The game just means more when St. Edmund faces long-time rival Sacred Heart of Ville Platte.
The Blue Jays won five in a row between 2010 – 2014, but the Trojans have won the last two contests.
“This game is different than any other game on our schedule because it is St. Ed’s versus Sacred Heart,” Blue Jay head coach James Shiver said.
St. Edmund (4-3, 1-1) is coming off a 57-0 shutout win over North Central.
Sacred Heart (4-3, 1-1) earned a 34-17 win over Westminster Christian Academy.
The District 5-1A race became interesting after Catholic High of Pointe Coupee’s 44-10 win over previously undefeated Opelousas Catholic.
“We needed the win over North Central to stay in the district race,” St. Edmund head coach James Shiver said. “If we can keep winning we will have a chance to play for the district title week 10 against Catholic High of Pointe Coupee.”
Sacred Heart opened the season with back-to-back losses to Ville Platte (34-14) and Oberlin (35-15).
The Trojans then went on a three-game win streak including victories over Basile (20-0), Rosepine (14-7) and Mamou (14-12).
Sacred Heart opened district play with a 36-12 loss to Catholic-PC before the rebound win over WCA.
“Sscred Heart has a good running game,” Shiver said. “Alex McLwee is a strong running back.”
So far this season, the Blue Jays have also moved the ball well on the ground led by senior Peyton Marcantel (109-856, 7 TD) and freshman Kieran Davis (62-382, 6 TD).
As a team, St. Ed’s has rushed for 1,596 yards on 278 attempts.
St. Edmund is averaging 27.6 points per game and has allowed 19.4 points per game.
The Blue Jays have outscored its opponents, 71-7 in the third period.
For Shiver, Friday’s game is a return to Trojan Field where he was an assistant coach twice – under head coaches Dutton Wall and Doug Guillory.
“We are both catholic schools in small towns,” Shiver said. “We both have the same kind of students – they all know each other.
“There are bragging rights,” the coach said. “It’s always exciting when the two teams meet no matter what sport.”
Heading into this week’s game, Sacred Heart-Ville Platte is the No. 9 team in the LHSAA Division IV power rankings, while St. Edmund sits at No 12.
The top 16 teams earn Division IV playoff spots, with the top eight teams hosting first-round playoff games.