Area 5A teams face pivotal week

Published 3:22 pm Thursday, October 7, 2021

The first two weeks of District 3-5A football play have been a roller coaster for the three Lake Area teams, with each sporting a 1-1 record in league play after two weeks.

This week, Barbe and Sulphur will look to continue building momentum while Sam Houston will be rebounding from a missed opportunity last week.

The Bucs (2-3, 1-1) will host the Broncos (2-2, 1-1) Friday night while the Tors (2-3, 1-1) travel to face Southside (2-3, 1-1) tonight at Teurlings Catholic High School.

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Barbe held on for a 28-26 win at New Iberia last week to break a three-game losing streak. Sam Houston could not hold on to a second-half lead in a 44-23 home loss to Comeaux.

Each team has an arsenal of offensive weapons at its disposal.

The Barbe tandem of quarterback Will McClain (1,422 pass yds., 14 TDs) and wide receiver Jamaal Levi (31 catches, 906 yds., 11 TDs) features the area’s leading passer and receiver. Running back Tylan Ceasar has run for 426 yards and caught 14 passes for 200 yards.

Sam Houston has had injuries at quarterback, running back and receiver but found talented underclassmen to step up at each spot. Freshman quarterback Gavin Stout has thrown for 433 yards and two touchdowns in two starts. Another freshman, running back Drew Bailey, impressed last week when he ran for 121 yards. Junior receiver Quinton Simon has 22 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns over the last three games.

Tonight in Lafayette, the Tors will be hoping to build on a strong showing last week, a 24-21 win over Lafayette that snapped a three-game losing streak. Quarterback Gage Trahan has thrown for 566 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in 90 pass attempts over the past three weeks.

Southside lost 35-10 to Acadiana last week and allowed 336 passing yards to Barbe in Week 4. The Sharks allow more than 29 points per game, but have played a brutal schedule that includes games against Carencro and Notre Dame.