5 Big Louisiana HS Matchups: The Massey Ratings (and Jerit's Take)

Louisiana high school football is down to its final three weekends of the regular season.

District battles, rivalry games and pivotal matchups for playoff positioning are now loading each Friday night all over the state and at every classification level.

As we do each week, let’s look at five of the most intriguing games on the slate, including players to watch and predictions from the Massey High School Rankings and myself.

Ruston (6-1, 1-1) at Alexandria (7-0, 2-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at J.L. “Butch” Stoker Stadium (Jerit Roser will be on the sidelines for coverage)

Rankings: Ruston (No. 1 overall Massey, No. 3 LSWA Class 5A, No. 2 Division-I Non-Select power ratings), Alexandria (No. 7 overall Massey, No. 6 LSWA Class 5A, No. 4 Division-I Select power ratings).

Last week: Ruston lost to Neville, 26-21. Alexandria beat Pineville, 56-21.

Players to Watch: 2025 Ruston DB Aidan Anding (LSU), 2027 Ruston DB Jayden Anding, 2027 Alexandria DL Jaydon Bayonne, 2025 Ruston DL Payton Bell, 2025 Ruston QB/ATH Joshua Brantley (Tulane), 2025 Ruston RB Dylone Brooks, 2025 Alexandria WR Jimmie Duncan, 2027 Alexandria WR Alex Fontenot, 2027 Alexandria QB Max Gassiott, 2027 Alexandria DB Jakyrin Griffin, 2025 Ruston RB Jordan Hayes, 2025 Ruston LB Zheric Hill (Louisiana Tech), 2027 Ruston TE Ahmad Hudson, 2025 Alexandria RB J.T. Lindsey (LSU), 2025 Ruston C Sam Nations (Northwestern State), 2025 Ruston WR Joran Parker, 2027 Alexandria QB Karsen Sellers, 2027 Alexandria DB Jaytun Terry, 2025 Alexandria WR Darius Washington, 2026 Alexandria LB Xzavier White.

Recent History: Ruston has won this meeting the past three seasons with the closest call coming last season, 35-28. Alexandria’s most recent win came in 2019 by a 17-13 score.

Massey Prediction: Ruston (77%), 41-21.

Jerit Thoughts: Another week in District 2-5A, and another tough-to-call battle between two of Louisiana’s top teams. I’m expecting another downright battle, like Neville’s upset of Ruston last week. And, forced to make a pick, I’ll lean toward the defending champion Bearcats with a few more guys with more experience in more big games going back to last season’s title run. But the Trojans are more than capable of winning this game and have seen even their youngest contributors step up throughout this season against a stout schedule. I’ll be more surprised if this game ends up as lopsided as 20-plus points than I would be by either team coming out on top.

Southside (5-1, 4-0) at Acadiana (6-1, 4-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Bill Dotson Stadium

Rankings: Southside (No. 22 overall Massey, 19th-most votes in LSWA Class 5A, No. 10 Division-I Non-Select power ratings), Acadiana (No. 3 overall Massey, No. 4 LSWA Class 5A, No. 3 Division-I Select power ratings).

Last week: Acadiana beat Lafayette, 55-10. Southside beat Sulphur, 41-0.

Players to Watch: 2025 Acadiana WR/ATH Russell Babineaux (Ragin’ Cajuns), 2025 Acadiana DL Ryland Charles, 2025 Southside DB Derek Collins, 2026 Southside DB Emanual Collins, 2025 Acadiana LB/DE Amarion Cooper, 2025 Acadiana QB Caden DiBetta, 2027 Acadiana WR Collin DiBetta, 2025 Southside OL Luke Dutil, 2025 Southside TE Kade Fontenot, 2025 Acadiana RB Jonah Gauthier, 2025 Southside DE Jayden Hypolite, 2026 Southside RB Ashton Labit, 2025 Acadiana DL Jayden Lawrence, 2025 Acadiana DB Dalyn Lewis, 2026 Acadiana DL Darryus McKinley, 2025 Acadiana DB Braylon Noel, 2025 Southside RB Ramon Singleton, 2025 Acadiana DB Keeman Thibodeaux

Recent History: Acadiana has won four of the first five meetings against the young Southside program in fairly lopsided fashion, including last season, 45-12. But the Sharks won, 22-7, in 2022.

Massey Prediction: Acadiana (93%), 42-14.

Jerit Thoughts: The Sharks’ win a couple years ago dramatically ratcheted up the annual intrigue of this series. And this year, it kicks off a three-week stretch of round-robin matchups between Acadiana, Southside and Carencro that will decide the District 3-5A race and some notable playoff positioning. Traditionally run-heavy, ball-control offenses and hard-hitting defenses mean an untimely turnover could notably swing a contest in which possessions can quickly come at a premium. The Wreckin’ Rams’ staff and players have been together longer, went through a deep playoff run in 2023 and have started to look as balanced as ever with the DiBetta brothers, Babineaux and company finding their rhythm in the passing game. All those factors give Acadiana edges with which it should be able to control this one.

Cecilia (5-2, 2-0) at Opelousas (3-3, 1-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Donald Gardner Stadium

Rankings: Cecilia (No. 42 overall Massey, No. 7 LSWA Class 4A, No. 18 Division-II Non-Select power ratings), Opelousas (No. 46 overall Massey, No. 8 LSWA Class 4A, No. 16 Division-II Non-Select power ratings).

Last week: Cecilia beat Beau Chene, 71-0. Opelousas beat Livonia, 48-0.

