Football will be a Thursday night affair in Vernon Parish as all three teams will play a day early and all inside the parish.
There’s a Vernon Parish clash as red-hot Rosepine hosts a Pickering squad looking for a turnaround in the “Battle for the Big Dog Jug”.
Rosepine (5-0) has won all five games by double digits while Pickering (1-4) couldn’t stop its losing streak, which extended to four games this past week.
It’s the first meeting between the teams since 2023 as the Red Devils didn’t participate in a full district slate as part of its program rebuild.
Leesville (4-1) rolled through Many and intends to add to its three-game winning streak when the Wampus Cats welcome in Rayne (2-3) on Thursday.
LEESVILLE
On a rainy and wet night in Sabine Parish, Grant Braxton took on the load as he gained 318 rushing yards and moved within an eyelash of 3,000 yards in his career in Leesville’s 37-15 win at Many (1-4).
The junior is just 34 yards shy of 3,000, which will almost surely come when Rayne visits Thursday.
Braxton also topped the 1,000-yard mark for this season, gaining 1,028 yards through five games with 14 touchdowns.
Leesville kicks off District 3-4A play against Rayne, a new Class 4A member who snapped a three-game skid with a 35-21 win against Mamou.
The Mighty Wolves scored a season-high in points (35) the same week in which Leesville allowed a season-low (15).
The Wampus Cats forced five Many turnovers in the rain and have forced 11 in five games.
Leesville enters Week 6 in line for a home playoff game at No. 11.
Two other district teams have four wins (Lake Charles College Prep and North Vermilion), so the Wampus Cats can’t afford a slip at home if a district title is in the making.
ROSEPINE
The Eagles put the pedal to the metal in its road win at Delhi as Rosepine has won its five games by an average of more than 31 points.
The 5-0 start is the program’s best since an undefeated regular season in 2018.
While in-parish rivalries can sometimes mean the records go out the window, Rosepine doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon under second-year coach David Weldon.
Rosepine’s pair of one-win seasons feel like a distant memory.
The Eagles have owned the series of late, winning 14 of the last 17 after Pickering took six of the first seven.
PICKERING
The Red Devils hope to party like its 2016, which is when Pickering last beat Rosepine.
The Eagles have won the last six contests in the series, which includes a 48-0 shutout in 2023.
If Pickering is to make a playoff push in its first year of eligibility since 2023, the Red Devils need to start making hay since they have just four games left (Week 10 open date).
Pickering sits at No. 36 in a 28-team playoff hunt and is trailing No. 28 Varnado by more than two full power points.
It’ll be an uphill climb against an undefeated Rosepine bunch that are looking much more like those quarterfinals teams from earlier in the decade compared to the one-win squads from the past two seasons.
After a 20-point effort in Week 4 against Merryville seemed to signal offensive promise, the Red Devils struggled once again to get on the scoreboard in a 40-7 loss to Acadiana Christian (2-3).
The Red Devils could fare well in upcoming games against East Beauregard and DeQuincy if they can’t find a way against Rosepine, but time is of the essence.