Division-III 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 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 Lafayette Christian vs. No. 5 Dunham — Dunham beat Lafayette Christian in the 2024 quarterfinals, 34-30, at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Calvary Baptist — Notre Dame beat Calvary Baptist in the 2015 quarterfinals, 28-7, at home. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal outcomes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Lafayette Christian beat No. 9 Catholic (New Iberia), 49-14, at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Notre Dame beat No. 7 Lafayette Renaissance Charter, 27-19, at home.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 5 Dunham beat No. 4 Isidore Newman, 48-22, on the road.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 6 Calvary Baptist beat No. 3 Jewel Sumner, 14-7, 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>The last four teams standing are the teams most likely predicted entering the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinalists' (recent) history</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Lafayette Christian is back in its eighth semifinal in nine years after a 2024 bump in that road. The Knights have never lost a semifinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Notre Dame is back in the semifinals for the first time since 2022, which was its last in a three-year streak. The Pios aim to get back to the Superdome for the first time since 2017.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 5 Dunham is in the semifinals for the second straight year and third in the past four, with wins in the past two trips.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 6 Calvary Baptist makes its third straight semifinal trip, including a 2023 title run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matchups to watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top semifinal features two of Louisiana's most prolific dual-threat quarterbacks in Lafayette Christian senior [player_tooltip player_id='1601816' first='Braylon' last='Walker'] and Dunham junior [player_tooltip player_id='642719' first='Elijah' last='Haven'], each with a wealth of weapons at his disposal, including their respective casts of senior wide receivers in [player_tooltip player_id='924621' first='Brayden' last='Allen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1348446' first='Draylon' last='August'] for the Knights and [player_tooltip player_id='710974' first='Jarvis' last='Washington'], [player_tooltip player_id='283986' first='Richard' last='Montgomery Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='401983' first='Trevor' last='Haman'] for the Tigers. The teams are both capable of getting into a bit of a shoot out, but also boast solid defenses. And which can come up with a big takeaway or other timely stop will likely swing the outcomes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall storyline</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top-seeded Lafayette Christian has appeared the clear team to beat in this bracket with a wealth of talent, battle-tested experience under this group's belt and long-standing program history of winning big games, including its previous seven semifinal appearances. Can the Knights complete their largely dominant run through this season? The next team in the way is a talented and well-coached Dunham team that ended LCA's season in last year's quarters, and the bottom half of the bracket features solid challengers in district rival Notre Dame and the always-solid Calvary Baptist from up north. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->