LAFAYETTE — When St. Thomas More meets University High Friday it will be a familiar dance. For two schools in different districts and different parts of the state, they sure have plenty of history, and it's not all on the gridiron.
The Cougars and Cubs have met in the Division II basketball championships in two of the last three years (2018, 2020) and played in a semifinal game in 2019. STM won all three. The teams also met in the 2018 Division II baseball semifinals and 2018 softball quarterfinals.
On the football field, the two met last in the Superdome in 2018. U-High outscored STM 55-46 to win the state title. The teams also faced-off in 2016, when the Cougars won in the semifinals, before claiming their state titles.
While many of the key players from those two teams are gone, the success of the programs runs as strong as ever. Since 2016, the two have celebrated near equal success, STM compiling two titles and a 51-9 record and U-High claiming two championships and a 51-10 record.
This season the teams played a common opponent, Catholic of Baton Rouge. STM edged the Bears 39-38, while University took a 20-point loss in week one.
"I wouldn't say we're overconfident, but our kids are ready for a battle and ready to be tested," said Cougars head coach Jim Hightower. "You know when you get to this point in the year you'll be tested, so you just go out and do your best."
The winner of this semifinal game meets the winner of De La Salle and E.D. White.
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