MR. PICKEM GRISSOM'S FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

Round 2 - Lhsaa Playoffs Dec. 11, 2020

Weekly Record: 12-2 Overall 101-29 Featured Games 8-6

#4 Neville Tigers (6-2) @ #12 Minden Crimson Tide (7-2)

It’s not often you get a chance to meet an opponent twice in one football season, however on Thursday night we’ll get a chance to see a rematch game when Neville travels to district foe, Minden. The Tigers took the first meeting 41-7 while also celebrating homecoming festivities in the process. Neville had to get past a very skilled Westgate team in round 2 to get a chance at this rematch game. Junior RB AJ Allen was business as usual with a 123- yard, 2 TD performance against Westgate while senior RB Tim Byrd added 95 yards and 2 more scores. Coach Jeff Tannehill also went into his stash and gifted the Tiger faithful with an unusual air attac. QB Brett Batteford found senior WR Bill Goodin twice in the endzone for long touchdown through the air. Batteford finished the night 7 for 12 with 128 yards and the 2 scores. The Neville’s defense was in survival mode much of the night but Junior S Maurion Elam was able to snatch his 6th interception of the year as the Tigers advanced past Westgate 53-34.

At the 12th seed, not many people expected Minden to be sitting here in the quarterfinal round with a home game and a chance to make it to the round of 4 but don’t tell that to Andrew Cooper. The junior signal-caller rallied his troops and erased a 14-0 second deficit on the road before eventually upsetting #5 Leesville 21-14 in overtime. Cooper threw for 150 yards and 2 scores on 12-17 passing. Senior running back Daylen Robinson also provided the Tide with a score while also gaining 90 yards on 18 carries. Coach James Heard’s defense kept the Tide in the game coming up with two interceptions that ended potential back-breaking scoring drives.

Minden can’t afford to fall behind early against a very good Neville team that can chew up a ton of clock. The heroics that the Tide displayed last Friday aren’t normal and the further they advance in the playoffs the odds of coming back from a two touchdown deficit decreases. As a matter of fact, in their first meeting Neville jumped out to a 20-0 lead before Minden could score their first and only TD of the night. Cooper’s late game heroics saved a nearly disastrous night for the junior QB as he threw 2 untimely interceptions earlier in the game. In his earlier meeting against Neville, Cooper picked off 3 times by Elam, one of which was returned for a score. When it comes to the round of 8 it takes a full team effort to advance. Offense, defense, and special teams. Not many teams can check all those boxes like the Tigers can. I even think the Tigers will find a way to score in all 3 phases on Thursday night. There’s an old adage says that it’s hard to beat a team twice but I’m not buying it. On the road, Elam comes away with another pick-6 and Neville continues its quest at the title and defeats Minden easily.

Neville 52 Minden 13

*** UPSET SPECIAL***

***GRISSOM’S STAR OF THE GAME***

MAURION ELAM: 5 TACKLES, 2 INTS, 1 TD – 1 PUNT RETURN FOR TD

#12 General Trass Panthers (7-2) Vs #4 St Helena Hawks (5-3)

If you haven’t been paying attention you may have missed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history of Louisiana football. That phenomenon is taking place right now in East Carroll Parish, home of the #12 seeded General Trass Panthers. Under the guidance of Coach Toriano Wells the Panthers have gone from cellar dwellers to yearly contenders in just 4 years. The Panthers have made the LHSAA playoffs every year since 2013 but took a huge leap in 2018 when they advanced to the 2nd round. It may not sound like much but at the time the Panthers hadn’t reached that mark since the mid 80’s. Wells has instilled a workman’s like approach to the program and a winning mentality that had been lost for quite some time. Last week, the Panthers went on the road and pulled off a mild upset over #5 seeded North Caddo 56-54. It took 2 overtimes to pull off the feat but Wells and company won’t be complaining as they head home for a quarterfinals battle. Junior QB Wydette Williams Jr. was able to penetrate the Titans defense early and often and provided the Panthers with nearly 350 total yards of offense. 140 of those yards came on the ground with 3 scores. DeMontrell Quinn did some heavy lifting for the Panthers as well. The senior tailback toted the mail 29 times for 172 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively, the Panthers weren’t as solid as usual but came away with a huge stop on the potential game-tying conversion to send the visitors into the round of 8. Markel Norris (2ints) and Terrence Gilmore (12 tackles) led a defense that came away with 6 total takeaways in the game.

Unlike General Trass, St Helena is no stranger to this part of the year. Since 2016, the Hawks have advanced to the quarterfinal round or better which includes a title game appearance in 2017. The Hawks will now travel to Lake Providence after defeating Bunkie 14-7 in the 2nd round. First year coach, Brandon Mitchell created a brutally tough schedule that would have his team ready for the post-season and the rewards are starting to show. Don’t let the 5-3 record sway you, all 3 losses have come to teams ranked in the top 10 of their respective classes. Led by senior do-it-all athlete, Deshon Singleton, the Hawks will pose a huge threat to a Panthers defense that has given up some occasional big plays throughout the year.

As I mentioned earlier, Wells has his team coasting in some unchartered waters and with that will come some jitters and nervousness, but if the Panthers want to keep advancing through the playoffs they’ll need a near flawless performance in every facet of the game. General Trass averages over 42ppg while giving up 27ppg through 9 games. St Helena scores 22ppg and gives up 20ppg. Those contrasting numbers lead me to believe that this game will be determined by which team can execute their tempo. It’s well-noted that in the playoffs teams need to ramp up their defense and strengthen their run game, two things that the Hawks have shown they can do. Growing up as a kid of the 80’s in the small town located in the northeastern corner of Louisiana, I can remember just a few times where football reigned supreme. The names of Leonard Griffin, Derrick Jones, and Tim Middlebrooks will always pop out when I think about the glory days of Panther football and although these current players may not quite realize how influential this run is, their impact on the town of less than 4,000 people will be remembered for a long time. This season started with a then-shocking, program-building win over perennial power, Evangel that opened the eyes of a lot of folks across the state. This Panther team isn’t a fluke and as long as Wells is at the helm, the Panthers will be here to stay but on Friday night the Hawks will have no problem upsetting the home crowd and resetting a good season in L.P. However, the advantage of being at home is that the crowd can sometimes influence the outcome. In another overtime thriller, St Helena scores first, but Wells goes for the 2-point conversion that Williams Jr. converts sending the Panthers to the semi-finals by the slimmest of margins. Panthers win!

General Trass 30 St Helena 29 (Ot)

***Grissom’s Star Of The Game***

Wydette Williams Jr: 13/17, 115 Yards, 1 Td – 12 Car., 140 Yards, 2tds

Other Games:

5a

#10 West Monroe 24 #18 East St John 21

#12 Ruston 21 #5 Destrehan 14

3a

#2 Union Parish 44 #10 St Martinville 43

2a

#2 Mangham 30 #10 Port Allen 23

1a

#1 Oak Grove 40 #8 Logansport 20

Division Iv

#3 Ocs 28 #2 Vermillion Catholic 27 (Ot)