By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
High school football fans across Northwest Louisiana have occasionally seen a winless team knocking off an undefeated squad – a rarity for sure this late in the season.
Natchitoches Central ended Haughton’s bid for an unbeaten regular season as the Bucs didn’t play well enough to overcome a resilient Chiefs’ squad or a flu bug that bit the team.
The Chiefs (1-8, 1-4 District 1-5A) scored the first two touchdowns and had a near miss on a goal line stand on another first-half possession to lead 14-0 at the half.
A 55-yard touchdown run from Nolan Simmons, who mostly filled the role of Haughton’s world-class running back Brandon Craig, cut Natchitoches Central’s lead to 14-7 early in the third quarter.
But the Chiefs wouldn’t be denied, scoring the next two touchdowns including a Derrick Beaudion interception return for a 27-7 lead going to the final period.
Craig did rush four times for 20 yards in limited action, but his impressive streak of 25 straight games with a touchdown came to an end.
Haughton lost the chance to clinch at least a share of the district title Friday but still has a direct line to the crown by beating Evangel (5-4, 4-1 District 1-5A) at home this Friday in the regular-season finale.
The math remains simple – the winner of that game takes the district crown all to themselves.
Evangel, at the time unbeaten in 1-5A games, had a similar stumble to a then-winless Byrd team in Week 8 without its star – quarterback Pop Houston.
But Houston returned to win a shootout against Airline to set up the title matchup with Haughton.
As for the Chiefs, they secured the win after near-misses against Airline (32-29) and Benton (41-35 in OT).
Woodlawn also gets off the schneid
Welcome to the winner’s circle, Woodlawn. The Knights whipped a Bossier team that still had playoff hopes.
Demarlin Harris and Connor Presley accounted for Woodlawn’s three touchdowns as the Knights (1-8, 1-5 District 1-4A) snapped a 15-game losing streak with the 22-6 triumph at Bossier.
The Knights (No. 39 in Division II Non-Select) aren’t playoff-bound but they buried No. 35 Bossier’s postseason hopes as well with the win.
Like NCHS, Woodlawn did have near-misses against Carroll (20-14), Southwood (28-22) and Minden (21-14) this season.
Calvary, Green Oaks bounce back as Magnolia remains only school without a win
Woodlawn’s win means that Magnolia School of Excellence is the only team in Caddo-Bossier parishes without a victory this season.
The Mariners were no match for state-ranked Calvary Baptist in a 56-6 loss Friday.
Magnolia (0-9) will have a shot at breaking through in the regular season finale against Plain Dealing (1-8), who ended the state’s longest active win streak at 49 games back in Week 6.
The Mariners’ losing streak is up to 27 games dating back to the finale of 2023 season.
Calvary (8-1, 3-0), which had its perfect season ended in Week 8 at Archbishop Shaw, looked like their old selves Friday.
Six different offensive Cavs scored touchdowns – including three touchdown passes from Hudson Price and one from Junior Waddell.
The Cavs clinched at least a share of the District 1-2A title with outright ownership occurring if they beat Green Oaks (7-1, 2-1) Friday at home. It would be the 74th straight district victory for Calvary.
The Giants took advantage of their “get-right game” with a shutout of North Caddo, 46-0.
Green Oaks, who surprisingly got hammered on the road at Homer (40-8), could force a share of the district title by topping Calvary.
Huntington decisively wins Stephen Dennis bowl
Benton head coach Stephen Dennis had previously built Huntington into a problem in District 1-5A, and those Raiders topped their former head coach for the second straight season since Dennis crossed the Red River.
But unlike the two-point, offensive nailbiter (59-57) in 2025, the Raiders bottled up Benton in a 32-6 shellacking at Benton.
The Raiders exploded from a 6-6 halftime tie with four straight scores to propel themselves to a likely playoff spot and their third straight win in four games after an 0-5 start.
Huntington moved to No. 21 in the Division I Select playoff ratings as they vie for one of 24 spots.
For Benton (4-5, 2-4), the postseason may have just slipped through their fingers as they remained No. 31 in the Division I Non-Select polls aiming to get in the top 28.
Even a win against Southwood in Week 10 might not have enough juice for Benton to get over the playoff hump.
Contact Matt at matt.vines@lsus.edu