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Louisiana high school playoff drama: Upsets, Standouts and Showdowns shaping the path to glory

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Louisiana high school playoff drama: Upsets, Standouts and Showdowns shaping the path to glory


The Louisiana high school football playoffs are heating up, with underdogs defying the odds, powerhouse teams flexing their dominance, and individual stars shining under the bright lights. This week’s matchups offered everything from nail-biting finishes to unexpected blowouts, setting the stage for high-stakes quarterfinal showdowns. As the race to the state championships narrows, these eight key takeaways capture the action, drama, and standout performances defining this season’s playoff intensity.

In Division I nonselect, No. 6-seeded Southside rolled to a 47-0 shutout of No. 22 Walker and can reach the semifinals for the first time if the Sharks can upset the reigning state champs.

The Sharks (9-2), who will travel to No. 3 Ruston next, are led by running backs Ramon Singleton and Justin Williams. Singleton has rushed for 1,239 yards on 187 carries with 13 TD. Williams has 1,074 yards on 161 carries with 10 scores. Quarterback Parker Dies is averaging 8.2 yards per carry with six TD. The Sharks were 4 of 5 passing for 82 yards and a TD against Walker. 

Three lower seeds advanced to the quarterfinals: No. 24 Chalmette upset No. 8 Hahnville, No. 21 West Monroe took down No. 5 Mandeville and No. 10 Destrehan blew out No. 7 Northwood-Shreveport, 63-21.

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Malachi Dabney scored six touchdowns in Destrehan’s win, according to Ryan Arena of The St. Charles Herald Guide. Receiver Jabari Mack left the game with an injury after scoring an early TD. The Wildcats (9-3) travel to No. 2 Airline (11-0) in the quarterfinals. 

John Curtis Christian finished with a sub-.500 regular-season record for the first time since 1969, but the No. 19-seeded Patriots are doing Patriot things in the Division I select playoffs.

John Curtis, which lost its last three regular season games, beat No. 14 Brother Martin and No. 3 Acadiana to advance to the quarterfinals. Quarterback Reggie Johnson marched the Patriots, who were trailing by five points, 77 yards with less than two minutes remaining and threw a TD pass to freshman Jarvis Stevenson for a 28-27 win, according to Nick Fontenot of The Acadiana Advocate. Stevenson has five catches for 77 yards on the season with the huge touchdown. 

The Patriots (6-5) travel to No. 6 Teurlings Catholic (10-1), which defeated No. 11 Jesuit, 31-23. John Curtis lost to Jesuit during district play, 17-10.

Cecilia and Opelousas, who met in the Division II nonselect final last year, defeated higher seeds to keep the chances of a rematch alive. The No. 18 Bulldogs and No. 14 Tigers will meet in the semifinals if both can win on the road again.

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No team had scored more than 20 points all season against undefeated No. 2 Lutcher before Cecilia visited on Friday, according to Reed Darcey of The Baton Rouge Advocate. 

The Bulldogs topped that total in the first half of a wild 49-41 shootout. Senior quarterback Diesel Solari accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). Sophomore Braylon Calais rushed for 113 yards on 15 carries with two TD. 

Two UL Ragin’ Cajun commits went head-to-head with Cecilia’s Brent Gordon and Lutcher running back Trenton Chaney, who ran for 194 yards on 24 carries with three TD.

Opelousas kept its end of the bargain by eliminating No. 3 Jennings, 30-19. The Tigers (8-3) travel to No. 6 Plaquemine (11-1), which knocked out No. 11 Northwest, 49-34. 

Cecilia (9-3) visits No. 7 North DeSoto (10-2).

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No. 1 Archbishop Shaw hosts No. 8 John F. Kennedy in a highly anticipated Division II select quarterfinal. The Eagles (9-2), who beat No. 16 Loranger 49-14, got three rushing touchdowns in the first half from Michigan commit Jasper Parker.

Parker, the district MVP, finished the regular season with 1,501 all-purpose yards and 22 TD.

