The quarterfinals of the high school football playoffs are here.
Several Baton Rouge-area schools will continue their quest for a state title, and these are five games we're following closely on Friday night:
Zachary at Central
No. 13 Zachary (8-3) heads on the road for a rematch against No. 5 Central (10-2) in the Division I nonselect quarterfinals.
In the first rendition of this game, Central took down Zachary 35-33 on the road. The Wildcats trailed 27-20 before scoring two touchdowns late. Central broke up a pass on Zachary's two-point conversion to seal the win.
Both sides are coming off big second-round wins. Central defeated No. 12 East Ascension 46-32. Zachary upset No. 4 Denham Springs 44-21 on the road behind a potent rushing attack led by Tylek Lewis.
Madison Prep at University High
No. 5 Madison Prep (9-2) heads on the road to take on No. 4 University High (9-2) in the Division II select quarterfinals.
The two sides met in Week 9 of the regular season at U-High, and the Cubs prevailed 14-8. The University High defense kept the Chargers' offense out of the end zone, with Madison Prep's lone touchdown coming off a punt return.
The Chargers defeated No. 12 John F. Kennedy 42-26 in the regional round. The Cubs took down No. 13 Booker T. Washington-Shreveport 50-16 in the regional round.
Alexandria at Catholic
No. 4 Catholic (9-2) hosts No. 5 Alexandria (9-2) in the Division I select quarterfinals.
The Bears blew out No. 20 Captain Shreve 37-14 in the regional round. Alexandria defeated No. 12 Brother Martin 38-27 in the last round.
Catholic has won its past six games by an average margin of victory of 32.8 points. The Bears took down Zachary in the regular season finale 41-7.
Alexandria lost its final regular-season game to Neville, 31-14, before bouncing back with a win in the regional round of the playoffs.
Oak Grove at St. James
No. 3 St. James (9-2) hosts No. 6 Oak Grove (9-2) in the Division III nonselect quarterfinals.
The Wildcats took down No. 14 Many 53-13 in the regional round. St. James is now on a five-game winning streak. The Wildcats have won all five games by double figures.
The St. James offense is averaging 52.8 points per game across the winning streak. The defense has put up two shutouts and has allowed just 5.6 points per game during that streak.
Oak Grove has won its past four games. The Tigers shut out No. 11 Richwood 42-0 in their previous game.
Dunham at Newman
No. 5 Dunham (10-1) heads on the road to take on No. 4 Newman (7-2) in the Division III select quarterfinals.
The Tigers, led by star quarterback Elijah Haven, have won their past eight games. Dunham has won all 10 games by double digits.
Dunham's high-powered offense put up 62 points in a 62-3 win over No. 12 Northlake Christian in the regional round. The offense has scored more than 40 points in 10 games, while the defense is allowing just 10.9 points per game this year.
Newman started the season 0-2, but the Greenies have now won seven straight. They defeated No. 13 Holy Savior Menard 42-13 in the regional round.