Breaking down the high school football schedule

The schedules are out for the 2017 prep football season and while it may take a bit for fans to get used to the new districts, there will still be plenty of must-see games in during the 2017 season in Southwest Louisiana.

The big-three, Barbe, Sulphur and Sam Houston, will now be the big-four with LaGrange moving back to District 3-5A after a six-year stay in Class 4A. It will be the first time ever that the Lake Area will have four 5A schools.

It will also renew one of the oldest rivalries in SWLA between Sulphur and LaGrange. The two schools first played each other in 1930 and this year’s Week 7 match up at John J. Mims Stadium will be the 81st game in the series.

The annual grudge match between Barbe and Sulphur will move up three weeks to Week 6 (Oct.6th) this season at Barbe. The Bucs hold a nine-game win streak over the Tors.

LaGrange may have the toughest opening three weeks of any team in the area with Division III semifinalist Notre Dame in Week 1 followed by Division II regional finalist Teurlings and Ferriday, a 2A quarterfinalist in 2016.

DeRidder and Leesville will be the only 4A teams in the area this year with Washington-Marion moving down to 4-3A for the first time since 1998. The Dragons and Wampus Cats, who will join Alexandria area teams in Tioga, Grant and Buckeye in District 3-4A, will play for the Hooper Trophy on Oct. 20 in DeRidder.

With Washington-Marion and Lake Charles College Prep moving into District 4-3A, Iota was shifted into an Acadiana-based district for the next two years. Iowa begins defense of its district crown Sept. 22 at home vs. Jennings in a rematch of last year’s Week 10 title-deciding game.

With the breakup of District 4-2A, the must-see district race will be in 6-2A between 2016 Division III semifinalist Notre Dame, 2A quarterfinalist Kinder and defending district champion Welsh. Notre Dame and Welsh both went undefeated during the regular season. They will face off in Week 9 (Oct. 27) in Crowley. The heated Welsh-Kinder rivalry game will be on Oct. 20 in Kinder while the Yellow Jackets will face the Pios on Oct. 6 in the district opener for both teams.

DeQuincy and Vinton, who are now grouped with Pickering, Rosepine, Oakdale and East Beauregard in District 5-2A, will continue their rivalry, which dates back to the 1930’s, on Oct. 20 in Vinton. Rosepine and Pickering, who reached the 2A regional round last year, will face off on Oct. 13 in Pickering.

The reshuffled District 4-1A, which lost East Beauregard and LCCP while gaining back Basile, features a marquee game between defending district champ Oberlin and quarterfinalist Elton in Week 10 in Elton.

Other games of note include Chad Paulk’s first game as the Sam Houston Broncos’ head coach at Wayne Hooper Memorial Stadium on Sept. 1 against St. Louis Catholic while Hamilton Christian will play its first game under Vaughn Eggleston at home against East Beauregard.

LaGrange’s Colton Frank (1) scrambles and looks for an open man during the 1st half of the Gator’s and Dragon’s matchup on Friday night at Lagrange High School. (Rick Hickman/American Press)