Week 1 Standouts: GeauxPreps Players of the Week
by Marshall Loeffler // GeauxPreps.com
GeauxPreps.com Offensive Player of the Week: Christian Maxie, RB, C.E. Byrd
Week 1 had many players from all parts of the state from all classes with five or more total touchdowns, many more guys with 4, and some pretty stuffed stat sheets all over the LHSAA. But the Week 1 GeauxPreps Offensive Player of the Week goes to a running back who had one of those big nights in record-setting fashion against a title-defending team.
Christian Maxie and the C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets didn’t get a win against state champ Ouachita, but he almost pulled his team to victory with an all-time evening. Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport reported that Maxie had 40 carries for 429 yards, both school records.
The 429 yard total is also a Shreveport city record, on top of a list of future NCAA and NFL rushers that came before him. According to Watson, Maxie “continues moving closer to becoming the school’s all-time rushing leader”, and every game left on Byrd’s schedule will be good competition. Starting with Airline next week, Christian Maxie will have a chance to set more records and prove why he deserved this week’s GeauxPreps Offensive Player of the Week.
Offensive Total Team Effort: LaSalle Tigers
The LaSalle Tigers offense did not score more than 47 points in any game last year and had to replace a multi year starter at QB. But a big group of returning linemen and some talented skill players lit it up last Thursday, scoring 54 points in a win over Lakeview. Coach Hunter Johnson told me after the game: “We still have our base concepts, but we have some guys that can really do some different things now.”
It seems like he has more than some of those guys. Seven different Tigers got the ball in that game, with Brayden Tannehill getting 125 rushing yards and the teams getting over the 400 mark. Five different players found the endzone for LaSalle on the way to a 54-13 win.
GeauxPreps.com Defensive Player of the Week: Kobe Smith, DE, Avoyelles High School
The Mustang senior has started all four years of high school on both sides of the ball and led his defensive unit to a dominating win at Ville Platte. Smith is committed to play for the Ragin’ Cajuns next year and had 3 sacks and forced a fumble during Friday’s game.
Smith also added 4 tackles for loss and 7 total tackles for a squad that gave up only one scoring drive to the Bulldogs’ talented first-string backfield, and nearly chased down the only TD run for Ville Platte in the first half.
This Avoyelles team has a new-look district schedule in 2026, and with some tough local rivals coming up on their non-district schedule, they secured a good road win to start the year. Kobe Smith was a usual difference-maker for the Mustangs when they needed to set the tone in their opponents’ stadium, and for that performance, he is the Week 1 GeauxPreps Defensive Player of the Week.
Defensive Total Team Effort: Brother Martin Crusaders
Brother Martin traveled 143 miles to Youngsville to take on a Sharks team with a lot of offensive firepower. Per Tory Trahan’s report from the game for Crescent City Sports, the Crusaders did not allow Southside’s offense to score until the third quarter, and other than a late touchdown to cut into the lead and a first half fumble return, Brother Martin’s defense was tremendous as a unit and bolster their offense to an early lead and a 38-19 victory.
