re: John Curtis

I played for a Jeff Parish Public School in the State Championship game in 77. Same year Curtis won their first. Out of all my teammates, I don't think any of our kids played for a public school down there. All went to Curtis, Rummel, Martin, or Jesuit.

You were on that Bonnabel team in 77?

I think that was the last East Bank JP public school to make a run at it. Ehret had a couple of Superdome teams after that, but I think it's been since 85 since a JP public school has made a run.

Let me ask you this: What happened? Why aren't they as good as they used to be. Usually, the story is about demographics. Once white flight happens, then the money comes out of the school system, then you start seeing the coaching staff limits, the dropping of the freshman team and maybe even the JV team because of funds and all that stuff that you have in EBR and other places.

But Jefferson Parish didn't really have white flight, not at least on the Metairie side. So why can't they compete?

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Can someone explain to me why John Curtis and Evangel are in 2A again??????????? I never understood that move.

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Theory was, if they didn't allow them to play up against better, and more glamorous, competition, top players would be less inclined to play there.

It's arguably worked to a small degree at Evangel, which isn't as good now as it was. That's probably more to do with the Evangel-Calvary split than being kicked down.

At Curtis, it's been a disaster. This Curtis team is better, and more talented, than any Curtis team when they were in 4A. So much for players not wanting to go.

They should strong arm Curtis and Evangel into 5A, at least for football (Evangel would probably not resist). Let's face it: 5A football is -- with the exception of a handful of schools in sort of rural towns like Ruston, Natchitoches and South Lafourche -- exclusively metro area schools that compete with other schools in their metro areas for the best players. Whether it's West Monroe getting Ouachita players in, Barbe getting all of LC's best baseball players or Dutchtown attracting the best black athletes in Ascension Parish, it's the same everywhere you go.

So let Evangel and Curtis into that class. Call it an open class for the top 20 percent of football playing schools in enrollment and anybody else who wants to play up to it.