JOURNAL SPORTS
NEW ORLEANS — North DeSoto tries to complete an unbeaten season and win its first state football championship in the opening game of today’s LHSAA Prep Classic schedule.
The Griffins, the District 1-4A champions and the top seed in Non-Select Division II, meet the No. 2 seed, Iowa, at noon today. Both teams are 13-0 and feature explosive offenses. North DeSoto’s Luke Delafield, a Northwestern State signee, ranks seventh in state history with 10,618 passing yards but ran for 148 yards and a pair of scores in a 58-44 semifinal victory over Plaquemine. Griffins’ running back Kenny Thomas, a Louisiana Tech signee, has nearly 5,000 career rushing yards.
In the opening game of the three-day Prep Classic Thursday, Haynesville finished unbeaten with its first state football championship since 2014, and the 18th overall for the Golden Tornado. Haynesville survived Mangham rushing for 484 yards and piling up 31 first downs in an offense guided by coordinator Bo Meeks, the former Airline coach.
Riverside’s defense was able to slow down Ascension Catholic’s explosive attack in Thursday’s second game.
The remaining schedule and Thursday’s results:
2025 LHSAA PREP CLASSIC
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
THURSDAY’S SCORES
Non-Select Division IV Final
No. 1 Haynesville 39, No. 2 Mangham 37
Select Division IV Final
No. 2 Riverside 31, No. 5 Ascension Catholic 21
Select Division III Final
No. 5 Dunham 34, No. 6 Calvary 17
TODAY’S GAMES
Non-Select Division II Final
No. 1 North DeSoto (13-0) vs. No. 2 Iowa (13-0), noon
Non-Select Division III Final
No. 1 Jena (12-1) vs. No. 2 Sterlington (11-2), 3:30 p.m.
Select Division II Final
No. 1 St. Charles (12-1) vs. No. 7 Shaw (9-4), 7 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Non-Select Division I Final
No. 1 Ruston (11-2) vs. No. 14 Ouachita (10-4), noon
Select Division I Final
No. 1 Edna Karr (13-0) vs. No. 3 St. Augustine (12-1), 3:30 p.m.