Newman (New Orleans) quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning, came into Friday's Louisiana Division III playoff semifinals game with all the hype. Lafayette Christian Academy (Lafayette, La.) and quarterback JuJuan Johnson came away with a resounding 49-7 win.
LCA held Manning, the 2023 class' No. 1 recruit, to a scoreless seven completions and 52 yards on 16 passing attempts. Manning also threw an interception and scored a five-yard rushing touchdown.
Johnson was the far superior passer on the day. The sophomore completed 12 of his 14 passes for 337 yards and rushed for an additional 72, scoring a combined six touchdowns despite playing only one second-half series.
The game was lopsided enough for the officials to implement a running clock to start the fourth quarter.
This game was a rematch of last year's semifinal, when LCA defeated Newman by a much narrower 14 points. Newman has appeared in the last five semifinals.
Another rematch awaits LCA in the state finals, as it will play St. Charles Catholic for the Division III title next Saturday. The teams met last year in an eventual 12-7 win for LCA, the winner of five straight state championships.
Manning -- who's weighing offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas, among others -- will hope more a fruitful state championship run in 2022. The 6-4 passer threw for close to 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns his junior season, adding 365 yards and seven scores as a rusher.
