Division-IV 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-IV 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 Westminster Christian vs. No. 5 Ascension Catholic — Westminster Christian beat Ascension Catholic in a 2012 first-round game, 42-14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Riverside Academy vs. No. 6 Ascension Episcopal — Ascension Episcopal beat Riverside Academy in a 2018 first-round game, 35-13</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal outcomes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 1 Westminster Christian beat No. 9 St. Edmund, 52-22, at home</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 Riverside Academy beat No. 7 Ouachita Christian, 38-14, at home</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 5 Ascension Catholic beat No. 4 Catholic (Pointe Coupee), 50-42, on the road</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 6 Ascension Episcopal beat No. 3 Hamilton Christian, 38-7, 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>None of the semifinalists are exactly shockers. Ascension Catholic and Riverside Academy have been among the perennial powers from which fans around the state expect to see deep playoff runs more often than not, and Westminster Christian has continued its impressive and historic undefeated season thus far. Ascension Episcopal would be the team with whom some folks might have been less familiar or confident entering the playoffs, but the Blue Gators are a good team with a near-perfect record against a schedule that featured a few notable challenges along the way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinalists' (recent) history</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westminster Christian — The Crusaders have reached the semifinals for the first time in school history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riverside Academy — The Rebels are back for the first time since a 2023 Superdome run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ascension Catholic — The Bulldogs are in the semifinals for the third time in four years, but trying to get back to the Superdome for the first time since 2018.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ascension Episcopal — The Blue Gators are back in the semifinals for the first time since a 2016 Superdome run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></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 of talented small-schools running backs that haven't been major recruiting prospects — Westminster Christian junior [player_tooltip player_id='1616374' first='Kyle' last='Horde'] and Ascension Catholic senior [player_tooltip player_id='1237785' first='Trevin' last='Simon'] — against stout all-around defenses on the other sides certainly stands out. Both are two-way players at linebacker and defensive back, respectively. And both the Crusaders and Bulldogs feature good complementary weapons in the running game, including senior quarterback Stephen George and athlete Jack Hunt for Westminster and big, physical two-way standout [player_tooltip player_id='1345281' first='Joshua' last='Barber'] for Ascension Catholic.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Overall storyline</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Can a Westminster Christian or, for that matter, an Ascension Episcopal finish somewhat of a storybook season as a state champion few were predicting prior to the season, if even prior to the playoffs? Or do the more familiar, brand-name programs such as Ascension Catholic and Riverside Academy prove too strong as the calendar turns to December?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->