The Week 8 football schedule is “make or break” for Vernon Parish’s three teams Friday – just in different ways.
Rosepine (7-0, 1-0 District 5-2A) is effectively playing for a district title tonight when they head to fellow unbeaten Vinton (7-0, 1-0).
For Pickering (1-6, 0-2), it’s now or never if the Red Devils are to keep any sliver of their playoff hopes alive. They host DeQuincy (1-6) in a matchup of teams looking for their second win.
Leesville (6-1, 2-0 District 3-4A) almost surely falls into the “break” category in terms of how much and how quickly they can break the spirit of a winless LaGrange bunch at home.
LEESVILLE
Quarterback Trel Broom has led a super-efficient passing game for the Wampus Cats the past few weeks, which includes a performance of 19-23 for 308 yards and four touchdowns in a 67-22 beatdown of North Vermilion (5-2).
But it’s not like the Patriots were able to hone in on Leesville’s running game either – Grant Braxton piled up 210 yards as Leesville gained more than 600 offensive yards in total.
Dylan Absher led the way with 152 receiving yards on 10 catches while Jaylen James (4-73 2 TDs) and Julius Brown (4-74 TD) were factors.
Brown is just two catches from Leesville’s program record (118 by Levander Liggins).
The offensive explosion isn’t expected to stop Friday against LaGrange.
Leesville is expected to extend its five-game winning streak to six against a LaGrange team that’s lost the last four weeks by a combined score of 166-12.
The road gets much tougher in the last two weeks with trips to Jena and Lake Charles College Prep, the latter of which will be for a district title.
ROSEPINE
The defacto district title game between Rosepine and Vinton features a pair of teams who’ve excelled throughout, but not against particularly tough competition.
Rosepine has solid wins over Montgomery (48-20) and Grand Lake (29-19) in the first two weeks of the season, but their 3.57 strength factor is the lowest in Division III Non-Select.
The Eagles are sitting at No. 4 in the power rankings, and a win could push them even higher against a Vinton team that will boost that strength factor either in a win or a loss.
Rosepine has pitched consecutive shutouts against Pickering (54-0) and Plain Dealing (47-0) as the Eagles aim to make a statement with a deep playoff run this year.
They won’t see Vinton in the playoffs as the Lions are in Division IV this cycle, occupying the No. 3 slot in those power rankings.
Vinton’s closest game came against Class 1A Elton (40-12) as they’ve ripped through their competition, which included shutouts of Grand Lake (47-0) and Oakdale (42-0).
Vinton has won the past two matchups in this series with the last Rosepine win coming in 2023.
PICKERING
A win against DeQuincy probably won’t be enough to launch Pickering into the playoff picture as the Red Devils rank No. 37 in a fight for the Top 28.
But a loss to fellow one-win team No. 32 DeQuincy will guarantee Pickering won’t make the postseason after two years rebuilding the program in postseason ineligibility.
The Red Devils have lost six straight, all by at least 24 points, after winning the opener against winless Pine Prairie.
DeQuincy hasn’t fared much better with their lone win coming against one-win Westlake (24-21).
Pickering should fare better than they have the last three weeks, which have combined for 146-15 score against Acadiana Christian, Rosepine and East Beauregard.
Pickering has just two regular-season games left with a Week 10 bye. The other game is against currently undefeated Vinton.