THREE POINT STANCE: What to watch for in regionals

Published 11:00 am Thursday, November 18, 2021

In this edition of the Three Point Stance, staff writersRodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux preview the regional round of the high school football playoffs.

What is the most interesting game?

WA: Given the success of the two programs over the past decade, Amite at Kinder sounds more like a final than a second-round game. The Yellow Jackets beat Amite rival St. Helena last week on the road. Amite has a long history of eliminating area teams.

RA: Iowa at West Feliciana. Iowa is the No. 4 seed and the obvious favorite on paper but can’t take its eye off the No. 20 Saints. West Feliciana shut out No. 13 Jewel Sumner 38-0 last week and has won five of its last six games with four of five losses to top-eight teams.

Email newsletter signup

Last week was defined by area teams beating higher seeded teams. Which area team is most likely to pull an upset this week?

WA: Leesville. The Wampus Cats travel to New Iberia to play Westgate in what could be a high-scoring affair. Leesville running back Caleb Gallashaw has been a oneman wrecking crew over the past six games, scoring 16 touchdowns. Leesville’s defense has held three of its last five opponents to single-digit point totals.

RA: Basile. The Bearcats have been zoned in since starting the season 1-3, winning six straight. Delta Charter struggled down the stretch, losing three of its last four. Basile will need to win the ground game on both sides of the ball, which it has done successfully over the last month and a half.

Name a player to watch.

WA: DeQuincy’s Taije Ceasar ran for more than 200 yards last week to lead the Tigers to a win at Port Allen. This week DeQuincy faces a high-powered North Caddo team and will rely on Ceasar to keep the ball away from the Rebels’ offense.

RA: Rosepine Ethan Frey has been just as impressive on the gridiron as he was in the spring in the diamond when he led the Eagles to their first state baseball championship. Frey has completed more than 70 percent of his passes, including 12 of 17 in the first round of the playoffs, with 1,612 yards and 22 TDs. Frey can make plays with his feet too, rushing for 500 yards and 12 TDs.