Week 1 Top 5 Games Feature Top Matches of Top Programs – Crescent City Sports

The 2024 high school football season begins with an exciting Week 1 series in the New Orleans area, pitting some of the state’s top teams against each other as they look to set the tone for the coming year.

This week promises to be exciting duels, with well-known rivals and championship contenders eager to show off from the very first moment.

Fans can expect a series of can’t-miss matches, including defending champions and perennial powerhouses. Highlights include Catholic-Baton Rouge visiting Destrehan in a clash of recent state title winners and Archbishop Shaw vs. Karr in a Westbank weightlifting battle. Here’s a look at the most anticipated games that will set the stage for an exciting prep football season.

Central-Baton Rouge at De La Salle
Central has a deep roster led by three-year starter and Nicholls State commit Jackson Firmin at quarterback. The Wildcats also boast two of the state’s top attackers, twin brothers Dakarius and Kadarius Mays, both Division 1 prospects.

De La Salle, which won last year’s season opener against Central, will look to rebound after a rare losing season. The Cavaliers have a number of talented players, including quarterback Evan Arceneaux and wide receiver Ronald Cash.

This game will kick off the New Orleans-area high school football season and will be played at Yulman Stadium on Thursday, September 5.

Lafayette Christian in Rummel
Archbishop Rummel will open a tough, non-district lineup against a talented Lafayette Christian team. The Raiders are coming off a Cinderella run to the Division I Select semifinals last season and return several key players.

Despite the graduation of record-breaking quarterback/linebacker Ju’Juan Johnson and the departure of Hunter Landry to become head coach at Lafayette Renaissance, Lafayette Christian will bring back several key players. They also brought in one of the state’s top coaches, Zach Lochard.

St. Charles in Newman
Although St. Charles finds itself in a new district due to its move to Class 4A, the rivalry between the school and Newman remains intact.

St. Charles is entering a new era with one of the best senior classes in school history. Last year, the senior class reached five consecutive state championship games, winning two in 2021 and 2022. However, with their departures, the Comets return just five starters from last season.

Newman, on the other hand, already has a solid group of players, including quarterback Eli Friend, who has committed to play at Princeton, and offensive lineman Brett Bordelon, who has committed to play at LSU.

Edna Karr at Archbishop Shaw’s
Battle of the Westbank. Old Guard vs. New Guard. Brown vs. Tierney. There are many ways to describe this game.

Before Karr became Westbank’s flagship program, it was Shaw. The Eagles appeared in six state championship games from 1987 to 2008, winning their first and only state title in 1987 under current coach Hank Tierney in his first tenure at the school.

Edna Karr returns after an 11-2 season in which they won their second consecutive District 9-5A title and advanced to the Division I Select semifinals before losing to Acadiana. They return a number of players, including three LSU commits.

Shaw returned to being one of the top teams in the metro area, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2008. With Michigan commit Jasper Parker and wide receiver Jacob Washington on board, the Eagles are heavy favorites to win the Division II Select state championship.

Catholic-Baton Rouge in Destrehan
In this highly anticipated match, Catholic-Baton Rouge will play at Destrehan.

Catholic has appeared in the Division I Select state championship game six of the last seven years, winning three of the last four. Although they lost four-year starting quarterback Daniel Beale to graduation, they still have a lot of talented players on the field, including Blaine and Jacob Bradford on defense.

Destrehan has won 33 consecutive regular-season games and hasn’t lost a regular-season home game since Oct. 18, 2019, when they lost to East St. John 14-13. By comparison, the Destrehan seniors have never lost a regular-season home game, but they did lose to Zachary at home in the Division I Non-Select quarterfinals.