• Belle Chasse gets revved up for road
Credit the Belle Chasse Cardinals for knowing how to make an entrance.

• COOL BEANS
Brother Martin senior quarterback Garrett Bean has much on his mind each time he walks to the line of scrimmage.

• Fullback commits to Tigers
Tennessee bruiser Dominique Allen might project as a fullback for LSU, but his production suggests something else about the potential of the Tigers' 20th verbal commitment for 2009.

• BY THE NUMBERS
FOOTBALL

• Johnson's 4 scores carry Rummel to win
Jarrell Johnson ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries as Rummel advanced in the Class 5A playoffs with a 28-14 win over turnover-prone Thibodaux on Saturday at Joe Yenni.

• Shaw dominates vs. Pearl River
With six straight victories and counting, one might think that Shaw's 0-4 start has become nothing more than a feint memory.

• ALL-OUT BLITZ
TOP PERFORMER

• Cougars pick up the slack, roll to win
With quarterback Darius Carey unable to take his usual lead role, Helen Cox's supporting cast made up for the lost production against Baton Rouge-McKinley.

• Cougars pick up the slack, roll to win
With quarterback Darius Carey unable to take his usual lead role, Helen Cox's supporting cast made up for the lost production against Baton Rouge-McKinley.

• Crusaders surge by Greenies
The Brother Martin football team never lost confidence when it trailed Ponchatoula by 15 points with 9:56 left in the Class 5A bi-district playoff game Friday night at Tad Gormley Stadium.

• Defense gets it done for Salmen
Daniel Sams rushed for two touchdowns as the Salmen Spartans defeated the Bossier Bearkats 34-2 in a Class 4A bi-district playoff game at Salmen on Friday night.

• Higgins remains grounded, wins easily
So what happens when a robust week of practice meets opportunity?

• Luquette, Vinson keep Newman going
After losing to Port Barré in the 2006 playoffs, Newman exacted revenge, beating the Red Devils 49-7 on Friday night at Newman in a Class 2A bi-district game.

• Patriots have little trouble with Ferriday
Ferriday arrived at Muss Bertolino Playground with a 5-5 record and a No. 32 seed, 26 players, along with a large band and a smattering of optimistic fans harboring thoughts of an improbable upset.

• Roneagles wear down Alexandria
' McDonogh 35 could have easily folded and gone home after falling behind by two touchdowns in the first half Friday night in a Class 4A playoff at Pan American Stadium. But Roneagles Coach Wayne Reese gave credit to his coaching staff and players for maintaining composure in a 22-17 opening-round win over Alexandria.

• Skippers rally past Tigers
It doesn't matter if it's a District 6-5A game or a Class 5A playoff matchup, Slidell and Mandeville seemed destined for a knockdown fight to the end.

• St. Paul's stifles Patriots
St. Paul's used big plays on offense and defense, as they dominated John Ehret 34-10 in Class 5A bi-district playoff game Friday night.

• Turnovers doom Panthers
Northshore had a season of firsts, but its first playoff victory will have to wait.

• Wildcats top Blue Jays
Despite a season high in penalties and a stellar performance by the Jesuit defense, second-ranked Destrehan advanced to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs with a 29-7 win Friday night in Destrehan.

• BY THE NUMBERS
For more metro area prep football stats, go to highschoolsports.nola.com/football/stats/2008 -- football/

• Familiar foes ready to meet in playoffs
In some ways playing a district foe again in the playoffs is a good thing.

• History a motivator for Wildcats vs. Jays
It isn't often a high school coach reaches back seven years to get inspiration for his football team.

• Ponchatoula staff, Pittman have history
Brother Martin and Ponchatoula are set to meet for just the second time Friday at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium in the opening round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

• Douglass forfeiture costs Clark playoff berth
Although Clark fell to Reed 22-16 in its season finale Friday, the Bulldogs thought they were headed to the Class 3A playoffs.

• FOOTBALL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS
CLASS 5A

• Playoff brackets go according to form
BATON ROUGE -- There were no surprises as the Louisiana High School Athletic Association released the football playoff brackets Sunday.

• Crusaders top Raiders, win District 9-5A title
About 7,500 fans poured into Joe Yenni Stadium early Saturday morning in anticipation of a classic.

• Douglass rolls to win
Douglass scored on six of eight possessions in a season-ending 48-7 victory against Ben Franklin.

• Bernard, Hurricanes squeak past Bonnabel
Edward Bernard rushed for 136-yards and two touchdowns to lead Higgins to a 22-16 victory against Bonnabel in a District 8-5A game on Friday night at Muss Bertolino Stadium.

• Blue Jays start fast, roll past Purple Knights
It was simple for Jesuit and St. Augustine on Friday night. The winner still had a chance to make the playoffs, and the loser was out.

• Dykes' INT stops Pearl River
Brian Dykes' interception inside Franklinton's 10-yard line with 1:29 remaining sealed a 21-14 victory for the Demons over Pearl River in a District 9-4A game Friday night at Pearl River.

• Falcons easily defeat Jaguars, take 9-2A title
St. Thomas Aquinas won the District 9-2A championship, defeating Pope John Paul II 35-7 on Friday in Slidell.

• [From The Times-Picayune]
WEEK 10

• Roneagles shut out Eagles
McDonogh 35 needed a victory to increase its chances of hosting a first-round playoff game, and the 14th seed in Class 4A wasted no time achieving that.

• Salmen undefeated in district
Salmen finished its season undefeated in District 9-4A, capping the regular season with a 49-0 win over Riverdale on Friday night at Joe Yenni Stadium.

• Skippers capture 6-5A crown
William Bunns ran for 180 yards and a touchdown as Mandeville wrapped up the District 6-5A title by holding off determined Covington 25-17.

• St. Martin's pulls out the stops to top Cajuns
When two running teams finish with rushing totals separated by an eyelash, one pass can make a world of difference.

• St. Paul's staves off Bulldogs' final push
St. Paul's held on for a 14-6 victory against Fontainebleau in a District 6-5A game Friday night in Covington.

• West Jeff keeps rolling
The chant of the freshly-crowned District 8-5A champions said it all.

• Wildcats take 5-5A title
Earlier in the week, Destrehan senior linebacker Rufus Porter, perhaps unwisely, wanted to guarantee that his team would defeat Dutchtown for the District 5-5A championship.

• With 8 seconds left, Bulldogs stuff Karr's Barnes
Karr did its best to finish off a comeback at Lutcher on Friday night, but it fell just inches short.

• Cubs, Blue Jays get 9-5A titles
Mount Carmel and Jesuit continued their Catholic League cross country dominance Thursday at City Park.

• Destrehan prepares for tough test
The long, high-pitched sound emitted by Destrehan defensive back Antonio Parker pretty much said it all.

• Jaguars ready for big test
Mark Jeanmard is near the conclusion of his first season as a head coach, and like many, he's a goal-oriented person.

• Patriots roll to district title
Odd as it may seem, in the wake of a one-sided 61-14 victory against Newman, John Curtis has regained possession of the District 10-2A championship.

• Shaw runs over Cougars with overtime victory
The road to the District 8-4A championship still passes through the Shaw campus in Marrero.

• THIS WEEKEND
--- TODAY'S GAMES ---