Jonesboro-Hodge will play St. Mary’s of Natchitoches at Lakeview High School in Campti on Friday in a District 3-1A matchup that will have a major impact on the Tigers’ chances of claiming their first district title since 2021.
Originally scheduled for Turpin Stadium on the Northwestern State University campus in Natchitoches, the de facto home field for St. Mary’s, the contest was moved to Lakeview High School after the NSU field wasn’t available.
“I don’t know if playing the game at Lakeview is an advantage for us or not,” laughed Blankenship, who, with a victory, will move into a tie for most all-time wins by a coach in JHHS football history. “St. Mary’s is a very good team, and beating them is going to be a strong challenge no matter where we play them.”
For the second week in a row, JHHS will face a team with a strong early-season record. Last week, Ringgold came to Caldwell-Peacock Stadium on the JHHS campus for the Tiger Homecoming game, bringing an undefeated 4-0 mark. The record was somewhat deceiving, as three of the Redskins’ wins came against teams that still have not won a game this season, and the other was against a team with a losing record.
The challenge that St. Mary’s presents is an altogether different scenario.
The Tigers of Natchitoches are an impressive 5-1 this year and ranked #6 in the LHSAA power poll for Division IV “select” schools. They were undefeated until last week, when Logansport, ranked #7 in the Division IV “non-select” rankings, blocked a deciding field goal attempt in the final seconds to escape with a 29-28 victory in the District 3-1A opener for both teams. Earlier, St. Mary’s had beaten Vidalia 22-6, Red River 26-20, Menard 46-14, Grant 29-28, and Winnfield 23-14, the same Winnfield team that gave JHHS their only loss of the year by a 48-28 margin. All of these schools are from a higher classification.
JHHS is also at 5-1, their best record at this point of the season since 2009, and enters the contest ranked #9 in the power rankings. The Tigers also received votes in the most recent LSWA Division IV poll, for the first time since making a Class 2A state semifinal appearance in 2021. Victories include Lakeside (14-8), Delhi Charter (50-6), Lincoln Prep (42-20), Arcadia (38-18), and, last week, an impressive 50-0 win over Ringgold.
“There is no question, this will be the best team we have played this year to date,” said Blankenship. “I am confident that we can win, but our guys are going to have to play to their potential. You can’t expect to play a completely error-free game, but we are going to have to limit the amount of penalties and turnovers we make to have a chance.”
In a somewhat surprising fact, considering that JHHS has played football since 1917, this will be the first-ever matchup between the two schools.
“I was surprised to learn we have never played them before,” said Blankenship. “Especially considering the school is only 60 miles away. Hopefully we will get the series off to a good start.”
St. Mary Overview: Primarily running a spread offense or in the Power I formation, St. Mary’s has scored 174 points in six games this season for an average of 29 points per game. According to MaxPreps statistics, the Natchitoches-based school has run the ball 220 times, compared to 129 passing attempts, and is averaging 324 yards per game. John Paul Thibodaux paces their ground game with 652 yards in 107 attempts for a 108.7 yards-per-game average, while also scoring 8 times. His little brother Jacob is next with 357 yards. Preston Tilley calls the signals and has completed 63 of 120 passes for 723 yards and 2 TD’s, with Dennison Morgan being his primary receiver, having caught 24 passes for 307 yards and 3 TD’s. Michael French is also a weapon to be watched with 13 catches for 116 yards, and Brady Childress has 7 receptions for 162 yards for a 23.1 yards-per-catch average, including an 83-yard score. Kane Dorton leads the defense that has given up 111 points for an 18.5 points-per-game average with 43 stops, including 23 solo tackles, with Jacob Thibodaux close behind with 37 stops and a team-leading 4 sacks.
Jonesboro-Hodge Overview: The Tigers counter by having run the ball 141 times and thrown it 69 times more, and are averaging 279.66 yards per game in total offense. While the rushing and passing attempts are almost half as many as St. Mary’s, the stats are somewhat deceiving, as the Tigers have displayed a very strong “quick strike” capability, often scoring their 222 points (37 ppg) in five plays or less. Quarterback King Campbell has completed 36 of 57 passing attempts for 665 yards and 9 scores in just five games. The receiving corps is deep and talented, led by JaMarlon Johnson with 10 catches for 229 yards and 4 TD’s, including tying a school record with 3 against Arcadia. JaQuan Qualls is next with 8 catches for 159 yards and a TD, followed by Channing Gray Jr., who checks in with 7 catches for 111 yards and 4 scores, and Tysen Burks, who has 6 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. LonTre’vious “Tre” Burns is the leading ground gainer with 563 yards in just 61 carries (9.23 per carry) and 9 touchdowns, while also being very effective as a receiver, having caught 6 passes for 146 yards, for a team-leading 29.20 average. Burns also lead the Tigers defense with 40 stops, including 5 scaks and 7 tackles for a loss, with Reginald Hemphill making 32 tackles. Kodan Atkins and Dylan Hayes check in with 24 and 23 stops, respectively. stops. Tysen Burks leads the team with 4 interceptions, three coming last week, which ties him atop school records for most interceptions in one game.