THREE POINT STANCE: St. Louis, Iowa no strangers
Warren Arceneaux, Rodrick Anderson
In this edition of the Three Point Stance, staff writers Rodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux discuss Week 8 high school football games involving area large schools.
What is the best game of the week?
RA: Cecilia at DeRidder. DeRidder ended up on the wrong end of a defensive battle last week in a 14-3 loss to Tioga, but that defense will come in handy Friday night when the Dragons will have to stop the 6-1 Bulldogs who are averaging 48.7 points a game. Cecilia’s lone loss was to unbeaten No. 1 Jennings.
WA: St. Louis at Iowa. The schools have developed a competitive rivalry over the past decade or so. The Saints will be looking to build on last week’s win over Welsh as they prepare for another playoff run. The Yellow Jackets played well for most of the first half in last week’s loss to Lake Charles College Prep but will need to put together a complete game against the Saints.
Name an offensive player to watch.
RA: Lake Charles College Prep quarterback Dillon Simon has scored five rushing touchdowns in the last five games for the No. 4 Trailblazers and is completing passes at nearly a 70-percent rate to keep LCCP’s offense humming at 49.6 points a game.
WA: South Beauregard wide receiver Nick Uhlik. In five games Uhlik has 20 catches for 322 yards and five TDs, including 85 yards and a touchdown last week against Jennings. Uhlik, who has at least 85 yards in three games and has scored in all but one, will have to produce big plays if the Golden Knights are to keep pace with LCCP’s high-scoring offense.
Name a defensive player to watch.
RA: Kemal Robertson, a 6-foot, 200-pound senior defensive lineman, has been one of St. Louis Catholic’s defensive anchors. He is coming off a big game last week against Welsh with seven tackles, 11/2 tackles for a loss, a half sack and a forced fumble. He leads the Saints in tackles (54), tackles for a loss (7.5), sacks (3), quarterback hurries (3) and forced fumbles (2).
WA: LCCP linebacker Trevonte Citizen. The two-way star ran for 94 yards last week, but this week may be needed more on the defensive side of the ball. The Blazers are facing a physical South Beauregard team that likes to run the ball behind a big offensive line. Citizen has the strength to take on blockers as well as the speed to get to the sideline.