Division-III Non-Select Semifinals Capsule | LHSAA Playoffs

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Louisiana's final 32 football teams are standing one more win from the always-coveted trip to the Caesars Superdome.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sixteen will advance to next week's state championship games, while 16 will head home Friday with semifinal losses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We continue to look each week, division by division, at the developing bracket, including notable outcomes, top performers and intriguing matchups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out the latest Division-III Non Select capsule below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinal matchups — Last meeting</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Jena vs. No. 12 Union Parish —Union Parish beat Jena in the 2023 Semi-Final, 24-16</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Sterlington vs. No. 3 St James — Sterlington beat St James in the 2024 Championship game, 35-28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal outcomes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Jena beat No. 8 Mansfield, 44-20, at home</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Sterlington beat No. 7 Loreauville, 44-6, at home</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 3 St James beat No. 6 Oak Grove, 57-13, at home</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 12 Union Parish beat No. 4 Kinder, 20-14, on the road</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Biggest surprise</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>None of the semifinalists are exactly shockers. Union Parish is the lowest seed standing and has been on the road the last few weeks, but the No. 12 seed is no stranger to deep playoff runs. The Farmers have been in the semifinals every year since 2019. To high school football fans not familiar with this division, it may seem like a surprise, but those who have seen this show before know to never count out a Coach Spat team in November and December.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinalists' (recent) history</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jena — The Giants reached the semis for the first time in 2023</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sterlington — The Panthers are back for the third straight season </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St James — The Tigers are in the semifinals for the fourth time in a row</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Union Parish — The Farmers are back in the semifinals for the seventh straight season</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matchups to watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A matchup on the top half of the bracket pits two squads with different histories but similar smash mouth styles of football. Look for the run games to carry this matchup and the defenses to bring big hits. 2026 Union Parish ATH <strong>J'Veon Hendeson</strong> and 2026 Union Parish DL <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1237632' first='Ari' last='Slocum']</strong> will need to stop the Giants running game of 2027 Jena RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1610266' first='Daniel' last='Hatcher']</strong> and 2026 Jena RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1601958' first='Sedrick' last='Wilson']</strong>. In the bottom half of the bracket, we get a rematch of last season's championship duel. Sterlington will look to 2026 LB <strong>Tre Burch</strong> and 2028 LB Steven English to slow down the offensive output of St James' 2028 QB <strong>Jajuan Jackson</strong>, 2026 ATH <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401966' first='Jakias' last='Villanueva']</strong>, and 2028 RB <strong>Xavier Johnson</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall storyline</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can Jena get over the hump? Can Jena, the No. 1 seed beat a postseason veteran, Union Parish to propel themselves into the Super Dome? Or will Union Parish complete a road trip hat trick and retain their seat in the dome for the fifth time in six seasons? On the other side of the bracket, there are not many questions left other than "Who's going to win?" in this rematch of last year's championship matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->