WGSO.com

** At the start of the season, I was prepared to give Archbishop Shaw a real chance at not only returning to the Superdome Classic but a real chance at facing Bastrop once more and beating the Rams. Seven weeks into the season, Bastrop looks as good as ever and while the Eagles have been terrific, an improbable rash of serious injuries has severely hindered any chance they have of supplanting Bastrop as 4-A champions. Season-ending knee injuries to quarterback Ramaad Robinson, Mark Soden, and Demarko Baldwin have truly hurt. Jose Sandoval is playing at less than 100 percent with a knee problem. Compounding the problem is the suspension of last year's state defensive most valuable player (4-A) in Beau Boudreaux. It is a testament to the talent and coaching of the Shaw staff that the Eagles remain unbeaten and have only allowed 30 points in seven games heading into their showdown at Vandebilt Catholic this Friday night.

**Severely damaged physically by Hurricane Katrina, St. Augustine is slowly but surely returning to a level of prominence. After watching the Knights face Rummel this past Saturday night, it is obvious that they have the kind of speed that we are accustomed to seeing at the so-called skilled positions but they are a bit deficient up front against the better teams. Look for that to change within the next two years.

**Ridge Turner is doing his best to make fans in Plaquemines Parish forget about Randall Mackey. Turner leads the state in passing through seven weeks and he is within 30 yards of rushing for 1,000 yards on the season. The Hurricanes are the state's second-ranked team in power points heading into week #8 and their two losses are to higher classification teams.

**Perhaps the most underrated running back in the state is East St. John's Alex Singleton. Most figured that the loss of Johnny Owen to graduation would leave the Wildcat rushing attack largely diminished. Perish the thought! Singleton had a 305 yard, four-touchdown performance at Carencro and followed it up with nearly 200 yards in a big win over the state's eighth-ranked team in Dutchtown.

**After watching a pair of LSU commitments this past weekend, some concerns of LSU fans should be lessened. Rocky Duplessis of Belle Chasse has good height, speed, a burst, and tackling ability. He is a bit thin in the upper body but has the ability to put on ten pounds of muscle without compromising his speed. Duplessis is also a plus in the kick return game. P.J. Lonergan of Rummel was dominant against St. Augustine and has played extremely well in consecutive games, including against a good Jesuit defensive front. He is a physical run-blocker though he will have to work on his pass-blocking as the Raiders do not throw the football very often.