into an ASH team that is absolutely rolling the past few weeks. In the last three wins, including a Week 10 rout of previously unbeaten Neville, the Trojans — who have scored 4o-plus points in every game this season — outscored their opponents by 37 points per game.
Lindsey is just 50 yards shy of surpassing the 2,000-yard mark for rushing, and he has rushed for 27 touchdowns. Even though the Trojans only threw the ball six times in last week’s dominant 49-6 win over Evangel, sophomore quarterbacks Karsen Sellers and Max Gassiott have combined for 2,135 yards and 33 touchdowns.
This is the second season in a row, but only the fifth in school history, that the Trojans have played the day after Thanksgiving. Last year, they went on the road and lost to Edna Karr 40-34 in the quarterfinals.
The Yellow Jackets didn’t make it out of the opening round in 2023 in a four-win season and haven’t been to the quarterfinals since 2020. In the 100th year of football at the school, this is the 22nd state quarterfinal appearance.
Byrd’s ball-control triple option attack is a valid concern for ASH.
Bachman said the Trojans have prepared well this week, and he believes they are “ready for whatever storm comes” their way tonight.
“There is a challenge that we’re gonna have on Friday night for sure,” he said. “We’re just going to continue to try to make the most of each opportunity, possession by possession.”
Awaiting the winner: a semifinal game against the survivor of another quarterfinal between No. 6 Teurlings Catholic and No. 19 John Curtis. Byrd last reached the semis in its 2020 run to a deferred state title, after a state championship game loss to Catholic was vacated by a subsequent LHSAA ruling.
Contact Bret at onetphoto@gmail.com