To kill the Bronco’s momentum entering the half, Acadiana had a response of their own. In just five plays, Acadiana marched 64 yards in 49 seconds. With 8 seconds left in the half, QB Keontae Williams hit Braven Broussard for a 33-yard TD reception. The Acadiana drive proved to be crucial as the second half consisted of a defensive battle. ​

With the score 21-14 late in the fourth quarter, Acadiana had a final opportunity to put the game away with a score. Despite being on the Zachary 1-yard line, Acadiana would get shut down at the goal line and would turn the ball over on downs. Why did they not kick a field goal? The world may never know, but the coaching mishap would give Zachary a chance to tie the ball game with 2:40 left in the game from their own 1-yard line. The Broncos would get one first down, but Brown would later get sacked, and have the final pass of his high school career be knocked incomplete on fourth down. ​

 Dillan Monette talked about the game and what it was like for the seniors playing their last home game of their high school career, “If you want to be a champion, you have to make championship plays. We approached this game thinking win, lose or draw, we’re going to go out there and ball... It was an amazing feeling. It all happens so fast and I didn’t really notice it until I actually lived through it. It’s a special feeling right now because the last time we were in the Dome was 2014. Now, we’re making history, we’re undefeated right now, and we’re trying to finish it off undefeated.”

The former all-state point guard gave his pledge to the Colonels on Wednesday ensuring head coach Austin Claunch & his staff that he is staying home. “It just feels right & I like what they are doing with their program,” Rainey said. “They beat Pittsburgh & lost to Illinois in overtime. I was really impressed that they beat a team from the ACC & came close to beating a team from the Big 10.”

Rainey is currently enrolled at Blinn Junior College in Texas where he averaged 10 ppg & 6 apg as a freshman. Through 10 games this season Rainey is averaging 16 ppg, 5.3 apg, 5.2 rpg to go with a 49.1 field goal percentage. Rainey was a two time all-state performer in high school averaging 25 ppg his junior year & 30.1 ppg his senior year. 

It was essential that the Colonels keep the talented point guard at home & Rainey expressed the excitement of being able to play in front of his family on a regular basis. “It’s going to feel good playing right up the street from my family & friends,” Rainey said. “My dad drives over 5 hours to Texas to come to my games, so it’s going to make things easier on him & my mom to come see me play now. I can’t wait to have everybody from my area pack Stopher Gym to see me play.” ​

Written by Kyle Valdez

In the Class 5A playoffs, things were shaken up in the second round with #3 Alexandria and #4 East Ascension dropping tight games. Instead of EA and Alexandria, now #20 Ruston and #19 Mandeville get to continue their season in hopes of playing in mid-December. As for the rest of the bracket, the top teams handled their business, highlighted by #1 Acadiana’s 49-0 win over #16 Walker. Some teams barely slipped past their opponent like #5 Zachary’s 21-19 over #12 Hahnville, and #11 Haughton’s 23-21 win over #27 Comeaux. However, at this point in the season, a win is a win and every team can beat each other. With the quarterfinals approaching during Thanksgiving week, here are the previews for 5A: 
 
#1 Acadiana vs #8 Airline 
Acadiana may be one of the most dominant Louisiana high school teams that we’ve seen in recent years. The Wreckin’ Rams’ offense is putting points on the scoreboard at a crazy alarming rate - averaging almost 52 points per game. Army commit RB Dillan Monette ran for 253 yards against Walker and their offense moves the ball down field almost too easily. Not just their offense, but the defense shut out a solid Walker team that scored 63 points on Thibodaux the week prior. 

Airline has a 10-2 record and may be Acadiana’s hardest opponent yet. This will be Airline’s second trip to the quarterfinals in the past three years. Although finishing 3-7 last year and missing the playoffs, Airline is 7 wins improved and gets to host a quarterfinal game. Even with Acadiana having to travel 3.5 hours north to Shreveport, the Rams are still the favorites and will continue to be the favorites until they either lose or win the State Championship. 
Final: 52-21 Acadiana 
 
