A brand new season of high school football gets under way tonight. After nine long months of waiting, the Friday night lights will shine brightly across Louisiana as more than 200 schools begin traveling down the road to the Superdome.
The new season brings tons of questions. Specifically, players, coaches, and fans alike are wondering what playoff format will the LHSAA use come November. In August, a Baton Rouge judge granted an injunction sought by nine principals from central and north Louisiana preventing the LHSAA from using the modified select/non-select format it used in 2022. That format, which shifted a number of public schools into the select brackets typically reserved for private and charter schools created what LHSAA officials described as a "more even" split and resulted in more competitive games in the postseason.
Despite the controversy surrounding the playoffs, excitement abounds across the state, as teams such as John Curtis, St. Thomas More, Lutcher, and Destrehan seek to repeat as state champion while others look to get over the hump and fulfill their dream of winning a long-awaited state title.
In the inaugural edition of the Pelican State Prep Football Preview WWL's Ian Auzenne and Brad Luminais examine the latest debacle surrounding the select/non-select split. We'll also go around the state to find out what teams are early favorites to compete for state championships come December.
Segment 1: Introduction to the Pelican State Prep Football Preview
Segment 2: Ian and Brad Luminais from WWL's Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Football Roundup discuss the lawsuit and injunction surrounding the LHSAA split playoff format.
Segment 3: Brad tells us what we can expect in 2023 from the teams in the New Orleans Metro, Northshore, and Bayou Parish areas.
Segment 4: KPLC-TV's Matthew Travis tells us how the raging wildfires will impact games in southwestern Louisiana. Then, Robin Fambrough from THE ADVOCATE previews the season in the Baton Rouge area.
Segment 5: KATC-TV's Megan Glover gives insight on the teams in the Acadiana area. We then head to Northwestern Louisiana and get a preview of the teams there from KWKH's Tim Fletcher.
Segment 6: We check in with Gene Ponti from the Northeast Louisiana Friday Night Scoreboard to preview the action in the Monroe area.
Segment 7: Show close
