The Brother Martin defense surrounds a Rummel ball carrier during their District 9-5A game on Oct. 3.
By: Ron Brocato
District 9-5A is proving to be the most competitive football league among the Louisiana High School Athletic Association’s group of Select Division schools. At the midway point of the season, all seven district rivals are among the Top 24 teams still in high consideration for a playoff berth.
As of today, the Division I Select power rankings showed that Edna Karr (5-0) continued to be the number 1 team, based on power points and strength of schedule, followed, in order, by #2 Brother Martin (4-1), #3 John Curtis (4-0), #5 Archbishop Rummel (3-2), #10 Jesuit (4-1), #11 St. Augustine (4-1), #14 Warren Easton (3-2), and #17 Holy Cross (3-2). No other district has all its members so highly ranked.
The highly regarded Crusaders, who lost their first game of the season to Archbishop Rummel, 30-7, last week, will have their most stringent test on Thursday (Oct. 9) when they face top-ranked Edna Karr at Morris Jeff (formerly Behrman) Stadium at 7:00 p.m.
The reigning Division I Select champion has won its last 19 consecutive games dating back to November 25, 2023, when the Cougars lost to Catholic High of Baton Rouge, 32-24, in the playoffs’ quarterfinal round. John Curtis went on to defeat Brother Martin for the state championship two weeks later.
Crusaders’ Head Coach Mark Bonis is well aware of the task at hand for his players. But first, they have to forget the loss to Rummel last week because he knows that the schedule doesn’t get any easier as district play intensifies.
He noted that the Catholic League rivals’ records are clear indicators of the strength of the district. “Unfortunately, everybody’s going to beat up on one another. So we have to learn from our mistakes and get better.” He cautions, “You’re not as good as you think you are in this league. You have to take advantage of every opportunity you get. If you don’t, your opponent will make you pay the price.”
Ahead awaits the No. 1 team in Louisiana.
“We’re getting ready to play a team that has 19 wins in a row with a lot of college talent running around the field, so you don’t have time to sulk or feel sorry for yourself.” And no one’s moping as the sounds of barbells and other weights clanging down the hall from the coach’s office attests.
Rummel played its best game of the season to improve its record to 3-2. The Raiders’ district loss was to Curtis, 21-19, a team the Crusaders meet on Oct. 17 as part of Brother Martin’s Homecoming Week.
The Raiders started fast by taking an early lead, behind the 221 rushing yards and three touchdowns of Jaden Terrance. His performance ended the Crusaders’ win streak at four games. “We had two chances to bring the game to within one possession coming out of halftime and didn’t take advantage of them.”
By virtue of a better record, Brother Martin still has a higher power ranking than the Raiders. But in Karr, Bonis’ squad faces a prolific offense that has averaged 41.2 points per game, including a pair of 42-point parades against district rivals Holy Cross and St. Augustine.
The task at hand is clear. Try to stop this scoring machine.
“It’s a simple game plan,” the coach said. “Just execute to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, I want you to be the best version of you,” he told his players. “That’s what we’re called in life to do. You’re going to face adversity and have to deal with it, so go and battle your tails off for 48 minutes. Just be the best you can be against it, and be able to say to yourself, ‘We’re better than we were at the end of the game because of the experience.’”
The season won’t end with a victory or defeat. The brunt of district play comes in the ensuing weeks, and Bonis’s message to his Crusaders is, “You’ve worked (much of) the last 365 days for a game like this. So, go out and make the most out of it. Play Brother Martin football and be better as a player and a man because of this experience.”
