There’s nothing but good vibes this week around the Lakeview Gators and St. Mary’s Tigers football teams.
St. Mary’s is 2-0 after a road win in the last seconds last week at Red River.
Lakeview not only ended the state’s second-longest active losing skid, but they did it in resounding style, 35-0 last Friday at Plain Dealing.
Both Natchitoches Parish teams get to play at home Friday night in games with 7 p.m. kickoffs.
St. Mary’s welcomes Menard of Alexandria in what has become known as the Bishop Bowl since both are Catholic schools. While the Tigers are off to a good start, the Eagles are not, outscored 96-12 in losses to Lake Arthur and last week at Grant.
Lakeview hopes to celebrate Homecoming in style and has a great opportunity to do it. Visiting Campti from Shreveport will be the Magnolia School of Excellence Mariners, who have not scored yet in a 62-0 loss at Dutchtown and a 60-0 home defeat by Delhi.
The Gators have not won a home game since early in the 2023 season. Coach Lawrence Seawood Jr. is determined to change that Friday night against an opponent that has dropped its last 20 games, replacing Lakeview in second on the state’s list of longest active losing streaks. The Gators ended a 28-game skid at Plain Dealing.
The Tigers dropped a muddy 7-6 decision at Menard last season and hope to turn the tables on the Turpin Stadium turf. St. Mary’s won at Red River on a touchdown run by Jacob Thibodaux with nine seconds left to break a 20-all tie last week. They shut down Vidalia 22-6 in the season opener.
First-year coach Jacob Carruth is off to a fast start at St. Mary’s, and a win in the Bishop Bowl would be a lift before a challenging stretch at Grant, at Winnfield, then into District 3-1A against Logansport and Jonesboro-Hodge.