Top five seeds advance through first round of Louisiana football playoffs

All five top seeds advanced through the bi-district, or first round, of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association state football playoffs last week. Action continues this week with the regional round and will culminate in the state championship games to be played in the Louisiana Superdome on Dec. 10-11.

Click here to view MaxPreps' Louisiana football playoff brackets.

Both Class 5A's Dutchtown (Geismar) and Edna Karr (New Orleans) of Class 4A had to stave off upset bids.

Dutchtown (Geismar) (11-0) needed Landon Collins' interception near midfield with 2:03 left to clinch its 35-27 victory over 32nd-seeded Covington. Dutchtown will visit 17th-seeded Brother Martin (New Orleans) in regional action. Karr (New Orleans) (10-1) edged Wossman (Monroe), 22-14, to set up a regional matchup with McDonogh 35 (New Orleans).

Dutchtown's Effrem Reed rushed 19 times for 231 yards and scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Leon Blouin ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 65 yards. Covington quarterback John McDowell completed 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Jarius Bickham caught two touchdown passes and Deonte Casnave caught one.

Karr overcame a 14-8 deficit with two lengthy touchdown drives that culminated with two of quarterback Tollette George's three touchdown runs. Time ran out with Wossman perched on Karr's 17-yard line.

Elsewhere, Notre Dame (Crowley) (11-0) routed Plaquemine in Class 3A, 32-8, Curtis (River Ridge) of Class 2A smashed Many, 54-6, and Westminster Academy (Opelousas) defeated Ascension Episcopal (Lafayette), 42-0, in Class 1A.

Notre Dame will now face Independence, with John Curtis (9-1) to tackle University High (Baton Rouge) and Westminster (11-0) to entertain Delhi Charter.

ST. AUGUSTINE FRESHMAN STANDOUT EXCELS
In other bidistrict games of note, freshman sensation running back Leonard Fournette helped 10th-seeded St. Augustine (New Orleans) of Class 5A to a 53-43 victory over 23rd-seeded Catholic (Baton Rouge), third-seeded Haughton intercepted seven passes in stopping 30th-seeded St. Michael (Baton Rouge) in Class 4A and 15th-seeded Hahnville (Boutte) of Class 5A overcame a tragedy to edge 18th-seeded West Jefferson, 35-31.

Fournette rushed for a season-high 277 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Terry Lucas completed 11 of 12 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 19 times for 126 yards.

Haughton quarterback Dak Prescott, a Mississippi State commitment, threw four first-half touchdown passes. Haughton, at 11-0, remains the state's only undefeated Class 4A team.

Hahnville's victory was preceded by a memorial to sophomore linebacker Matt Scaruffi, who died from a gunshot wound the day before the game. Hahnville fell behind at halftime, 21-14, but rallied with fullback Treval Dummiles scoring on two 1-yard touchdown runs.

PLAYERS RECEIVE POSTSEASON INVITATIONS
Two the state's premier running backs who have committed to LSU, have been invited to compete in postseason games.

Jeremy Hill of Redemptorist (Baton Rouge) will participate in the Offense-Defense All-American Game in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Dec. 31. Hill has rushed for 2,073 yards and 33 yards in helping the Wolves reach the regional round of the state playoffs.

Patterson's Kenny Hilliard will play in the U.S. Army All-American Game in San Antonio on Jan. 8, 2011. Selected along with Hilliard was highly coveted Thibodaux offensive lineman Greg Robinson, who has narrowed his choice of colleges to LSU and Auburn.

Offensive lineman La'el Collins, Hill's teammate at Redemptorist and another LSU commitment, will play in the Under Armour All-American Game in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Jan. 5, 2011.

TWO COACHES STEP DOWN
In the midst of the state playoffs, two veteran head coaches announced their resignations.

Dennis Lorio, who was in his second tour of duty at Thibodaux, called it quits after three years, including a 4-6 record this past season. Lorio led Thibodaux to the 1991 Class 5A state championship before leaving for Baton Rouge and then returning to the Lafourche Parish school.

Mark Barousse resigned after eight years at Lafayette, including a 3-7 record this past season. Barousse has a career record of 79-85, including 40-54 at his alma mater, where he was a wide receiver. Barousse also played for McNeese State.