I wanted the share some thoughts on the 2009 State Farm Prep Football Classic. Like south Louisiana, I took the results from this weekend on the chin.

I went 0-5 on the Classic picks, and the crow never tasted better since the Saints are 13-0. But as I have learned that just because South Louisiana went 5-0 last year in the games, dominance in this area was not guaranteed. And next year when I do my picks, I will do a little more homework. While 31-20 is ok for this year, I must improve on that if I want to be in the big leagues in picking prep football games.

Now on to the Classic, and the good and the bad that I had witnessed at the Dome including the effect of CST broadcasting all five games live on attendance.

The total number of fans in the stands was down from the year before, but CST is not the only reason. This year's attendance was 49,712, and you did not have all the local teams that there were last year.

Saturday's attendance was only about 2000 down from last year. Remenber, you had both Plaquemines Parish teams (South Plaquemines and Belle Chasse), Archbishop Shaw, and Destrehan last year, and only South Plaquemines and Rummel this time around.

The only problem I have with the live broadcasts is it makes prep football games as long or longer than NFL games with all the TV timeouts. Three hours-plus when you have three games to get in on one day makes for a very long one in the Dome.

Once again, the seedings do not decide the best teams in the state as only one #1 seed won a title this year. In 3A, Notre Dame earned the championship. But 2A, 4A, and 5A had the #2 teams winning titles (Evangel, Neville, and West Monroe respectively), and #4 seeded Haynesville captured 1A. All five champions proved they were the best teams in Louisiana this year.

But being the best does not make you the most classy in all cases. As Evangel, Notre Dame, Haynesville, and Neville won with class and dignity, West Monroe decided to put a damper on the Classic with two cases of kicking dirt on the carcass. As the game was winding down and the outcome was decided, Coach Don Shows put in his reserves. But then instead of running the clock out with running plays, he had decided to stick the dagger in further and move it around. He called for a play-action pass to be thrown into the end zone for another touchdown with 2 minutes left.

The other case was at the end when fans cannot enter the field, some of the players did their own version of the "Lambeau Leap" and actually landed on some of the fans and could have really hurt someone. Celebrate with your teammates, get your trophy then go celebrate with your fans like every other team did.

In closing, not only did North Louisiana won four out of five games, but obviously football played up there is not the same as down here in the South. I have never attended a game down here where a coach decided to rub it in on a beaten opponent. Just remember, the Lord never sleeps and sees everything.