‘Mayor of Stonewall’: North DeSoto’s Luke Delafield has endeared himself to his community, but has one thing on his mind this season
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
Luke Delafield could have asked for a pass and skipped North DeSoto’s spring football game.
The Griffins had just put the finishing touches on the Class 4A state baseball championship, a successful conclusion to a 44-game schedule, with a 7-4 victory over Brusly in a winner-take-all matchup.
Delafield was the football team’s three-year starter at quarterback, where he’s put together a 33-7 record, 8,426 passing yards, a career 64.2 completion percentage, and postseason trips to the Class 4A final, semifinals, and quarterfinals.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound author of the majority of the school’s record book turned in his glove and spikes for a helmet, shoulder pads, and cleats, had one day of practice, and participated in the team’s spring game.
“Really, there’s no rest time going from a state championship baseball season, playing as long as you can,” Delafield said. “You have a quick turnaround. When you want to be great at the things you do, you don’t really have time to rest.”
North DeSoto’s rise to among the state’s upper echelon Class 4A programs can be attributed to two things: the arrival of head coach Dennis Dunn six years ago and the emergence of Delafield since he was a 14-year-old freshman.
Dunn long had a penchant for winning football games on the strength of exceptional quarterback play, and with Delafield, he’s witnessed the growth of another signal caller that’s been at the forefront of his program’s renaissance.
“He’s like the Mayor of Stonewall,” Dunn said of the school’s hometown. “He sees everybody, he makes them all feel important. During postgame at our stadium, there’s crowds around him trying to get to him, touch him or talk to him. He’s got that kind of celebrity about him. He’s remained humble. It’s been a cool thing to watch for the last three years.”
Dunn, the state’s sixth active winningest coach and 24th overall with a 255-81 record, said the adoration of Delafield knows no bounds.
“My mom has a crush on Luke Delafield,” Dunn said of his 83-year-old mother, Gayle Dunn, who lives in Shreveport. “She said I couldn’t retire until Luke’s done. She loves Luke.”
Stonewall, 20 miles south of Shreveport, has grown in its appreciation for North DeSoto’s football team because of its exciting brand of football that Dunn brought with him from stops at Evangel Christian and Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian).
The Griffins’ trajectory has been in direct correlation to the development of Delafield since his freshman season, where he helped guide the team to their first appearance in a state championship game.
Delafield has gone on to reset most of the school’s records, Dunn said, but it’s been the final steps that have eluded the Griffins – the losses to the eventual state champions Lutcher, Opelousas, and Cecilia – that motivate him to be the first quarterback in school history to win a state football title.
“All of the personal stats and records don’t mean anything if you don’t win the big trophy,” he said. “(Former Evangel great QB) Brock Berlin went 60-0. If he goes 0-60 and still throws for 13,000 yards, nobody’s really talking about him. If I want to be remembered as one of the greats, I’ve got to go out with a ring on my finger.
“It’s not just about me, it’s about the team, and I want to be a part of the first team in North DeSoto history to win the state championship,” he said. “I know it’s going to happen eventually because we’ve got some good guys coming up. I want to leave my legacy there as a state champion, and I’ve got one more ride to do it. I’m going to do it.”
Delafield was in the sixth grade when North DeSoto was looking for a new head football coach.
Dunn helped create one of the state’s true powerhouse programs, one known for its offensive wizardry. The Eagles operated exclusively out of the shotgun, where Division I quarterbacks emerged with great frequency to complement a steady running game and aggressive defensive play.
Delafield remembered when his dad Wil, shared the news with his son that Dunn, 200-39 with nine state championships and a national title in 14 years, had agreed to become North DeSoto’s new coach. His last 11 years had been spent at Division III Louisiana College.
“I remember my dad coming home from work and telling me they just hired Dennis Dunn,” Delafield said. “I didn’t have any idea who he was.”
Delafield satisfied his curiosity for Dunn by watching endless hours of Evangel highlights on YouTube. He was amazed by the Eagles’ almost college-level approach and precision passing game, which produced two national Players of the Year by USA Today in Josh Booty and Brock Berlin.
“They created a dynasty which is something that will probably never be created again,” Delafield said.
“When I found out he was kind of a quarterback whisperer, that fired me up. “That was all part of God’s plan.”
The conveyor belt of quarterbacks that rolled off the assembly line at Evangel is still arguably the state’s best.
Dunn, who also tutored Division III Player of the Year Ben McLaughlin at Louisiana College (the team’s current head coach), had three of the state’s four career passing leaders in Berlin (13,902 yards), Booty (11,700), and Phillip Deas (11,324), with John David Booty (10,770) ranking fifth.
“Through the years at Evangel,” Dunn said, “we were always about 50% pass and run.”
The same philosophy was introduced at North DeSoto, a no-huddle spread offense that wants to snap the ball every 10 seconds, that by the second half leaves opposing defenses dragging their collective tongues.