Players to Watch: 2025 Cecilia OL Ryker Airhart, 2025 Opelousas LB/DE Corey Amos Jr. (Ole Miss), 2027 Cecilia ATH Braylon Calais, 2026 Opelousas DE/LB Jamarion Daugherty, 2025 Opelousas WR Korey Fontenot, 2025 Opelousas RB D’Shaun Ford, 2025 Opelousas DL Jonathan Ford, 2027 Cecilia DB Franky Frank Jr., 2025 Cecilia DB/WR Brent Gordon Jr. (Ragin’ Cajuns), 2025 Opelousas DB Landon Hammond (Tulane), 2026 Cecilia LB Braylon Jones, 2025 Opelousas QB/ATH Zackeus Malveaux, 2025 Cecilia OL Christian Menard, 2025 Opelousas DB Kyran Moore, 2025 Cecilia QB/ATH Diesel Solari, 2025 Cecilia WR/ATH Ellis Stewart.

Recent History: The teams split 2023 meetings with Cecilia coming back to snatch the district game, 25-22, but Opelousas taking a rematch in the state title game, 26-13. The Bulldogs had won five straight meetings from 2017 to 2021 before the Tigers won, 21-16, in 2022.

Massey Prediction: Opelousas (56%), 34-30.

Jerit Thoughts: The Bulldogs and Tigers meet once again in a matchup loaded with stakes — and one in which both teams come in with some level of chip on their shoulder from last year. Opelousas felt like it let the regular-season battle and district title slip through its fingers, meanwhile Cecilia saw its storybook season and return to the Superdome fall short at the hands of its familiar foe. Talented 2025 classes have been at the forefront of both programs’ rises to title contention in recent years, including the first-ever championship for Opelousas, and are now in the final stretch of their high school careers. I expect another close contest of notable momentum swings in which a turnover or two or untimely penalty could prove pivotal, and I give the edge to the Tigers.

Jeanerette (6-0, 1-0) at Covenant Christian (7-0, 1-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at John L. Stadium at Nicholls State

Rankings: Jeanerette (11th-most votes LSWA Class 1A, No. 1 Division-IV Non-Select power ratings), Covenant Christian (No. 6 LSWA Class 1A, No. 4 Division-IV Select power ratings).

Last week: Jeanerette beat St. Martinville, 26-12. Covenant Christian beat Hanson Memorial, 53-6.

Players to Watch: 2026 Covenant Christian WR Jaden Carter, 2025 Covenant Christian WR/DB Jahari Carter (Arkansas-Monticello), 2025 Jeanerette DB Zyre Colar, 2027 Jeanerette DB/WR Kobe Gage, 2025 Covenant Christian LB/ATH Carsen Hebert, 2026 Covenant Christian RB/LB Connor Lally, 2025 Jeanerette DB/WR Dominick Lewis, 2026 Covenant Christian QB/ATH Owen Trosclair, 2026 Covenant Christian LB/WR Peyton Trosclair, 2027 Jeanerette WR/ATH Morris Lee Walters, 2026 Jeanerette DL Javonte Williams.

Recent History: Jeanerette won both meetings, 26-20 in 2023 and 22-0 in 2022, since the teams joined the same district two years ago.

Jerit Thoughts: Depending on this and next week’s outcomes for Alexandria and Neville, this small-schools battle on the bayou could be the last meeting of the regular season between undefeated teams — both of whom have not only a district title opportunity, but deep playoff runs in mind. Jeanerette took a major leap forward last year, including its first quarterfinal since 1990, and is once again one of the most talented Class 1A teams in the state. Covenant Christian is starting to make a name for itself as well with plenty of 2026 and 2027 talent emerging quickly around the senior core. And I think the Lions, battle-tested against bigger schools and playing on their home field at nearby Nicholls State, take advantage of an opportunity this week at a big step for the program to win this sort of late-season showdown against another top team.

Bunkie (7-0, 2-0) at Jena (5-2, 2-0)

Friday, 7 p.m., at Guy Campbell Stadium

Rankings: Bunkie (No. 2 LSWA Class 3A, No. 5 Division-III Select power ratings), Jena (11th-most votes LSWA Class 3A, No. 4 Division-III Non-Select power ratings).

Last week: Bunkie beat Buckeye, 64-0. Jena beat Vidalia, 60-0.

Players to Watch: 2025 Jena LB Jacob Belcher, 2025 Bunkie QB Dillon Compton, 2026 Jena WR Zadrien Cooper, 2027, 2025 Bunkie RB Jateren Gaines, Jena RB Daniel Hatcher, 2025 Bunkie DB/WR Kyle Johnson (Houston), 2026 Bunkie LB/RB Zion Lee, 2026 Jena QB Deuce McPherson, 2026 Bunkie LB/WR Lucas Mose, 2026 Jena RB Sedrick Wilson.

Recent History: Jena has won both meetings, 38-22 in 2023 and 42-35 in 2022, since the teams joined the same district two years ago.

Massey Prediction: Jena (52%), 30-28.

Jerit Thoughts: These matchups have been great the past couple years, as Bunkie has taken huge leaps forward. Jena hasn’t lost a Week 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 game since 2019, always finding their way through any pre-district ups and downs and growing pains to become one of the area’s top teams. But the Panthers have threatened that late-season success as much as anyone of late. And this year feels like it might be the one Bunkie and its veteran, playmaking leaders can scrap out a win that would mark another notable milestone in their rewriting of expectations for the program.