By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The high energy of last Saturday’s Meet the Chiefs event supporting Natchitoches Central’s football program was enjoyed by everyone in the crowd of about 800 at the Natchitoches Events Center.
It will come in handy as the Chiefs take on what is surely one of the tougher non-district schedules across the state.
NCHS, which won six games and barely missed getting to the second round of the Non-Select Division I state playoffs last season, will face a schedule designed to stack up power points and challenge the 2026 Chiefs.
The District 1-5A slate has changed from an eight-game gauntlet with each team meeting the other eight in the league. Now, through a blind draw, each school plays six district foes and doesn’t line up against two others.
District coaches, with an eye on improving their playoff seedings, bought into a proposal to create opportunities to design a non-district schedule that will enhance their power ratings.
NCHS’s Brad Laird took that to heart. The Chiefs will play four non-district opponents who posted a combined 40-11 record last season.
After this Friday’s homefield scrimmage with Pineville and the Saturday, Aug. 29 Battle on the Bricks jamboree matchup with Leesville at Turpin Stadium, NCHS will tee it up for keeps with a non-district schedule in September that provides formidable opposition.
The Chiefs open with two home games, then go on the road for the next two. Their District 1-5A schedule begins at home Oct. 2 against Airline for homecoming and alternates home and road games through the last six weeks of the regular season.
Here’s a glance at the NCHS non-district opponents:
Sept. 4, home vs. Sam Houston – The Broncs went 6-5 overall, 4-2 in District 3-5A and made a first-round playoff appearance. Note: former NSU Demon offensive lineman Shawn Baumgarten is the Calcasieu Parish school board member representing Sam Houston.
Sept. 11, home vs. North DeSoto – The Griffins were undefeated until a nailbiting state championship game loss to Iowa, 50-43. Their 13-1 record included a 7-0 District 1-4A mark. Note: Tight end Miller Warren is committed to NSU to join his quarterback at NDHS, Luke Delafield, a first-year Demon this fall.
Sept. 18, at Sterlington – The Panthers won the Non-Select Division III state title last year in a 12-2 season, including a 4-0 mark in District 1-3A. Note: Lee Doty, who led St. Mary’s to a 2016 state crown, has guided Sterlington to state championships in 2021, 2024 and 2025.
Sept. 25, at Tioga – The Indians went 9-3 last season, including a 4-1 mark in District 2-4A in a breakthrough season under first-year coach Dan Christman. Note: Tioga scored at least 47 points in a seven-game winning streak before losing the district championship game to state power Franklin Parish, and falling in the second round of the playoffs to Rummel.
The district opponents for NCHS will be Airline (home, Oct. 2), at Evangel (Oct. 9), Captain Shreve (home, Oct. 15 – Thursday), at Benton (Oct. 23), home vs. Haughton (Oct. 30) and at Huntington (Nov. 6).
The Chiefs will not play 1-5A foes Byrd or Parkway.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com