Vernon Parish football teams have a really good idea about what the playoffs entail as they enter their regular-season finales Friday.
Leesville and Rosepine know they will be staying at home for a first-round playoff game as both teams enter the final week ranked No. 5 in their respective playoff brackets.
Pickering’s season has come to an end as the Red Devils have a Week 10 bye and finish the season at 1-8, which started with a season-opening win against Pine Prairie.
But that doesn’t mean Week 10 is void of value.
Leesville (8-1, 3-0) is playing for a District 3-4A title as they butt heads on the road with Division II Select power Lake Charles College Prep (8-1, 3-0).
Rosepine lost its defacto district title game two weeks ago against Vinton, but the Eagles (8-1, 2-1) can secure second place by beating DeQuincy (2-7, 1-2).
While both teams enter at No. 5, it’s a long shot that they’ll slide up into the top four and receive a first-round bye.
LEESVILLE
The Wampus Cats waltzed through most of their schedule this season thanks to a weakening of the district after multiple teams, including undefeated Eunice and defending state champs Iowa, dropped down to Class 3A.
But Week 10 at LCCP has been circled from the start, and the Wampus Cats will get a road trip that feels like a quarterfinals or a semifinals trip.
Leesville proved that they are a threat for a deep playoff run after a 55-40 win at Jena, who played for the Division III Non-Select state title.
LCCP advanced to the quarterfinals in Division II Select before bowing out to Vandebilt Catholic in 2025.
The Wampus Cats have a pair of semifinals appearances (2018 and 2024) and an additional quarterfinals appearance (2022) in coach Robert Causey’s decade at the helm.
Leesville’s performance against LCCP could certainly validate the Jena win and give Wampus Cats fans an idea of just how far their team could go.
The Wampus Cats ran into that LCCP buzzsaw in the second round of the 2025 playoffs, falling 42-23.
But now Leesville reclassified as a Non-Select team, so they won’t have to worry about seeing the Trailblazers in the postseason.
They’ll get that test Friday against a team that got seven of its eight wins by double-digits, not including a one-point win over defending state champion Sterlington.
ROSEPINE
The Eagles have handled every opponent not named Vinton by double digits, and there’s no reason to think DeQuincy in the finale will be different.
The two-win Tigers have wins against Pickering and Westlake, who are nowhere near the playoff picture.
DeQuincy is fighting for their playoff lives and will likely get in because of the strength factor that Rosepine provides.
The Eagles navigated a difficult game against East Beauregard in a 26-14 win one week after falling to Vinton in their first loss of the season. It was the eighth straight win over for the Trojans for Rosepine.
Now Rosepine will try to enter the playoffs on a positive note, their first trip since a 2022 quarterfinals run.
DeQuincy has won the last three meetings in the series, but this is nowhere near the team that suffered through a pair of one-win seasons the past two years.