LHSAA Playoff Brackets: Storylines, Prospects | D-IV 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-IV Select capsule below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEdvEE1gH94","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEdvEE1gH94 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top 5 seeds: </strong>No. 1 Westminster Christian, No. 2 Riverside Academy, No. 3 Hamilton Christian, No. 4 Catholic (Pointe Coupee), No. 5 Ascension Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lower seeds to watch: </strong>No. 9 St. Edmund, No. 10 Southern Lab, No. 11 Kentwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 champion:</strong> Vermilion Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2024 runner-up:</strong> Ouachita Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top prospects: </strong>2026 Southern Lab OL [player_tooltip player_id='1737422' first='Sami' last='Abdelhak'] (South Alabama) 2026 Southern Lab QB [player_tooltip player_id='920698' first='Jerry' last='Bottley IV'] (Delaware), 2026 Covenant Christian WR [player_tooltip player_id='1600121' first='Jayden' last='Carter'], 2028 Riverside Academy ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1372189' first='Kenric' last='Johnson Jr.'], 2026 Opelousas Catholic WR [player_tooltip player_id='283987' first='Roderick' last='Tezeno Jr.'], 2027 Hamilton Christian ATH [player_tooltip player_id='934559' first='Javon' last='Vital Jr.']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sleeper prospects: </strong>2027 Kentwood ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1610257' first='Ahmade' last='Bickham Jr.'], 2026 St. Edmund LB/ATH Wyatt DuBois, 2026 Westminster Christian QB Stephen George, 2027 Westminster Christian RB [player_tooltip player_id='1616374' first='Kyle' last='Horde'], 2026 Vermilion Catholic DB [player_tooltip player_id='1602012' first='Luke' last='McLain'], 2026 Ascension Episcopal QB/ATH Branon Mitchell, 2026 Riverside Academy RB [player_tooltip player_id='922579' first='Jayden' last='Obiekwe'], 2026 Ascension Catholic RB/ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1237785' first='Trevin' last='Simon']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Intriguing first-round matchup: </strong>No. 11 Kentwood vs. No. 22 Vermilion Catholic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Most intriguing possible second-round matchup:</strong> No. 7 Ouachita Christian vs. No. 10 Southern Lab</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall Storyline:</strong> Some of the traditional powers who have had the most championship-level success in recent years — such as Vermilion Catholic, Southern Lab, Ouachita Christian and Kentwood — are all lower seeds. Top-seeded Westminster Christian, in that position for the first time since 2010, and No. 3 Hamilton Christian, in its highest-ever playoff seed, are both enjoying undefeated seasons they hope to turn into historic, storybook finishes. And the bracket is loaded with potential for rematches of both Lafayette/Opelousas and Baton Rouge area districts and recent playoff history — familiarity that could present some interesting twists and turns along the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->