Preview: John Curtis will face Catholic in DI Select state championship game

SULPHUR, La. — The Division I Select semi-final round concluded in thrilling fashion when John Curtis dialed up a safety squeeze with runners on the corners in the bottom of the 11 ^th and Bryce Hebert delivered with a walk-off bunt for the 2-1 win over Archbishop Rummel.

Thursday’s win was John Curtis’ first over the Raiders this year.

More importantly, it puts the Patriots in position to compete for their first state title since 2018.

Their quest for championship gold will be anything but easy with nationally-ranked Catholic of Baton Rouge standing in the way.

Beating Catholic is something many teams have tried but only a handful have accomplished this season.

What gives the Patriots confidence in Saturdays matchup is both their success in Catholic League play and ability to thrive in close contests.

John Curtis is 6-1 this year in one-run games and it’s the reason why they are back in the state championship picture.

Two years ago, Catholic beat John Curtis in the state title game over at Southeastern. Last year, the Bears eliminated the Patriots in the Division I Select quarterfinals.

The Patriots can snap the streak and win a state title in the process Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

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