By MATT VINES, Journal Sports
SHREVEPORT – Anybody that’s consumed any high school football content in Louisiana has come across the name Peyton “Pop” Houston, the four-star junior quarterback for Evangel Christian that’s picking between the likes of Clemson, LSU, USC and Oklahoma for his college destination.
Houston will lead the Eagles against visiting Natchitoches Central tonight at 7 at Rodney Duron Field, but he won’t be the only stud quarterback on the field, just the most highly-recruited one.
Chiefs signal caller Owen Smith is also among the best in the state in his third year as the NCHS starter.
Smith leaned on his staunch supporting cast in a season-opening 41-0 win last Friday against Breaux Bridge as offensive weapons have matured around him over the past 12 months.
“The experience comes with the years,” Smith said in an interview at the Battle on the Bricks Jamboree. “Knowing what to look for pre-snap and knowing what to look for post-snap, it slows the game down a lot.”
Houston and the Eagles nearly knocked off state power Neville on the road, falling 33-32 in their opener, but his 275 passing yards and 73 rushing yards weren’t quite enough to overcome the Tigers.
Both quarterbacks were in the Top 10 in the state passing in 2024 – two of four quarterbacks from District 1-5A that were on that maxpreps.com list.
And both are mobile, able to extend plays with their feet to find a receiver or take off themselves to pick up first downs or make big plays.
Houston had a hand in six touchdowns in a 45-7 win in Turpin Stadium last season, but the NCHS defense is much improved as evidenced by its shutout of Breaux Bridge in the opener.
“(Houston) is a great quarterback who can do a lot of throwing and running, and he has threats at receiver,” said NCHS head coach Brad Laird. “That’s certainly going to be a challenge for our defense, and it’s something that’s not new to us playing in this district.
“There are threats in the backfield and at receiver, and we have to do our best to limit big plays and get off the field.”
Laird credited consistency in the offensive line to the explosive Week 1 offensive performance, and if the Chiefs can move the chains on the ground and in the air, Houston and Co. can’t do damage from their sideline.
Running back Kelton Howard is dangerous as a runner and receiver, and Smith can wheel and deal with a cadre of weapons that’s more experienced across the board than in years past.
“Consistency is a big factor from Year 1 to Year 2,” Laird said as he started his second season in command of the Chiefs. “You see a lot of carry over in all three phases – offensively, defensively, and in special teams.”
It’s a formula that Laird intends to guide NCHS to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.
The Chiefs went 1-7 in district play this past season, but three of those losses in the back half of the schedule came down to the final minutes.
A road win against an Evangel team many have favored to win the district and make a deep playoff run does more than just put NCHS in the playoff picture, it signals a program ready to compete for a title in arguably the deepest district in the state.
Contact Matt at sports@journalservices.com