LHSAA Playoff Brackets: Storylines, Prospects | D-III Select

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Louisiana's high school football playoffs kick off this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The LHSAA's third postseason under a tweaked format features eight brackets — four "nonselect" and four "select" —&nbsp;full of impressive teams and prospects and intriguing matchups and storylines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We'll give a quick preview of each, including the top five seeds, two lower seeds to watch for a potential run, up to eight top-ranked prospects, up to five sleeper prospects, an intriguing first-round matchup, a most intriguing potential second-round matchup and an overarching storyline entering the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This season is also the first in a new two-year classification cycle, so a few notable programs have changed divisions, which we'll note as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out the Division-III Select capsule below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top 5 seeds: </strong>No. 1 Dunham, No. 2 Isidore Newman, No. 3 Calvary Baptist, No. 4 Jewel Sumner, No. 5 Bunkie</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lower seeds to watch: </strong>No. 9 Lafayette Christian, No. 12 Amite, No. 14 De La Salle</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 champion:</strong> Calvary Baptist</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023 runner-up:</strong> St. Charles Catholic (now in Division-II)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top prospects: </strong>2025 Isidore Newman OL [player_tooltip player_id='291165' first='Brett' last='Bordelon'] (LSU), 2026 Lafayette Christian OL [player_tooltip player_id='920611' first='Kaleb' last='Campbell'], 2025 Isidore Newman QB [player_tooltip player_id='914014' first='Eli' last='Friend'] (QB), 2026 Lafayette Christian DB [player_tooltip player_id='1345269' first='Luke' last='Green'], 2025 Calvary Baptist OL [player_tooltip player_id='710075' first='Devin' last='Harper'] (LSU), 2027 Dunham QB [player_tooltip player_id='642719' first='Elijah' last='Haven'], 2027 Calvary Baptist DB [player_tooltip player_id='934564' first='Braylun' last='Huglon'], 2025 Bunkie DB/WR [player_tooltip player_id='291084' first='Kyle' last='Johnson'] (Houston), 2025 Calvary Baptist ATH [player_tooltip player_id='144896' first='Julius' last='Moss'] (Air Force), 2027 Lafayette Christian DB [player_tooltip player_id='592357' first='Sky' last='Ryan'], 2025 Calvary Baptist RB [player_tooltip player_id='710073' first='James' last='Simon'] (LSU), 2025 Calvary Baptist WR [player_tooltip player_id='291081' first='Kolby' last='Thomas'] (Louisiana Tech), 2025 Calvary Baptist WR [player_tooltip player_id='144900' first='Kaleb' last='Tucker'] (Texas Southern)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper prospects: </strong>2025 Notre Dame LB/RB [player_tooltip player_id='1422336' first='Jackson' last='Casanova'], 2025 Episcopal (Baton Rouge) RB [player_tooltip player_id='1089750' first='Reid' last='Chauvin'], 2025 Bunkie QB [player_tooltip player_id='915073' first='Dillon' last='Compton'], 2025 Lafayette Christian DB [player_tooltip player_id='710782' first='Chris' last='Helaire'], 2025 Jewel Sumner DB/WR [player_tooltip player_id='1220961' first='Jayden' last='Perry'], 2025 Calvary Baptist DL [player_tooltip player_id='1077570' first='Ethan' last='Sands'], 2025 Calvary Baptist QB [player_tooltip player_id='144901' first='Abram' last='Wardell'], 2025 Lafayette Christian LB [player_tooltip player_id='1537439' first='Jaeden' last='Winters'], 2025 Catholic (New Iberia) LB Bennett Woodring</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Intriguing first-round matchup: </strong>No. 16 Parkview Baptist vs. No. 17 Lafayette Renaissance Charter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Most intriguing possible second-round matchup:</strong> No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Lafayette Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall Storyline:</strong>&nbsp;A pair of undefeated teams in Dunham and Isidore Newman and defending champion Calvary Baptist, whose only losses came to top Class 5A and Class 4A foes Neville and Franklin Parish, lead a strong group overall, including some lower-seeded perennial contenders like No. 9 Lafayette Christian, No. 12 Amite and No. 14 De La Salle with realistic state-title goals once again. The potential paths are loaded with possible rematches of regular-season rivalries such as Dunham vs. Parkview Baptist, Notre Dame vs. Lafayette Christian and Amite vs. Jewel Sumner or of recent playoff meetings such as various combinations of Calvary Baptist, Isidore Newman, Episcopal (Baton Rouge) and Northlake Christian. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->