Karr-Carver headlines Week Four top 10 games in Metro New Orleans

After a couple of weeks of dynamic matchups, the local card for week four is not quite as attractive overall but it remains full of interest and intrigue.

Looking at the matchups for this weekend, I am going with an inner city battle between Karr and Carver as the feature tilt. Here are my top 10 local matchups for week four in the metro New Orleans Area.

1)     Karr vs. Carver (Friday at 7 p.m. at Joe Brown Stadium)—Anytime Karr is in action, it is an interesting game. This one has lots of intrigue as the defending 4A state champion Cougars are coming off of their first loss in 18 games. Quarterback Skylar Perry has completed 42-of-75 passes for 544 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. Anthony Spurlock has three touchdown catches while Khalfani Simmons has 13 catches for 136 yards. Ronnie Jackson has rushed 57 times for 416 yards and seven touchdowns. For the Rams, senior quarterback Izea Hurst has been terrific, completing over 70 percent of his passes while senior Jimmie Cooley is a top running back. Freshman Lynaris Elphaege, Jr., son of the former Rams and Tulane star, is the top receiver. Carver has scored 52 and 50 points, respectively, in its last two games. Karr won 65-0 last year and 48-22 in 2015. Has Carver closed the gap? We will find out.

2)    Ponchatoula at Covington (Friday at 7 p.m.)—How good are the Lions? They are 3-0 but have close wins over a pair of below average teams in Dutchtown and Holy Cross. The Lions are led by senior running back Devin Brumfield and senior quarter Joshua Alfaro. Elgin Bell and KeJohn Batiste are top receivers. Ponchatoula has rebounded from a season opening loss to a very good Barbe team to win two straight games. The Green Wave won 33-3 last year. Ponchatoula rallied from behind to score the final 27 points in a 48-30 win over Denham Springs. The passing connection of T.J. Finley to Sa’Lan Weber has been outstanding for the Green Wave while fullback Mitchell Hines has been very productive. If Covington is for real, the Lions will find a way to win this one.

3)    Hahnville at Destrehan (Friday at 7 p.m.)—Throw the records out. While the Tigers are 1-2 and the Wildcats are 2-1, these are still good teams. Hahnville could not get its offense going in a loss to Brother Martin. The Crusaders contained speedy Anthony “Pooka” Williams, who remains perhaps the fastest player I have seen this year. The offensive performance against the Crusaders was puzzling, just a week after Hahnville scored 41 points against John Ehret in a losing cause. Quarterback Jah’Quan Jackson was good against Ehret and he must return to that form. Destrehan got a big win over Ehret last week, bouncing back from a tough loss at St. Charles Catholic. John Emery broke out and the junior is perhaps the premier running back in the metro area. Junior quarterback J.R. Blood was very good last week and is very experienced. Hahnville has won the last four meetings.

4)    Newman at Berwick (Friday at 7 p.m.)—This is an intriguing matchup of unbeaten teams. The Greenies have been very efficient offensively with junior Martin Butcher at the helm. James Poche’ has been superb at running back. The receiving corps has been excellent, led by Storey Charbonnet. Junior Mitchell Sanford has thrown it well for the Panthers, already throwing for over 1,000 yards (1,091) and 16 touchdowns with just one interception while rushing for 142 yards in three games. Junior Joshua Jones has for 414 yards and four touchdowns. Senior Kenan Jones has 17 catches for 410 yards and five touchdowns. Berwick has scored 135 points while Newman has scored 114 points in three games.

5)    John Curtis vs. Brother Martin (Friday at 7 p.m. at Tad Gormley Stadium)—The Patriots blasted Parkview Baptist 66-28, rebounding from a tough loss to nationally ranked Grayson, GA. Sophomore quarterback Collin Guggenheim had a big game against the Eagles. He has passed for 221 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 227 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Darryan Washington has picked up the slack at running back for the injured Marquese Albert, rushing for three touchdowns. Senior receiver Tyrone Legette has nine catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns.  Brother Martin is coming off its first win, a solid 21-6 victory at Hahnville. Senior quarterback John-Paul Pierce leads the way for Brother Martin. Chris Smith and Matthew Alfonso key the running game for the Crusaders.

