By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
As we celebrate the official return of high school football this week, North Louisiana’s two most storied football metro areas find themselves locked in battle up and down the classification ranks.
The citywide carnage is highlighted by tonight’s Evangel-West Monroe matchup, the crown jewel of the Stars & Stripes Border Classic in Independence Stadium.
The matchup pits two of the most prominent programs in the state with Evangel boasting 14 state titles to West Monroe’s 11 trophies.
All championships for each school have been captured since 1993, with both programs embroiled in a decade-long drought without a confetti celebration.
Evangel last won a title in 2016 while West Monroe hasn’t hoisted the trophy since 2011.
Quarterback Peyton “Pop” Houston is aiming for Evangel to regain elite status in Division I Select as the Eagles haven’t been back to the Dome since that 2016 title. The quarterfinals loss to Edna Karr this past season is Evangel’s furthest push since two semifinals trips in 2017 and 2018.
West Monroe was upset in the Division I Non-Select second round by familiar foe Barbe, which foiled a quarterfinals matchup with Monroe-rival Neville.
The Rebels haven’t been to The Dome since 2018 and with only one semifinals appearance (2020) since then.
The dominance in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s might make it hard to believe that a full decade has passed since either team lifted a championship trophy.
But starting the 2026 season with an impactful victory on North Louisiana’s biggest stage just might propel the Week 1 winner to the ultimate winner’s circle.
More Shreveport-Monroe matchups
The Evangel-West Monroe powerhouse matchup is just one salvo in the Week 1 wars.
Byrd and Ouachita started the campaign Thursday night. The Lions shocked the Division I Non-Select world last season by winning a state title as a No. 14 seed (all five wins by one score), which included a championship game upset of Ruston.
Tonight, Wossman travels to Airline and Woodlawn heads to Carroll to finish the metro madness.
An Airline program that won just one game in 2021 quickly inserted itself into a prime position in a deep District 1-5A, winning titles in 2022 and 2024 and in the running other years.
But the Vikings weren’t big factors in 2025 with three straight district losses, and Airline is eager to get back in the mix starting with a Wossman team that knows tough in a difficult District 2-4A.
Woodlawn’s two wins in 2025 is its fewest this decade, and they’ll face a solid Carroll bunch that’s won nine games over the past two seasons.
Week 1 features wide classification gaps
Teams from varying classifications facing off in non-district weeks is nothing new.
Eight games involving Shreveport-Bossier teams contain at least two classes of separation (take Class 2A Calvary Baptist vs. Class 5A Huntington Thursday night, for example).
And that doesn’t mean smaller schools can’t or don’t win – Homer (goes up and down between Class 1A and Class 2A) knocked off Class 5A Haughton this past season after a wild Haughton win in 2024.
Those two will square off again tonight in what’s been one of the most entertaining non-district series recently.
Class 4A Bossier and Class 2A North Caddo have had crazy momentum swings that have made it another entertaining Week 1 series with staying power.
Class 5A Parkway’s classification offers little in the way of protection from Class 2A Dunham (Division III Select champions) and quarterback Elijah Haven, an Alabama commit.
The Panthers nearly knocked off eventual Division I Non-Select champion Ouachita in the quarterfinals, so facing a championship program will be nothing new.
But save a thought for Magnolia School of Excellence, a program who jumps between Class 1A and Class 2A.
The 2A Mariners will head down to Class 5A Dutchtown, who snuck into the Division I playoffs last year but is traditionally a program of stature in the rural sprawl of the Baton Rouge area.
Magnolia was winless last year and had a pair of wins in 2023 and 2024.
Benton-Northwood takes local cake
If one is looking for an all-local matchup with sugar and spice and everything nice, look no further than Benton and Northwood.
The sustained population spike in northern Bossier Parish shot Benton from a Class 3A school at the turn of the century to a Class 5A school for the past seven years.
Some of that time was spent in District 1-4A as a district rival of Northwood.
The series restarted in 2023, with Benton winning the first matchup 28-26 and Northwood taking a close one in 2024 (24-21).
The Falcons overwhelmed Benton (49-16) in the first game under new head coach Stephen Dennis, but given Dennis’ success at Huntington, don’t expect the Tigers to be down for long.
A win against Northwood would be a great way to begin the climb to being District 1-5A contenders.
The Falcons and Griffins have battled for District 1-4A supremacy in recent seasons, and coach Austin Brown has established itself as one of the better programs in the city, particularly after apathy plagued the school before the arrival of coach Jim Gatlin.
Northwood has struggled to sustain playoff success since playing in Division I Select (two playoff wins in four seasons as a top 10 seed).
But a second straight win against Benton could signal the Falcons are one step closer to breaking through.
Contact Matt at matt.vines@lsus.edu