2015 Louisiana High School Football 5A Semifinal Update

Written by Charlie Beuttel

Twitter: @charlie_cds3

Four teams have survived a tough Louisiana 5A Playoff bracket thus far making the semifinal round. The stakes are heightened with each team knowing they are just one win away from playing for a state a championship in the Super Dome in New Orleans.

All four teams have their eyes on the prize with John Ehret pairing up with Mandeville and Parkway traveling to Zachary Friday night. Fans should be in for an exciting semifinal with all four teams putting all they have on the line for a chance to play in the title game.

Mandeville Skippers (10-3) at John Ehret Patriots (11-2)

Mandeville took down Landry-Walker 31-14 to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2012.

The Skippers are scoring 30 points a game led by the senior Orgeron twin brothers, Cody and Parker. Cody (6’1″, 165 pounds) is the quarterback and leader while Parker (6’1″, 185 pounds) is the star wide receiver. In their quarterfinal win, Cody threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns as he completed 14-of-17 passes. Parker caught seven passes for 105 yards with two touchdowns.

Mandeville gives up on average 17 points a game and will look to put on another defensive show as they fight for a chance to play in the Dome next week. Two of the leaders of the defense are senior linebackers Alexander Troyer (5’11”, 200 pounds) and Johnathan Picone (6’2”, 225 pounds). Picone has committed to play college football at Texas Tech. Another name to watch is junior defensive back Evan Guillory who had three interceptions in the quarterfinals.

To advance to the semifinals, the Patriots routed Ponchatoula last Friday by a score of 34-7.

John Ehret is scoring 34 points a game with the Patriots offense being led by senior athlete Ca’Ron Baham (5’11”, 180 pounds). Baham has committed to play college football at Missouri. Another leader on offense is senior Travis Jordan (6’2”, 180 pounds) who caught four passes for 96 yards including two touchdown passes. Jordan also returned an interception for a touchdown on defense. The other player to watch on offense is senior running back Juwan Leonard (5’6”, 191 pounds).

The Patriots give up just 10 points per game and are led by their three senior linebackers; Michael Divinity (6’2”, 213 pounds), Dejon Harris (5’11”, 235 pounds), and Robert Green (6’0”, 225 pounds).  All three seniors have committed to play college football. Divinity is headed to LSU, Harris is committed to Arkansas, and Green is headed to West Point to play for Army.

Parkway Panthers (12-1) at Zachary Broncos (12-1)

Parkway beat Destrehan 49-34 while Zachary dominated Hahnville 55-27 to set up this highly anticipated semifinal matchup. One similarity between the two schools is that both teams suffered their lone loss on Sept. 25 as Parkway fell to Evangel 56-21 and Zachary lost to Calvary Baptist 42-28.

Parkway has posted an average of 41 points a game this season behind their explosive offense. The Panthers are led by senior quarterback Keondre Wudtee (6’5”, 215 pounds) who has thrown for 3,170 yards and 31 touchdowns.

One of the rising stars on the Panthers is sophomore wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. (6’4”, 186 pounds) who has caught 47 passes for 1,244 yards and 13 touchdowns. Another player to watch is senior athlete C.J. Morgan (5’11”, 193 pounds) who has 663 receiving yards, 612 rushing yards, and 18 total touchdowns. Morgan has committed to play college football at Mississippi State.

The Panthers give up 21 points a game but allowed 34 points in their win last week. The leading tackler on the team is senior defensive back Lloyd Cole (5’11”, 189 pounds) with 91.5 total tackles. Cole currently has one college offer from Central Arkansas. Senior linebacker Ryan Black (5’7”, 185 pounds) has 85.5 total tackles including 16 for a loss and three sacks. Another player to watch is senior linebacker Semaj Tarver (5’9”, 195 pounds).

Zachary also scores 41 points a game and is led by senior dual-threat quarterback Lindsey Scott (6’0”, 205 pounds), a Syracuse commit. Scott has 2,674 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, 1,607 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.

Two other offensive stars are senior running back Terry Sullivan (6’1”, 225 pounds) and senior wide receiver Douglas Coleman (6’2”, 175 pounds).  Sullivan has 1,130 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns and Coleman has 1,356 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. The leader of the offensive line is TCU commit, Kellton Hollins (6’3”, 285 pounds).

The Broncos give up 27 points on average but have held three opponents under 20 points. One of the leaders of the defense is junior linebacker Donovan Perkins (5’11”, 225 pounds). Perkins has over 100 total tackles this year. Another player to watch on Zachary’s defense is defensive back Kennan Tate (5’9”, 185 pounds).

It will be exciting who will win Friday night and advance to play for the state title in New Orleans next weekend.

Photo credit: shreveporttimes.com; Parkway wide receiver Terrace Marshall