Stunning wins by Westlake, Merryville
Published 8:37 pm Sunday, November 12, 2017
<p class="p1">In this edition of the Three Point Stance, staff writers Rodrick Anderson and Warren Arceneaux discuss the results from the opening round of the Louisiana High School football playoffs. Southwest Louisiana started the playoffs with 22 teams. Fourteen advanced to this week’s regional round.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><strong>Which school had the biggest win?</strong></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>RA:</strong></span>The Westlake Rams pulled off the state’s most surprising upset of the bi-district round, knocking off previously undefeated No. 3 Jena 27-20. It a big win for a team that had not been to the playoffs since 2014 and had not won a playoff game since 2013.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>WA:</strong></span>Merryville beat Centerville for its first playoff win since 1992. The Panthers clinched a winning season with the victory and ended a 10-game postseason losing streak.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><strong>Who is your small school player of the week?</strong></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>RA:</strong></span>Oberlin QB James Kirklin and RB Collin Chatman. The duo powered the Tigers to a 40-20 win over Block in Class 1A. Kirklin scored three times while running for 185 yards on six carries and Chatman had 205 yards on 22 carries.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>WA:</strong></span>Lake Arthur’s Daylon Charles, who scored two touchdowns, including the winner, in Lake Arthur’s win at Mangham. Charles scoring the winning points on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter. </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3"><strong>Who is your large school player of the week?</strong></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>RA:</strong></span>Leesville senior Andrew Crocker outscored Franklinton all by himself with four touchdowns in a 38-20 win in Class 4A. Croker finished with a season-high 212 yards on 15 carries.</p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>WA:</strong></span>St. Louis QB Bailey Hardy threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for another score, to lead the Saints to a 22-21 upset of No. 6 E.D. White. Hardy is the school’s all-time passing leader with 4,100 yards and 36 touchdowns.</p>
