Too big for little schools?

Joe McKnight might be one of the best high school football players I've ever seen. Or he could be completely overrated.

There's really no way to tell, with the way John Curtis has steamrolled through the playoffs, including its 47-6 win over Homer in the quarterfinals last week. In that game, against what was a pretty talented 2A Homer squad, McKnight scored three TDs on just six touches.

He would have had a fourth score on seven attempts, but his touchdown pass was nullified by a false start penalty (for what it's worth, I didn't see the false start).

Here's what I want to know: why put small-town teams through this sort of lopsided justice? Who is the LHSAA really punishing?

I know I'm new to the state and all, but maybe the LHSAA should consider bumping those private school powers, including Evangel, back into Class 5A. Those schools are better equipped to deal with those sort of powers, and trust me, West Monroe isn't going to go away just because John Curtis can take in athletes from almost anywhere.

After Springhill beat Kinder in a tight, well-played game in the second round of the playoffs, Kinder coach Jeff Wainwright reflected on the true meaning of the evening: "This is what 2A football is all about. All you can ask for is getting to Curtis these days."

Springhill lost last week, avoiding a semifinal matchup with Curtis, but Wainwright was right: for those 1A and 2A schools filled with kids whose football futures will go no further than Friday nights, Evangel, Calvary and John Curtis are brutal, unscalable obstacles.

Maybe it's time they move up.