Delafield was a regular starter for the school’s eighth-grade team, showing the kind of promise that compelled Dunn to ask him to come throw with his receivers in the summer following his seventh-grade season. Delafield repeated that in the spring, going into his eighth-grade season, giving a clear indication to the Griffins’ staff that he could perform beyond his age.
“That got me on their radar more because they got to see me throw day in and day out,” Delafield said. “I felt like it helped.”
Because of the success of the baseball team, which reached the Division II non-select semifinals, Delafield garnered every repetition with the first team offense while returning starter Sam Odom, his first cousin, competed with the baseball team.
Expecting to give way to Odom, a multi-year starter entering his senior year, Delafield was astounded when he was named the team’s starter for the fall.
Turns out, Odom had a say in Dunn’s decision at quarterback.
“It became obvious as we moved through spring that Luke could do this, that he was ready,” he said. “I felt I owed it to Sam. He’s the returner and had every right to start camp as the starter, and Luke would have to beat him out.
“We had a conversation going into the summer and Sam asked me if Luke could do it,” Dunn said. “I told him I thought he could. Sam said he wanted to win and said to let him play wide receiver. As a coach, it’s what you dream of when you’re trying to build culture, trying to build a team. It’s one of the neatest things I’ve seen in coaching. It’s about being a selfless teammate.”
Delafield compared the relationship he shared with Odom as more of brothers than cousins. They were constantly in each other’s presence, fished together, and took family vacations together.
Delafield would have understood had Odom pulled rank, but was instead appreciative of the example he set for the senior class and the entire team.
“That was a very surreal moment,” Delafield said. “I’ll never forget when Sam said he wanted to do whatever was best for the team. The brand of North DeSoto football that we play right now, I give all that credit to Sam Odom because of that unselfish decision.
“If he chose to be selfish right there, who knows what happens?” he said. “It shows the kind of people that North DeSoto football breeds. Just unselfish people that care more about their teammates than themselves. I owe him all of my success.”
Delafield’s first varsity game couldn’t have gone any better.
With North DeSoto facing Class 5A Airline, Delafield’s first of four touchdown passes was memorable because of the confidence exhibited by his coaching staff to go on fourth-and-17.
With the Griffins at the Vikings’ 40-yard line, Dunn wanted Delafield to take a shot downfield, connecting on a post pattern to Landon Falls for a touchdown in a 46-21 victory.
Delafield completed 12 of 22 passes for 194 yards with one interception and four TDs. His team rolled up 467 yards and scored in every quarter.
“I thought this man was crazy,” Delafield said of Dunn. “He trusted me. When I came back to the sideline and thought if the coaches trust me that much, truly my teammates do. The receivers were like, ‘We know you’re a freshman, but you can do it. Just stay calm under pressure.’ I kept building on that week by week.”
North DeSoto also featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers that also shared in the offensive success with Delafield starting his first season.
John Lewis (1,431 yards) and Brian Banks (1,095) provided a consistent running attack that thrived behind an experienced offensive line, and Delafield had reliable targets in Cole Cory (80-1,017, 12 TDs) and Odom (35-562, 5 TDs).
“A conversation with him is like a conversation with another coach,” Dunn said of Delafield. “That’s the maturity level, his mindset, discipline, work ethic. All that reminds me of Brock Berlin. He’s very cerebral in his approach. I think about Phillips Deas, who was a very cerebral guy. But his arm strength, athleticism, and his approach are most like Brock.”
Berlin, who finished his college career at Miami and was on the St. Louis Rams’ active roster for two years, spent time working with Delafield during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
North DeSoto won its first nine games of the season until stumbling in the regular season finale to Northwood, 20-19.
The Griffins responded with the school’s deepest playoff run, which included three double-digit victories to reach the Superdome to face perennial power Lutcher.
North DeSoto led 7-0 and 13-7, taking the six-point lead into halftime, and expanded that margin to 19-7 on Marquis Hampton’s 1-yard score.
Lutcher, though, forced five turnovers – intercepting Delafield four times – and rallied in the second half behind quarterback D’Wanye Winfield’s 429 total yards and four touchdowns for a 28-25 victory.
“There were some throws that I’d like to have back now,” said Delafield, who was 23 of 38 for 323 yards and 2 TDs. “Getting that experience under my belt as a 15-year-old freshman helped. I knew what it took to get there and how hard it was to get there. I know if I want to beat that caliber of team, what kind of work I had to put in and what kind of throws I had to make.
“You don’t have to play perfect; you just have to play better than they do,” Delafield said. “Throwing four interceptions isn’t going to do it. You live and learn, you grow up. I had to grow up on the biggest stage there is for a high school football player in Louisiana.”
Delafield developed the ability to compartmentalize subpar performances from the time spent around his father, who could speak on the nuances about quarterback play from his own playing experiences at the position at Denham Springs High.
