Louisiana: 2015 Battle on the Border High School Football Preview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Shreveport, Louisiana will host their fifth annual Battle on the Border event on September 10-12 at the historic Independence Stadium. The high school football showcase will feature seven teams from five states and span over three days. The on the field festivities begin Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m.
El Dorado Wildcats (AR) vs. St. Thomas More Cougars (LA)
The lone matchup on Thursday will feature the El Dorado Wildcats from El Dorado, Arkansas and the St. Thomas More Cougars from Lafayette, Louisiana. Both teams have played this event before and look to put on another show.
The Wildcats have won four out of the last six state football titles in Arkansas 6A and return 22 seniors from last year’s team that went 8-5. El Dorado is 1-0 on the young season after defeating Fairview, 22-12, last week. Two leaders of the team are quarterback John Sixbey (6’1”, 190) and running back Kawon Love (6’2”, 215).
St. Thomas More beat Gladewater (TX), 42-21, in last year’s event and will want to get back on the winning track. The Cougars are led by Head Coach Jim Hightower, who is second all-time in wins among high school coaches in Louisiana. St. Thomas More is also 1-0 in 2015 as they beat Sulphur 31-13 in Week One. Senior quarterback William Bellamy (6’0”, 186) is one of the leaders of the team. Bellamy threw for 135 yards and two touchdowns last Friday.
Friday, September 11 Game No. 1 at 6:00 p.m.
John Curtis Patriots (LA) vs. Shades Valley Mounties (AL)
The first game on Friday will feature the Patriots from River Ridge, Louisiana and the Mounties from Birmingham, Alabama.
Head Coach J.T. Curtis of the Patriots is the all-time winningest coach in Louisiana football history as he has accumulated 552 victories in his storied career. The Patriots also feature one of the best offensive lineman prospects in the country in Willie Allen (6’7”, 300). Allen has over 20 Division-I offers at this time. John Curtis beat Landry-Walker 41-20 in Week One of their season last Friday.
Shades Valley beat Acadiana, who won the Louisiana 5A state championship last year, 39-21 in last year’s Battle on the Border. The Mounties brought back 25 seniors from last year and are 1-2 so far in 2015. Two defensive players to watch on Shades Valley will be seniors’ defensive end Cameron Prince (6’0”, 218) and linebacker Joshua Harper (5’11”, 188).
Friday, September 11 Game No. 2 at 8:30 p.m.
West Monroe Rebels (LA) vs. Lufkin Panthers (TX)
The second game Friday night will feature the first Texas-Louisiana matchup as the Rebels battle the Panthers. West Monroe will be making their debut in the Battle of the Border while Lufkin lost to John Curtis 32-25 in 2014.
West Monroe finished 11-3 in 2014 and advanced all the way to the Louisiana 5A semifinals. The Rebels return 32 seniors and have the talent to make another deep run in the playoffs. Two West Monroe players to watch in this game will be quarterback Jon Randal Belton (6’3”, 203) and linebacker Layton Garnett (6’3”, 255).
Lufkin returns to the Battle on the Border after finishing 6-5 in 2014. The Panthers lost to Longview in the first round of the playoffs but return 31 seniors in 2015. Two Panthers to watch will be defensive end Bronson Massie (6’4”, 210) and offensive lineman Jerrod Johnson (6’3”, 290).
Saturday, September 12 Game No. 1 at 11:00 a.m.
Gladewater Bears (TX) vs Parkway Panthers (LA)
The second Texas-Louisiana matchup features the Bears and Panthers. Both teams participated in the Battle last year. Gladewater lost to St. Thomas More, which was only one of their two losses in 2014, while Parkway cruised past Marshall (TX), 45-21.
Gladewater finished 10-2 in 2014 and reached the third round of the playoffs. The Bears return 19 seniors from last year will want to win at this year’s event. Two players to watch on Gladewater will be defensive tackle Quanterious Turner (6’3”, 285) and linebacker Austin Blanco (5’11”, 220).
Parkway is making another appearance at the Battle on the Border after destroying Marshall the last two years. The Panthers finished 3-7 in 2014 after forfeiting five wins for playing an ineligible player. Two Parkway players to watch in the game will seniors, quarterback Keondre Wudtee (6’4”, 195), a Louisiana Tech commit, and C.J. Morgan (5’11”, 187), a Mississippi State commit who can play wide receiver and defensive back.
Saturday, September 12 Game No. 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Warren Easton Eagles (LA) vs Evangel Christian Academy Eagles (LA)
This will be the only matchup between two Louisiana schools at this year’s event as Evangel’s campus is only about 10 minutes away from Independence Stadium and Warren Easton are coming up from New Orleans.
Warren Easton finished 12-3 in 2014 and lost to Neville in the Louisiana 4A championship game. There are 25 seniors returning in 2015 as the Eagles should once again contend for the 4A title. Two players to watch will be wide receiver Clyde Leflore-Chriss (6’0”, 170) and linebacker Pernell Jefferson (6’2”, 236), who has already committed to the University of Oklahoma.
Evangel appeared in the inaugural Battle on the Border five years ago and will be making their return in 2015. The Eagles finished 8-4 in 2014 and lost to John Curtis in the second round of the playoffs. Evangel is led by junior quarterback Connor Curry and senior wide receiver Corey Henderson, (6’1”, 170), a Tennessee commit.
Saturday, September 12 Game No. 3 at 5:00 p.m.
Maumelle Hornets (AR) vs Neville Tigers (LA)
The final Louisiana-Arkansas matchup will be between Maumelle and Neville. The Hornets will be making their first appearance in the event and Neville is making yet another appearance as they have become a regular at this event. The Tigers lost to Longview 19-13 in last year’s event.
Maumelle finished 10-1-1 in 2014 and reached the second round of the playoffs. The Hornets only return 10 seniors for the 2015 season but should be a talented team. Two Hornets to watch in the game will running back Jacob Acklin (5’7”, 166) who rushed for 166 yards last week and senior wide receiver Demarian Johnson.
The Neville Tigers are the defending 4A champions in Louisiana and will have another talented team in 2015. The Tigers’ fans travel well so expect to see a lot of Neville faithful make the one hour and 45 minute drive from Monroe to Shreveport for the game. Two players to watch are senior defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence (6’2”, 298) who is one of the best high school prospects in the country and senior wide receiver Quintin Guice (6’2”, 170).
Saturday, September 12, Game No. 4 8:00 p.m.
C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets (LA) vs Longview Lobos (TX)
The final matchup in the 2015 Battle on the Border will feature the Yellow Jackets as they battle the Lobos.
Longview finished 9-3 in 2014 and made it to the second round of the playoffs. The Lobos will be just as experienced in 2015 as they return 45 seniors from last year. Two players to watch in this game will be senior quarterback Michael Ross (5’10”, 173) and senior linebacker Kybrin Sheridan (6’0”, 207).
The Byrd Yellow Jackets finished 13-1 in 2014 and reached the quarterfinals in the Louisiana 5A playoffs before falling to West Monroe. The 2015 team returns 39 seniors and have the talent to make another deep run in the playoffs. Some Byrd players to watch in this include senior quarterback Deuce Caston (5’8”, 175), and senior running back Tysen Hardman (5’7”, 170) who ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns last week.
Photo credit: usatoday.com; C.J. Morgan intercepts a pass.