John F. Kennedy (7-4) is a dangerous No. 8 seed that lost three games by forfeit. The Cougars got a scare from No. 9 Lake Charles College Prep but held on to win 51-37. JFK had allowed only 20 points during its last six games. 

The No. 2 seed in Division III nonselect was ousted when No. 15 Loreauville defeated No. 2 Erath, 28-7, in a rematch of Week One won by Erath. Loreauville exerted control from the outset, stopping Erath on its first possession and taking a 7-0 lead on a 48-yard pass from Hayden Benoit to Gavin Judice.

Maddox Savoy didn’t reach the end zone, but he moved the chains with 155 yards on 27 carries for an offense that had 23 first downs and outgained the Bobcats by 200 yards.

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Loreauville (6-5), which began the year 0-4, travels to No. 7 Jena (9-3). Blake Delcambre relieved Benoit at quarterback during a drive and capped it off in two plays, completing a long pass to Blaise Romero and keeping the ball himself for a 30-plus yard TD run. 

Lafayette Christian, like John Curtis, worked its way through a sub-.500 regular season. The Knights faced a challenging schedule that included Archbishop Rummel, Archbishop Shaw, Central-BR, Evangel Christian and a Westgate team that was fully loaded with Jaboree Antoine at the time. 

The No. 9 Knights avenged an earlier loss by beating No. 8 Notre Dame in Division III select, 35-28. Ball-hawking defensive back Chris Helaire and LCA will have to upset No. 1 Dunham (11-0) and five-star QB Elijah Haven to keep their streak of consecutive title game appearances alive.

Junior quarterback Braylon Walker dissected the Notre Dame defense for 103 yards on 11 carries with four TD. He completed 14 of 17 passes for 187 yards and a score. 

In the regular season loss to Pioneers, Walker rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries with a TD. This is the third time in eight years the Knights have lost a district game and avenged it in the playoffs, according to statistician Hayden Lessard. LCA did it in 2017 (Vermilion Catholic) and 2022 (Teurlings Catholic), beating both in the semifinals.

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No. 7 Catholic-New Iberia (10-1) and QB Luke Landry travel to No. 2 Isidore Newman (9-0) in another marquee D3 matchup. Landry has passed for 31 TD with only one interception. The Greenies will counter with QB Eli Friend.

Jeanerette pounded No. 13 Grand Lake, 46-24, in Division IV nonselect. Sophomore running back Devine Duhon, who was sidelined by injury late in the regular season, returned and accounted for 261 yards and six TD. The No. 4 Tigers (8-2), who host No. 12 General Trass in the quarterfinals, were also without quarterback Zyon Colar for a loss to Central Catholic. 

The nation’s top running back, five-star LSU commit Harlem Berry, and the ninth-seeded St. Martin’s Episcopal Saints were handled by a St. Edmund offense that has produced zany numbers all year.

Quarterback Kane West completed 12 of 14 passes for 237 yards and two TD and rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries with five TD. But that’s not all. The strongman converted eight two-point conversions in the 78-37 win. 

Tailback Henry Summerlin went over the 1,600-yard mark for the year with a 326-yard effort for the No. 8 Blue Jays (10-1), who travel to No. 1 Vermilion Catholic (11-0) and 2,100-plus yard rusher Jonathan Dartez in the Division IV select quarterfinals.

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West, who threw touchdowns on approximately half of his regular season completions, has 14 rushing TD. He scored five two-point conversions in a win over Opelousas Catholic.

With upset wins, stellar individual performances, and underdogs rewriting expectations, this year’s Louisiana high school football playoffs are shaping up to be unforgettable. The stakes only get higher as the quarterfinals loom, promising more drama and excitement ahead.



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Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

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The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

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Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

  1. Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
  2. Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
  3. Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
  4. Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

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555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

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Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
  • Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

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National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months


NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.

The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.

New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.

During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.

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According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.

“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.

While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.

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“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.

Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.

“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.



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Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

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Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.

Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.

63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.

Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.

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“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”

Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.

“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.

Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.

Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.

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“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.

The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.

The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.

Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.

“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.

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