PIGSKIN PREDICTIONS, WEEK 1

Back to it for another year, but still could not crack the 90 percentile last year. I am simply too kind to the local teams.

Speaking of kindness, a large group of Catholic High students sat on the St. John side of the stadium at Friday night’s All-Catholic jamboree and rooted on their former classmate Christian Primeaux, who transferred to St. John and had an outstanding effort against St. Michael. Primeaux scored all of the Eagles’ 16 points in their 16-12 victory and rushed for a game-high 111 yards. Near the end of the jam contest, the CHS students began to chant “Christian Primeaux, Christian Primeaux!” which brought a big smile to the new Eagle football player.

Here goes:

PLAQUEMINE VS BRUSLY: Brusly and returned Coach Erik Willis do not have many chances to win this season because they are in a new district that could be the strongest, top to bottom, in the state: St. Charles, St. James, E.D. White, Donaldsonville, Port Allen.

Willis should be familiar with the Green Devils. He no doubt attended the PHS-White Castle game Friday night after holding his jamboree Thursday.

Still, PHS rolled up over 50 points on BHS with its triple option attack last year, pulling away in the second half after the Brusly boys hung for a while.

I foresee Plaquemine being victorious. The final score may be lower than last year and I expect Brusly to make less costly mistakes than they did against University in the jamboree game, but PHS seems to be on an early roll with the jam win over White Castle and a solid scrimmage effort against Patterson.

ST. JOHN VS BELAIRE: The game tonight (Thursday) in Baton Rouge’s Olympia Stadium should be an Eagle showcase for the third straight year. Belaire continues to struggle in 4-A, while SJHS was a couple of injured players away from a deep run in the state playoffs last year and is a top-ten level Class 1-A contender. SJHS by 10-15, maybe 20 if the Bengals have not improved under their new coach.

WHITE CASTLE VS GLEN OAKS: The defending 1-A state champion Bulldogs might have stepped down in competition from recent traditional opening foe Riverside Academy by going up against former 4-A, now 3-A Glen Oaks. The Panthers will be competitive, but their numbers are actually about as deep as WCHS. Doubts are that GOHS has the talent of last year’s Riverside team.

Still, it will be a battle. The Oakers have a handful of savvy defensive players returning and thousand-yard rusher Johnta Hebert. But WC answers with three-thousand yard rusher Tyree Bracken, an experienced line, and weapons all around in skill positions.

WC by 6-10 points in a good contest to be played tomorrow night at the Louisiana Leadership’s Doug Williams Stadium in EBR Parish.

EAST IBERVILLE VS PINE PRAIRIE: The Tigers seem to be improved in discipline and have a handful of talented football players. Hosting Pine Prairie has steadily been improving after returning a football program about a half-decade ago, but is in a rebuilding stage this season and has little depth. The PPHS Panthers have one leading athlete in quarterback Chris Bradley, a player with good size and command of the offensive attack.

Meanwhile, after a winless season last year, it is hard to imagine the Tigers winning an opener on a long road trip to begin the season, but Pine Prairie provides a team with low participation numbers like EI. Coach Kelsy Dotson might have found a good foe to uplift his Tiger team’s spirits early in the season, but they do have to travel a long way, near the Oakdale area in the mid-west region of the state.

EIHS by a TD or maybe a two-point conversion.

THE REST: St. James over West St. John, ACHS over Hanson, Southern Lab over Ascension Christian, St. Michael over Walker, Tara over East Ascension (Surprise!), Dutchtown over Lutcher, Central over Istrouma, Denham Springs over Broadmoor, Dunham over Christian Life (a jamboree rematch), Kentwood over Bogalusa, Episcopal over Albany, Catholic BR over Zachary, Woodlawn over Lafayette, Independence over Baker, Donaldsonville over Assumption.