Knights among heavy hitters in Class 4A

    St. Augustine handed Brother Martin its worst defeat in the 43-year history of the Gentilly schools’ rivalry by routing the undermanned Crusaders, 59-7, on Sept. 8. The Knights thus established themselves as a legitimate power in Class 4A.
    The Purple Knights, 2-0, received the No. 5 ranking by the Louisiana sports writers in this week’s Top 10 poll.
    The Purple Knights, who play Archbishop Rummel on Sept. 15 at Joe Yenni Stadium, find themselves in perhaps the state’s most competitive  class, and a win over the No. 1 ranked team in Class 5A would help their cause to move higher up the Class 4A ladder next week.
    Class 4A is loaded with powerful teams, including its reigning champion, Neville.
    The class also includes Teurlings Catholic, Salmen, Karr (which defeated the Purple Knights in a jamboree), Lutcher, Breaux Bridge and Bastrop, all of which have established themselves as playoff stumbling blocks for St. Augustine, which is favored to represent its district as champion in the playoffs.
    Rummel replaced West Monroe as the No. 1 team in Class 5A after the defending champion Rebels fell to 2A Calvary Baptist,  40-29, in Shreveport.
    The Raiders, who defeated Slidell, 42-14, lost senior quarterback Damian Williams early in the game when he pulled a hamstring. Junior Jordan Nami came in to rally the offense by throwing two touchdown passes and running for another.
    But Raiders head coach Jay Roth said he will need Williams to be back and play at 100 percent efficiency to be able to compete against St. Augustine.
    The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be heard live on WGSO-AM 99.0.
    The 92nd meeting between Jesuit and Holy Cross on Sept. 7 showcased a strong Jesuit defense that held the Tigers to just one score on an errant end-of-half “Hail Mary” pass that landed in the hands of wide receiver Michael Chigbu.
    Jesuit dominated the remainder of the game, winning 21-7 to increase its lead in the series to 54-37-1.
    Other Catholic high school winners were Archbishop Shaw, which broke open a tight game in the second half to down Fisher, 42-6; De La Salle, a 56-36 winner over Riverdale; Pope John Paul II, which defeated Pearl River, 32-20; and Archbishop Hannan, a 41-0 victor  over Ridgewood.