Of all the high school football games set for Friday night statewide, none will have more widespread interest or up-close intensity than when Alexandria Senior High hosts Ruston at Butch Stoker Stadium.
The Trojans are No. 4 in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Top 10 Class 5A poll. The visiting Bearcats are No. 2.
Both are 6-1 overall, 2-0 in District 2-5A. While one is almost certainly going to be the district champ in three weeks, they will not meet in postseason. Ruston is in Non-Select Division I, fourth this week with a power rating of 14.25; ASH is in Select Division I, seventh this week with a 12.82 power rating.
The top eight in Select, and the top four in Non-Select, earn first-round playoff byes and second-round home games. The ASH-Ruston game could significantly influence the teams’ postseason pathways.
ASH is averaging 45.4 points per game and allowing 13.9, while Ruston is scoring 44.3 per game and allowing 15.7.
They share one opponent – Class 4A power Neville, until this year a District 2-5A member. The Bearcats opened the season putting down the visiting Tigers 42-16; Neville beat visiting ASH 38-27 in Week 4.
In district games, ASH pounded West Monroe 44-7 then put away Pineville last week 48-10. Ruston blew out Ouachita 56-21 in its district debut, then plastered Peabody 70-0 last week.
Ruston has only been topped by Edna Karr, 21-14 in Week 3. The Bearcats have won their last four.
After a last-play, yard-shy-of-victory 20-18 defeat last Friday at Class 5A Dutchtown, Tioga (5-2) received a 10th-place vote and a point in the “also receiving votes” category in Class 4A. The Indians host Wossman Friday with district games against Neville and Franklin Parish wrapping up the regular season.
No other Rapides Parish teams are getting voting support.
Twenty-two teams in this week’s voting are from the 318 area code, including 15 among the 50 who are ranked in their classification’s top 10.
Eleven sports media members in the LSWA are polled weekly to compile the rankings.
Class 5A
School (1st place votes), record, poll points, last week’s ranking
1. Karr (9), 7-0, 130, 1
2. Ruston, 6-1, 118, 2
3. St. Augustine (2), 7-0, 106, 3
4. Alexandria Senior High, 6-1, 94, 5
5. Archbishop Rummel, 6-1, 87, 4
6. St. Thomas More, 6-1, 77, 7
7. Brother Martin, 5-2, 63, 8
8. Mandeville, 7-0, 39, 10
9. Jesuit, 5-2, 37, 6
10. Catholic (Baton Rouge), 4-3, 35, Not ranked
Others receiving votes: Barbe 20, Destrehan 16, John Curtis 9, Northshore 6, Acadiana 5, West Monroe 3, Haughton 2, Thibodaux 1.
Class 4A
1. Westgate (8), 6-0, 128, 1
2. Neville (2), 5-1, 122, 2
3. North DeSoto (1), 7-0, 119, 3
4. Archbishop Shaw, 6-1, 101, 4
5. Madison Prep, 5-2, 76, 6
6. Lake Charles Prep, 6-1, 70, 8
7. John F. Kennedy, 6-1, 66, 7
8. Franklin Parish, 5-2, 65, 5
9. Lafayette Renaissance, 5-2, 52, 9
10. Leesville, 6-1, 28, 10
Others receiving votes: Cecilia 22, Salmen 11, St. Michael 8, Plaquemine 3, Tioga 1.
Class 3A
1, St. Charles (11), 6-1, 132, 1
2. University, 5-2, 121, 3
3. Jena, 5-2, 101, 5
4. Eunice, 7-0, 85, 6
5. Sterlington, 4-3, 76, 4
6. St. James, 5-2, 74, 2
7. West Feliciana, 7-0, 62, 7
8. Marksville, 6-1, 57, 8
9. Lutcher, 5-2, 45, NR
9. Jewel Sumner, 5-2, 35, 9
Others receiving votes: Vandebilt Catholic 33, Iowa 19, Loyola Prep 9, Jennings 6, Northwest 1.
Class 2A
1, Calvary Baptist (11), 7-0, 132, 1
2, Notre Dame, 7-0, 119, 2
3. Mangham, 6-1, 110, 3
4, Amite, 6-1, 95, 4
5, Newman, 6-1, 79, 5
6, Dunham, 4-3, 73, 6
7, Lafayette Christian, 5-2, 64, 7
8, Lake Arthur, 7-0, 55, 9
9. Mansfield, 6-1, 36, 10
10. Loreauville, 5-2, 34, NR
Others receiving votes: Catholic-New Iberia 17, Vinton 15, Oak Grove 8, Welsh 6, Green Oaks 3, West St. Mary 3, Country Day 1, Rosepine 1.
Class 1A
1. Ouachita Christian (10), 7-0, 131, 1
2. Ascension Catholic, 7-0, 116, 2
3. Riverside Academy (1), 6-1, 113, 3
4. Haynesville, 6-1, 96, 4
5. Southern Lab, 6-0, 84, 5
6. Kentwood, 7-0, 75, 6
7. Westminster-Lafayette, 7-0, 64, 7
8. Jeanerette, 6-1, 52, 8
9. Cedar Creek, 7-0, 42, 9
10. Logansport, 6-1, 36, 10
Others receiving votes: East Feliciana 20, Ascension Episcopal 4, South Plaquemines 4, Jonesboro-Hodge 3, Elton 2, Sacred Heart-VP 2, St. Mary’s 2.