#2 West Monroe vs #7 Destrehan 
A week ago, West Monroe topped Captain Shreve 38-21 and Destrehan beat Covington 17-7. Since 2012, West Monroe has been to two state championships and three semifinals. Destrehan has been to two state semifinals in the past three years. Both teams in this highlighted matchup have plenty of playoff experience and pedigree. West Monroe is currently 11-1 with their lone loss coming to the hands of out-of-state Longview, TX. The two teams both look very solid on paper, but West Monroe is clearly the more battle-tested team with games against Ruston, Neville, Longview, Ouachita Parish, and Alexandria. Nineteen of West Monroe’s starters are seniors; led by offensive linemen Daniel Hawthorne (Offered by Baylor) and Ethan Boyer. Destrehan has dynamic playmakers in Kyle Edwards (Alabama commit) and Quincy Brown (Former Miss St. Commit), but West Monroe’s defense is elite, allowing just 7.8 points per contest. Even though Destrehan is the host and has more power-five talent, West Monroe seems more equipped for a return to the semifinals. 

#5 Zachary vs #20 Ruston 
After completing the regular season at 5-5 and getting seeded at #20, it was obvious that Ruston was the most underrated seed in 5A. After facing two additional serious opponents in the past two weeks, Ruston officially has the hardest schedule in Louisiana with games against Rummel, Acadiana, West Monroe, East Ascension, Dutchtown, Alexandria, Neville, and Airline. Although Ruston finished the regular season with five losses, they stayed competitive with every team besides Rummel. After achieving their two biggest wins of the year, Ruston has no time to ease up for their next opponent. 

Zachary, the 5-seed, holds a 10-2 record and is the two-time defending 5A state champions. Led by QB Keilon Brown (Memphis commit) and receiver Christopher Hilton (Top offers include Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Notre Dame), the Broncos have tremendous playoff experience. Dating back to 2014, Zachary is 23-2 in the playoffs. However, this year’s Zachary isn’t the same dominant team that we’ve seen in past years. There have been many close calls during Zachary’s current 10-game win streak. When predicting the outcome, you must factor in that the only mutual opponent that the two teams share is East Ascension; Ruston defeated EA by 8, while Zachary lost by 9. Out of the four quarterfinal matchups, this game has the highest upset alert - even for the two-time defending champs. 

Written by Kyle Valdez

A week ago, the LHSAA playoffs began with a full slate of games for Round 1. In Class 4A, there weren’t many upsets in the bracket; #20 Warren Easton blew past #11 Peabody 44-6, but I wouldn’t consider that an upset for the ages. The top 12 seeds took care of business, but #17 Leesville, #18 DeRidder, and #19 G.W. Carver all spoiled the fun by upsetting the higher seed. With multiple exciting matchups set for Round 2, the 4A bracket looks destined for multiple upsets - the madness is coming in the second round: 
 
1 Lakeshore vs. 17 Leesville 
Lakeshore, winners of 11 straight, haven’t been seriously challenged since their Week 1 28-21 over Fontainebleau. Since then, no team has come within 20 points of the Titans. Leesville, who just beat Pearl River 47-21 on the road last week, gets to host their first playoff game since a 2nd Round matchup last year. The home field advantage will be more of an upper hand than most recognize, as Lakeshore must travel four hours west to the Texas border. No matter how far they travel, if Lakeshore plays their brand of football, the Titans should be on their way to the quarterfinals. Their defense is elite, giving up just 14 points combined in their last four contests. And with Christian Westcott under center, the offense should be moving the ball down field effectively. 
Final: 42-7 Lakeshore

A defensive bout, EA’s front seven was too much too handle. Nearly every snap, Douglas was forced to scramble; leading to multiple intentional grounding penalties. He had no time in the pocket to work with and was sacked too many times. EA may have the fastest and physical lines in Louisiana.   
 
In the first half, neither of the offenses were clicking. After a back-and-forth defensive display for the first 12 minutes, the score was tied 3-3 via a field goal by each team. EA’s Evan Kern hit from 34 yards out, and Terrebonne’s Wyatt Guidry connected from 46 yards out with 20 seconds left in the first quarter. After holding EA to begin the second, Terrebonne marched inside the Spartan 20-yard line but couldn’t find the endzone. Wyatt Guidry connected on a 42-yard attempt to give Terrebonne a 6-3 lead with 8:13 left in the half. ​