Both the Ferriday High Trojans and LSU Tigers ended their seasons with championship titles. From watching the two teams through their respective seasons, I see are four parallels.

The parallels are both won their championships in the same venue, both came back from small deficits early on and both have pretty good quarterbacks and coaches leading them to victory.

In the first parallel, both state and national championships were played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. On Dec. 13, the Ferriday High School Trojans won the Class 2A state championship 56-17 over the Many High School Tigers. Then, the No. 1 LSU Tigers won 42-25 over the No. 3 Clemson Tigers on Monday night. To win a championship in your home state is a great accomplishment for the LSU Tigers.

The second parallel is both LSU and Ferriday came back from small deficits early on to earn their respective championship titles. The Clemson Tigers took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Then, the LSU Tigers managed to tie the game on a touchdown pass from Joe Burrow. But unlike in the game on Monday, the high school championship didn’t go back and forth between Ferriday High and Many High.

After Many High School took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, Ferriday scored 28 points in the second quarter and just owned the high school championship game. In the college championship game, Clemson Tigers owned the first and second quarters. Then, the LSU Tigers took control of the game in the third and fourth quarters.

The third parallel is both LSU and Ferriday High School had quarterbacks who led them to victory. In the College National Championship game, LSU’s Heisman quarterback Joe Burrow threw for five touchdowns and 463 passing yards.

Meanwhile, in the LHSAA Class 2A state championship game, Kobe Dillon threw three touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns. Just like Burrow for LSU, Dillon has won many awards and accolades for his efforts on the football field. Dillon was named the Class 2A Offensive MVP in the LHSAA Class 2A State Championship game for the Trojans.

The final parallel are both Trojans and Tigers were coached by two good coaches. Ed Orgeron is the head coach of the LSU Tigers. In this humble reporters opinion, Orgeron is a good coach for the LSU Tigers, just like Stanley Smith is for Ferriday High School. For his efforts as LSU’s head coach, Orgeron received the National Coach of the Year by The Associated Press.

In comparison, Stanley Smith played for the Ferriday High Trojans when he went to high school. This season, Smith entered his 10th year as a head coach. Just like Orgeron receiving National Coach of The Year, Smith was named All Metro Coach of The Year. Smith is a good coach for Ferriday because he possesses a great leadership aspect, just like Orgeron.   

Patrick Murphy is a sports reporter for The Natchez Democrat.