MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / November 8, 2000

LAPLACE – River Parishes football teams went 57-20 during the regular season and won three district titles.

But as of this week, those teams are a combined 0-0.

It’s time for the second season, a.k.a. the state high school playoffs. Sevenlocal teams – Destrehan, East St. John, Hahnville, Lutcher, Riverside, St.James and West St. John – begin a trip all hope will culminate with a visit tothe Louisiana Superdome the first week of December for the Nokia Sugar Bowl Prep Classic.

Riverside is the highest seeded of all the River Parishes teams, seeded No. 2in Class 2A. The Rebels went 10-0 during the regular season, capturing theDistrict 9-2A championship. Riverside plays host to Loyola (4-6), the 31stseed, in the bi-district playoffs Friday at 7 p.m.”We’ve been consistent all year,” Riverside head coach Mickey Roussel said.

“We’ve been focused week in and week out. The season’s been great. Wehave great memories and we are going to enjoy them. But everybody isundefeated now. We’ve been a model of consistency, and we need that tocontinue.”The winner of Riverside-Loyola will face the winner of Jewel Sumner-North Vermilion in the regionals next week.

West St. John, the District 9-2A runner-up, hosts Vinton Friday at 7 p.m.The Rams are seeded ninth with a 7-2 overall record, while Vinton is the 24th seed. West St. John defeated Vinton, 18-16, in the quarterfinals two yearsago on its way to the state championship.

“We’re excited about being in it,” West St. John head coach Laury Dupontsaid of the playoffs. “We see it as a second season. We had a great seasonat 7-2. We want to see how far we can go in the playoffs but we have to stepit up.”The winner of Friday’s game plays the winner of Ouachita Christian and Opelousas Catholic in the regionals. As for a West St. John-Riversiderematch, like 1998, it would come in the finals.

East St. John will also be at home this week for the Class 5A bi-districtplayoffs. The Wildcats, the District 7-5A runners-up, are seeded 10th withan 8-2 overall record. They will play host to 23rd-seeded John F. KennedyFriday at 7 p.m. at Joe Keller Stadium.”We’ve had a good year,” East St. John head coach Ronnie Stephens said.”We went 8-2 and were the runners-up again. I’m proud as I can be of thisfootball team and the coaching staff. We’ve had a lot to overcome, and wekept our focus. We’ve played well down the stretch.”Friday’s winner continues on to the regionals to play the winner of Archbishop Shaw and Catholic of Baton Rouge next week.

Hahnville returns to the state playoffs after a two-year absence with a vengeance. The Tigers (10-0) are seeded fourth after completing their firstundefeated season since 1994 and capturing the District 7-5A championship.

Hahnville welcomes 29th-seeded Sulphur to Tiger Stadium Friday at 7:30 p.m.The winner between the Tigers and the Tornadoes will play the winner of St.

Augustine and Higgins next week in the regionals.

Destrehan travels north to play an old River Parishes nemesis, Evangel, Friday night. The Wildcats, the third-place team in District 7-5A, are seeded21st with an 8-2 record. Evangel, the defending Class 5A state champion, isalso 8-2 and seeded 12th. The Eagles defeated West St. John and St. Jamesin state championship games in the 1990s.

Friday’s winner gets the winner of St. Amant and Comeaux in the regionalsnext week.

If both were to keep winning, Destrehan and Hahnville would meet in the quarterfinals. A match-up between one of those schools and East St. Johnwould occur in the finals.

Lutcher and St. James are also making return trips to the state playoffs andboth are at home for the bi-district round. Lutcher, which won the District 9-3A championship for a second straight season, hosts Lawless Friday night.

The Bulldogs are seeded eighth with a 7-3 record. Lawless, 6-4, is the 25thseed. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.”We’re playing the best we have all year and at the most important time,” Lutcher head coach Tim Detillier said. “Hopefully that will continue, and we’llsee where it takes us.”The winner will play the winner of Parkview Baptist and Port Allen in the regionals next week.

St. James, the District 9-3A runner-up, will play host to Green Oaks Fridaynight. The Wildcats are seeded 15th with a 5-4 record. Green Oaks, whichwent 1-9 last year, is seeded 18th with a 7-3 record. Kickoff is scheduledfor 7 p.m.”We have to pick up where we left off and move upward,” St. James headcoach Rick Gaille said. “It’s a continuation of what we have been doing allseason.”The winner gets the winner of Winnfield and Bunkie next week in the regionals. Lutcher and St. James would not meet up until the finals.

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