6)    Rummel at Teurlings Catholic (Friday at 7 p.m.)—How good are the Raiders? It is obvious that they are very gifted at the skill positions, led by junior quarterback Chandler Fields and senior receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Evan Francioni. Sophomore Koy Moore has emerged as well and senior running backs Dwan Trufant and Keirell Jackson are solid. The Raider defense was taken apart by Jordan Loving and Riverside a week ago. How will it respond? Teurlings Catholic has 12 starters back from  a year ago, including tackle Thomas Perry, an LSU commit. The Rebels have lost running back Jakyre Journet to an ankle injury. Quarterback Wesley Blazek played well in the first two wins of the season but struggled with three interceptions in a 44-7 loss to Division III power Notre Dame.

7)    Northshore at St. Paul’s (Friday at 7 p.m.)—The Wolves are 1-2 but are much better than their record. They have lost to powerful Christian Brothers of Tennessee and to Karr. Quarterback Johntae McDowell was injured in the loss to Christian Brothers and he is essential to St. Paul’s success. McDowell has thrown for six touchdowns and rushed for another. Junior Jack Mashburn will step in, if necessary. Senior Logan Davenport has been the top rusher. Mashburn and Grant Grosch are top receivers. Grosch has 11 catches for 237 yards and three touchdowns. This looks to be Mike Bourg’s best team at Northshore in several years. Senior quarterback Walter Harris has thrown for 236 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for 188 yards and five scores. Senior Ethan Swann is the top receiver. St. Paul’s has dominated 6-5A for over a decade. A Northshore win would signal a huge shift in power.

8)    West St. John at Plaquemine (Friday at 7 p.m.)—The Rams fear no one as they step up in class again to face a good opponent. Only a very tough loss to St. James in a thriller has prevented West St. John from being 3-0. The Rams had a pair of 100 yard rushers in a 35-12 win over Bonnabel last week in Nico Davis and Wantrell Williams. have a top defender in Jeremiah Downing. The Green Devils ran into a buzz saw in defending Division II state champion St. Thomas More. Quarterback Herbert Thomas and running back Michael Sproles lead the Green Devils offense while Wayne Toussant has been solid as well.

9)    Country Day at St. Charles Catholic (Friday at 7 p.m.)—The Cajuns got a big performance from quarterback Justin Ibieta in a 31-23 win over Episcopal a week ago for their second win. Clinton Nicholas is a talented receiver. Price Petagna is a jack-of-all trades for Country Day. Joe Chiarella returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown in a 20-0 win over Wilkinson County, MS for the Comets a week ago. Narquez Jones has stepped in for the injured Lloyd Nash and has run the Wildcat attack in solid fashion. Phillips Tran has been good as well. Wayne Stein’s defense has allowed just eight points in three games. The Comets blanked Country Day 33-0 a year ago.

10)   Jesuit vs. St. Augustine (Friday at 7 p.m. at The Shrine on Airline)—The Blue Jays got off the mat and were impressive in a 42-10 win over Central. Senior Michael Torry was a force returning kicks as well as running and catching the football against the Wildcats. Senior quarterback Alex Watermeier, who had struggled previously, threw for a p air of touchdowns. Perry Ganci is a top defender up front for Jesuit. The Purple Knights rebounded from a loss to De La Salle with a shutout win over Capitol. St. Augustine has posted a pair of shutouts. Andrew Sceau had an interception return for a touchdown against Capitol. Sophomore Josh White got the start at quarterback with the first two quarterbacks hurt for St. Aug. Garland LaFrance and Damaine Thomas lead a balanced running attack for the Purple Knights.