November 19, 2009

Dallas Jackson
Rivals High Senior Analyst

Dallas Jackson is the high school sports expert for RivalsHigh.com. Send him a question or comment at DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him at twitter.com/rivalshigh.

It wasn't hard to figure that Texas, Florida and California would make our Final Four.

But when RivalsHigh created the Greatest State Debate, our tournament to decide which state plays the best high school football, the fourth spot was the biggest mystery.

Traditional powers Ohio, Pennsylvania and Georgia came to mind. And you had to consider South Carolina and Virginia, too.

Of course, that's why you play the games.

Our tourney gave life to an upstart as Louisiana - just a few years removed from a devastating natural disaster - showed it had the goods to compete against the best, earning the final spot in our semifinals.

If you're not up on the rules, here's where you can get a quick lesson.

If you want to take a look at our games in the first round and the quarterfinals, we'll have links under the semifinal matchup.

So with that said, let the games begin:

No. 1 Texas HS Football

No. 5 Louisiana HS Football

Teams in the Top 25	Teams in the Top 25
Total Teams: 5 Top Team: No. 3 Dallas Skyline Raiders Texas has some of the best football teams in the country. There is no defined "football season" in Texas, because for successfull programs, it is always football season. After the season, it is weight lifting, then spring practice, onto 7-on-7's and the summer time before the season. It is a way of life and it shows. Skyline may not be the best team in Texas this year, but there is not a far drop off to find out who is.	Total Teams: 1 Top Team: No. 16 Lutcher Bulldogs Louisiana enters the tournament with one team in the Top 25, the Lutcher Bulldogs, who check in at No. 16 nationally. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 team in 4A, which appears to be the best classification in Louisiana this season. Quarterback Gavin Webster leads a fast-paced spread offense that puts up points in bunches. While not a typical powerhouse, Luther does appear to be the best Louisiana has to offer in 2009.
Texas teams could have their hands full with Louisiana boys, but take this 3-0.
Teams in the RivalsHigh 100	Teams in the RivalsHigh 100
Total teams ranked: 12 Texas may actually be underrated on this rankings list as there may be 15 deserving teams. Teams in 4A Texas could probably win other states highest classification. The state semifinals in Texas 5A Divison I and Division II are fiercely competitive. While this may be a 'down' year for traditional powerhouses, there are plenty of great teams to fill in voids.	Total teams ranked: 4 Louisiana is finally recovering from the damaging effects of Hurricane Katrina and the state is playing very good football. The reclassification last season has made the top two classes much stronger and more competitive. Any season where John Curtis can be argued as the No. 3 team in Louisiana is actually a good thing for the state. West Monroe and nearby Neville also make the rankings.
Texas has more than double the teams in the RivalsHigh 100. Depth does it, 6-0.
Players in the Rivals 250	Players in the Rivals 250
Total in Rivals 250: 35 Highest: No. 4 Lache Seastrunk Seastrunk has been on the national radar since his 3,000 yard sophomore season. He followed that up with a 3,000 yard junior season and a Rivals 100 ranking. Now, the No. 4 player nationally, Seastrunk is one of the hottest recruiting commodities. He has been graded out to "as good as it gets" for his speed and agility. Rivals.com analyst Barry Every thinks that he could be the next Jahvid Best or Reggie Bush.	Total in Rivals 250: 9 Highest: No. 37 Trovon Reed Louisiana has nine players in the Rivals 250, led by high four-star Trovon Reed. Size certainly hurts Louisiana in this one as the state is really good at producing high level talent. Rivals.com analyst Barry Every compares Reed to DeSean Jackson and adds, "His speed is lighting-bolt fast and he has very good hands. He is used to having the ball in his hands and will score if hit in stride."
Texas extends the lead to 9-0.
Depth in-state	Depth in-state
Texas is so good at the highest level they split their classes into Divisions for the playoffs. But do not be fooled and think that only 5A schools can compete. There are plenty of 4A schools (some which are over 2,000 kids) that can compete in any state. Lake Travis, Waxahacchie, Longview and Guyer Denton have all be considered for ranking out of the 4A this season. There are certainly dead spots in Texas - but most metroplex areas have great football and very good surrounding areas.	Louisiana is one of the best states for depth across class lines. At the top in 5A is nationally ranked West Monroe with Hahnville not far off the pace. This season, however, the best race may be in 4A with Lutcher, Neville, Franklinton, Karr, and Salmen all playing very good football. Drilling down further, 3A has power with Redemptorist and Notre Dame, 2A has powers John Curtis and Evangel Christian and Class A has South Plaquemines.
Louisiana is strong, and Texas is top heavy. Texas clinches 16-0.
Out-of-state competition	Out-of-state competition
2009 Record for OOS games: 46-32 Texas has started to welcome the Herbstreit Classic to Jerry World and it has been met with mixed results. This season Trinity was able to knock off the best in Utah (Bingham), but Klein Oak was trounced by Sherman Oaks (California) in what was a surprise result. Most of the wins have come against New Mexico (29-11) but they still take on more squads than Michigan.	2009 Record for OOS games: 53-58 Louisiana does not have a very good out-of-state record in 2009. In fact, the did not have a winning record against any single out-of-state opponent. Louisiana was 1-2 in games of note against Texas (3-3 overall); and while the state did play more out of state games, being under .500 hurts.
Texas is chugging along, 23-0.
Intangibles	Intangibles
It's Texas football ... there is not much need for intangibles. This is a great state for football in the country. More out-of-state games would be nice, but that is trying to poke holes in their arguement. Coaches at the highest level just coach, which makes a big difference compared to those who also teach classes.	Louisiana is truly benefiting from having very good teams at all levels and not de-valuing the product by having too many classes. The biggest compliment a state can have is depth. Class A opponents that can play with 5A schools is a testiment to overall talent and coaching in Louisiana. That is what makes good football.
Louisiana has nothing to be ashamed of, Texas is just too strong, 30-0.

The schedule

Tuesday (Nov. 17): First round

No. 5 Louisiana beat No. 12 South Carolina, 20-10

No. 6 Pennsylvania topped No. 11 Virginia, 20-10

No. 7 Ohio trounced No. 10 Mississippi, 23-7

No. 8 Michigan dominated No. 9 Maryland, 24-6

Wednesday (Nov. 18): Quarterfinals

No. 5 Louisiana topped No. 4 Georgia, 21-9

No. 3 California beat No. 6 Pennsylvania, 23-7

No. 2 Florida pounded No. 7 Ohio, 23-7

No. 1 Texas overwhelmed No. 8 Michigan, 30-0

Thursday (Nov. 19): Semifinals

Friday (Nov. 20): Title Game