Familiar Foes: Rummel and Catholic Face Off with Semifinal Spot on the Line
by: Mike Strom // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Recent history might suggest that the Rummel football team may have developed an inferiority complex when it comes to facing Catholic of Baton Rouge in the state playoffs.
The Raiders and Bears are scheduled to meet for the seventh time in 10 seasons this Friday with Catholic holding a decisive 5-1 advantage in the last six meetings that includes two state semifinals and two championship games.
Rummel coach Nick Monica has a different perspective.
“I don’t think that’s a Rummel thing,’’ Monica said of Catholic’s emergence as the state’s preeminent program. “I think that’s a state of Louisiana thing. I think everybody (who plays Catholic) kind of feels that way.’’
The juggernaut Bears have captured all five of their state crowns in the nine seasons dating to 2015 when the Grizzlies defeated the Raiders for the first time in a 31-28 championship thriller that decided the Division I Select finals in the Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Prep Classic at the Caesars Superdome. Catholic followed that initial state title with four more championships that arrived in 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2023.
Rummel’s lone breakthrough in that span was significant, with the Raiders claiming their own championship thriller, 14-10, against the Bears at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium in 2019 in Monica’s first season as head coach.
The victory earned Rummel its third and last state title while the Bears would move on to win the last three of their five championships.
Catholic subsequently did have to forfeit its 2017 and 2020 state titles along with state runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019 due to Louisiana High School Athletic Association rules violations.
But the two-time reigning Division I Select state champions haven’t broken stride since, winning 2021 and 2023 championships that included a 28-16 victory against Rummel in last year’s semifinals followed by a 55-31 downing of Acadiana in the finals.
“I was reading something this week (that said) since 2015 there’s only been like two years (out of nine) where (Catholic) didn’t play for state championships … and we’re talking about at the highest level,’’ Monica said.
So the Raiders understand the level of their challenge come Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at BREC Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge that sends the winner to the state semifinals to face the winner between No. 1 Karr and No. 8 St. Thomas More.
“When the brackets came out and we saw (Rummel versus Catholic) might happen, I think our kids knew (then) what we were getting into,’’ Monica said. “Our seniors, this will be their third time going there in the playoffs. There won’t be an intimidation thing at all, I know that.
“We’ll show up and be ready to play. But at the same time, they’re really good and good at what they do. They know who they are and they’re doing it with some good players. So you’ve got to earn everything you get.’’
Fourth-seeded Catholic (10-0) enters riding a 20-game winning streak dating to a Week 4 loss last season at St. Thomas More. The Bears downed No. 13 East Jefferson, 42-0, in last week’s regional round after a first-round bye.
The Bears were beaten by University High, 27-21, in overtime in Week 3 of this season, but that defeat in which University rallied from a 14-point deficit subsequently was ruled a forfeit right before the playoffs kicked off due to U-High rules violations.
Fifth-seeded Rummel (9-2) enters having won five of its last six outings after defeating McDonogh 35, 50-25, in last week’s regional round following a first-round bye. The Raiders successfully rebounded from a 69-28 shellacking by Karr in Week 10 in a game in which Rummel did lead for part of a close first half.
This 10th meeting between the Raiders and Bears, with Catholic holding a 5-4 series lead, carries a much higher degree of difficulty.
“We definitely want to have a humble approach,’’ Catholic coach Hudson Fuller said in reference to Catholic’s dominance against Rummel and others. “Nothing that we’ve done before does anything for us moving forward. We know that we’ve got to earn the results of those 48 minutes through our hard work and how hard we play.’’
The Bears broke fast and scored early and often in downing East Jefferson, pulling their starters in the second period while scoring all six of their touchdowns in the opening half to build a commanding 42-0 lead by intermission.
“Just in general, I’ve been really pleased with our team all year,’’ Fuller, in his second season in charge of the Bears after three seasons as head coach at West Feliciana, said. “It’s really important to us that we continue to improve throughout the season. I think this team has really embraced that.
“We want to be playing our best football in November and December. So we’re really encouraged by just the overall growth of the team and how they’ve handled each week.’’
Catholic returns 10 starters, split evenly across the offense and defense, from last year’s 12-2 team that featured a four-year starter at quarterback in Daniel Beale, who now plays for the UL Ragin Cajuns.
Junior Baylor Graves is the new maestro of Catholic’s quicksilver offense that looks like a Spread attack but features multiple formations, personnel packages, and constant shifting.
“They probably play over 30 guys on the offensive side of the ball alone,’’ Monica points out.
Much like his predecessor Beale, who was 35-5 as a starter, the 6-foot, 180-pound Graves is surrounded by skilled playmakers that make his primary responsibility one of being a distributor.
Running backs Rylan Parker and Jayden Miles are catalysts of a running game that also features stout performers upfront in center John Joffrion and tackles Erv Smith and Blaise Thomassie. Wide receivers Cohen LeBlanc, Amari Clayton, and Alex Huffine are Graves’ primary targets through the air.
Graves passed for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns during the nine-game regular season while completing 88 of 120 attempts (73.3 percent) and being intercepted only twice. Parker and Miles rushed for 534 and 502 yards respectively in the regular season while scoring 6 and 14 touchdowns and averaging 5.6 and 5.7 yards a carry. LeBlanc leads all receivers with 36 catches good for 465 yards and 2 TDs followed by Clayton (25-295-2 TDs) and Huffine (14-289-3 TDs).
The District 4-5A champion Bears are averaging 44.7 points over their last seven games while allowing 16.0 per outing.