The eldest Delafield signed with Northwestern State to play safety but played baseball instead and was taken in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs in the 24th round. He spent four seasons in the minor leagues and played two years of independent ball.
“He knew the mindset that it took to be great,” Luke said of his father. “Working hard, putting in all the extra work, being mentally tough. He knew a lot of the mental side. He would say that if something doesn’t go your way, you’ve just got to flush it. Control the controllables.
“A lot of the poise I have now is because of him and the conversations we had,” said Luke, whose older sister Emma Callie was the Class 4A Most Outstanding Player and Miss Softball at North DeSoto in 2017.
Delafield’s freshman season – 166 of 288 for 2,516 yards and 38 touchdowns – helped place him and his state runner-up team on the map.
He surpassed those numbers his sophomore year, throwing for a career-high 3,219 yards on 188 of 283 passing with 38 TDs –helping the Griffins to an 11-2 record and a trip to the state semifinals, falling to Opelousas, 28-20.
North DeSoto responded from a 1-2 start a year ago, reeling off nine consecutive victories to reach the state quarterfinals, hosting Cecilia in a back-and-forth 57-40 setback.
He was an honorable mention Class 4A All-State selection, completing 188 of 273 passes for 2,691 yards and 25 touchdowns.
“He’s got a lot of grit and determination,” Dunn said of Delafield, who is 20-1 in district play. “He has kind of a linebacker mentality. His dad tells me he’s a better linebacker than he is a quarterback. He’s (Luke) always begging me to go play safety. He loves contact.
“He does some things I don’t coach him to do like running over people, lowering his shoulder when he should be sliding out of bounds,” Dunn said. “He has an uncanny toughness. He’s a warrior with a never-say-die attitude and just has the will to win.”
Delafield followed up his first team Class 4A All-State baseball season in 2024 with an honorable mention all-state acclaim this past season after pitching and playing centerfield.
He was one of the team’s top pitchers with a 9-4 record and 3 saves, 2.043 ERA, 69 strikeouts, and 21 walks in a team-best 61.2 innings.
North DeSoto split its first two games with Brusly in the state championship series before taking a 7-4 victory for the school’s second state title under retiring head coach Bo Odom.
Delafield, who has passed 26 times for 200+ yards and three times for 300+ yards, has his sights set on another extended postseason run with a different outcome over his three previous trips.
“The offensive line is the same I’ve had since pee-wee football,” he said. “All are returning, and that’s big for me. I know them well and have played with them my whole life. I think we’re going to be really good up front – offensively and defensively.”
Senior running back Kenny Thomas, the district’s offensive MVP in 2024, returns after a career-high season of 1,932 yards and 31 touchdowns. He’s averaged 7.9 yards per carry over his career, rushing 427 times for 3,358 yards and 49 touchdowns.
Senior offensive lineman Nathan Dubroc is a returning first-team Class 4A All-State choice, and junior tight end Miller Warren is the team’s leading returning receiver with 38 catches for 553 yards and 6 TDs. The defense features the return of linebackers Porter Doyal (90 tackles) and Hayden Bell (62 tackles, 4 fumble recoveries, 2 interceptions).
“All I care about is winning,” Delafield said. “With the offensive line I have and a running back like him, I don’t care if we run the ball 50 times a game, if we win.”
Delafield has the opportunity to establish himself alongside some of the better quarterbacks Dunn’s ever coached on the state’s career passing list.
With 8,426 career yards passing and 101 TDs (524 of 844), he’s averaged 210 yards passing per game, putting him on pace to work his way into the list of the state’s top five quarterbacks.
“He’s a 4.0 student, he knows what every position is doing,” said Dunn, who enters his 37th season in coaching and is 321-125 overall with his record at Louisiana College. “It’s a benefit of almost having another assistant coach on the field.”
Delafield is also hopeful of extending his career after North DeSoto.
He’s a three-star prospect and said Division II Southern Arkansas is his lone scholarship offer. He’s also garnered interest from UL-Lafayette and Tulane after throwing for both coaching staffs this summer.
“God’s got a plan for everybody and I’m going to put my trust in him,” he said. “The best way to get recruited is to win football games. I’m just going to go out there, have a good senior year, and win a state championship, and whatever happens, happens. I’ve got one more crack at this thing, and if I have anything to do it, I’m coming back with some jewelry on my finger.”
With the advent of the NCAA’s transfer portal, which lends itself to schools coveting more experienced players over incoming freshmen, Dunn believes Delafield possesses the necessary makeup and traits to be a college quarterback.
“Unless you’re a five-star right now, it’s a waiting game,” he said. “Sometimes it’s style of play. We don’t run the quarterback a lot, but he’s elusive in the pocket when he needs to be. I think he’s going to get the right fit for him, and he’ll play for a long time. There’s no question that he’s the best that this school has ever seen.”