Defensively, the Bears are led by a secondary that features two blue-chip prospects in brothers Jacob and Blaine Bradford. Jacob, a senior cornerback, is an LSU commitment while Blaine, a junior safety, is a top 2026 prospect. Senior cornerback Cayden Jones is another stellar defensive back.
Juniors Harrison Kidder and Maxwell Mauer and senior Layton Welch are standouts at linebacker while a trio of seniors, tackle Oliver Sabine and ends Corey Hatch and Hunter Savoie, have been playmakers in the front four. Special teams feature kicker Sean Perret and punter Tanner Forbes, who punted only 15 times in nine regular-season games.
“They present a bunch of challenges with what they do offensively,’’ Monica said. “But we’ve got some teams in our league (Jesuit and Brother Martin to name two) that we hope prepare us for this. (Catholic is) extremely talented and well-coached at the same time. So we’ve got to be disciplined and make plays.
“Catholic (offensively) just does it with an up-tempo style. I think talent-wise us playing in a district that is as deep as ours, we’ve faced teams that have the type of players they have. But they have the perfect combination of talent and discipline that they play with. Then, of course, there is the depth that they present.’’
The Bears’ up-tempo style and constant substituting of personnel packages represent another clear and present danger.
“Especially early on, they’re subbing as soon as the whistle’s blown, so they have the next play called by the time the ball carrier is tackled,’’ Monica said. “You’ve got to line up and whenever they’re ready to snap it, they can snap it. They’ve got guys moving all over the place. And they’ll give you different types of tempo.
“So they present a lot of problems and they’re doing it with really good players, too. So it is what it is. We’ve seen it before. We’ve got to get lined up and play football.’’
Key for the Raiders defensively, Monica said, “is handling the tempo. We actually started working on that last week in prepping for the tempo and the pace of it. And being able to handle being tired. You’re going to be tired and you’ve got to think when you’re tired and be able to get lined up correctly.
“At the end of the day, if you’re lined up correctly, it just comes down to setting an edge and fitting the run. That’s what we’re trying to turn everything into and if we can get lined up correctly, that will give us a chance to do that.
“Our run fits need to be sound. We need to maintain gap integrity, but at the same time, they like to get on the perimeter so our paths to the ball need to be good and with a purpose. They beat a lot of teams just because teams get out-leveraged and out-flanked.
“Or (opposing teams) just do not have a purpose when they’re approaching the ball and fitting it the way that it needs to be fit and guys overrunning the ball and things like that. (Catholic does) a good job of creating extra gaps on the edge.’’
Rummel’s defense features senior end Fred Banks, junior linebacker Carlin Kinchen Jr., and safety Peyton Depolitte, who had two interceptions to set up touchdowns in last week’s regional playoff victory against McDonogh 35.
The Raider’s offense revolves around the direction of senior quarterback Generald Buggage Jr. and the punishing rushing of senior Norman Taylor and sophomore Coryan Hawkins, who bob and weave their way behind a line that features left tackle Ja’Mard Jones Jr., freshman right tackle Raymond Hughes and junior left guard Jaden Dillon.
Taylor and Hawkins have rushed for 1,045 and 677 yards respectively and a collective 30 touchdowns in 11 games via 167 and 134 attempts. Taylor averages 6.3 yards per carry and Hawkins 5.1. Taylor rushed for 178 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries against McDonogh 35.
Buggage has passed for 1,315 yards and 5 touchdowns while completing 90 of 171 attempts (52.6 percent) and being intercepted just twice. Joseph is Rummel’s top receiving threat with 30 receptions good for 375 yards and 1 touchdown though fellow receiver Micah Green has 9 catches good for 339 yards and 3 TDs.
Joseph returns after missing the McDonogh 35 playoff game due to a shoulder injury he sustained in the first four minutes of the regular-season finale versus Karr. Cornerback Mitchell Harris Jr. also is back available after being sidelined by a severe muscle bruise.
The Raiders also have survived a hellacious schedule that included a 3-0 mark in non-district play against Lafayette Christian, University, and Shaw, the No. 1 seed in Division II Select prior to kickoff of the always strenuous District 9-5A Catholic League.
“They’re a great team,’’ Fuller said of Rummel. “They always are. They’ve got a great team this year. We have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Monica and their entire staff and the job they do. So we look forward to the challenge.
“The field position in this game is going to be a big factor. So special teams is really the thing that sets the tone for that.’’
“It’s always going to be the same story for us,’’ Monica said. “We’re going to have to be able to run the ball. When we do throw it, we’ve got to make it count. G’s (Buggage) got to be efficient and make good decisions and play pitch and catch.’’
Defensively, Monica said, “We’ve got to stop the run. We’ve got to be really good on first down because it’s going to slow them down, No. 1. So it will help with the pace and the tempo. But, also, it gets us closer to getting them into something they haven’t been in much, which is third-and-longs.
“We’ve got to try to find ways to do that and make them beat us in downs where we know they’re throwing it. So getting them in those situations is hard, but we’ve got to find ways to do that.’’
“I think what they prefer to be their formula for success is to lean on the run game, control field position, and play good defense. And they’ve done a great job of doing that,’’ Fuller said. “I think they’re solid all around (defensively). They’re always well-coached and they do a great job of adjusting in game. So we have a lot of respect for them.’’
“It’s just going to be another difficult game, a four-quarter game,’’ Monica said. “But the good thing is playing the schedule we’ve played, we feel like it’s prepared us for this kind of stuff.’’
Featured images courtesy of: Rusty Costanza – Rummel Yearbook Staff and Catholic High School