By Tori Dixon | Gridiron Gumbo
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 · LHSAA Week 8 · Non-district
FINAL · CONFIRMED
REPORTED: Final score per MaxPreps, KPLC and the American Press; quarter scores per the MaxPreps box score; stats per the American Press scores-and-stats page (Oct. 23, 2026); season context per MaxPreps, KPLC, the American Press and PrepRank (an unofficial projection); records, schedules and standings per MaxPreps (retrieved Oct. 23–24, 2026). District math, where shown, is Gridiron Gumbo’s own (sources below)
Kinder led 20-17 at halftime. DeRidder’s defense didn’t allow a point after the break, and a third-quarter touchdown was enough.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Final: DeRidder 24, Kinder 20 (Friday, Oct. 23, at Kinder)
- Records (MaxPreps): DeRidder 5-3, 3-1 District 3-3A · Kinder 1-7, 0-2 District 7-2A (this game was non-district)
- Next: DeRidder at St. Louis Catholic, Thursday, Oct. 29 (district) · Kinder vs. Notre Dame, Friday, Oct. 30 (district)
The recap
DeRidder trailed at halftime, then held Kinder scoreless to win 24-20 on Friday night, its second straight victory.
Kinder (1-7) scored 20 against the Dragons, its most since 34 against Welsh on Oct. 9, according to its MaxPreps schedule. DeRidder (5-3) followed last week’s 31-21 district win over South Beauregard with this non-district road win. The American Press’ box score has DeRidder’s senior running back carrying 19 times for 151 yards and three touchdowns, and MaxPreps’ game recap noted he averaged 7.9 yards a carry.
How it unfolded
The teams traded 7-7 first quarters, and Kinder outscored DeRidder 13-10 in the second to lead 20-17 at halftime, according to the MaxPreps box score. DeRidder scored a touchdown in the third quarter, and neither team scored in the fourth.
TAKE (joke): Tied after one, behind after two, ahead after three and scoreless after four: the whole plot fits on a napkin.
By our arithmetic, DeRidder’s 24 points work out to that back’s three rushing touchdowns with extra points and a field goal. We have no scoring summary to tell us which came when, so we won’t guess at the order.
The American Press box shows a balanced offense. Bryce Mason carried 11 times for 86 yards, and quarterback Michael Parmley completed 11 of 20 passes for 101 yards without an interception. His top target had eight catches for 55 yards, and Mason Havens caught two for 38. No individual stats were published for Kinder.
The second half was a talking point for the Dragons before the season. KPLC’s August preview reported that last year’s team came up short after halftime in too many close games and wanted a better mentality. Friday, the second half was DeRidder’s.
TAKE (joke): A scoreless fourth quarter in a four-point game is how cardiologists in Beauregard and Allen parishes stay in business.
The district race
This one didn’t count in the standings. DeRidder (3-1 in 3-3A) visits St. Louis Catholic on Oct. 29 and hosts Iowa (3-1) on Nov. 5. If DeRidder and Iowa both win on Oct. 29, that meeting could settle second place behind Jennings (5-0), which has already beaten both, by our read of the standings; a loss to St. Louis Catholic (2-2) would complicate that. (Our count, not an LHSAA announcement.) Kinder (0-2 in 7-2A) hosts unbeaten Notre Dame on Oct. 30.
TAKE (joke): DeRidder now has back-to-back district games that matter, which is the football version of having two pots on the stove at once.
What others missed
- The lowest-scoring win of DeRidder’s year. Its 24 points are the fewest in any of its five wins; the others came with 31, 48, 49 and 59, per its MaxPreps schedule. Only a 22-point game at Leesville on Sept. 4 was lower, in a loss. This one was won by shutting the second half down.
- Kinder was closer than its record. The Yellow Jackets were a quarterfinalist a year ago, the American Press noted Oct. 15, and two of their seven losses this season came by four points or fewer (20-22 to Northwest on Sept. 11, and 20-24 here), per MaxPreps. MaxPreps’ recap says they have lost seven in a row.
- A one-hundredth-of-a-point cushion. PrepRank, an independent site that replicates the LHSAA power-rating formula, had DeRidder 27th of 28 projected Division II non-select playoff spots on Saturday morning, at 9.98, with No. 28 Wossman at 9.97. REPORTED, not official: PrepRank’s numbers are projections and move every week.
TAKE: The Oct. 29 game at St. Louis Catholic and the Nov. 5 game against Iowa are now the two that define DeRidder’s year, and the Dragons come in knowing they can win without scoring 40.
Related: DeRidder at Kinder: LHSAA Week 8 Preview
Sources
- American Press scores and stats, rushing, passing and receiving leaders (Oct. 23, 2026): https://americanpress.com/2026/10/23/local-prep-football-scores-and-stats-oct-23-2/
- MaxPreps Football Recap, “DeRidder Holds off Kinder” (infoSentience auto-article, Oct. 24, 2026): https://www.maxpreps.com/news/TUnEsH5zRU29gklnJAomdA/football-recap-deridder-holds-off-kinder.htm
- KPLC, “2026 Two-A-Days: DeRidder Dragons” (Aug. 18, 2026): https://www.kplctv.com/2026/08/18/2026-two-a-days-deridder-dragons/
- American Press, “Rocky road: Unbeaten Lake Arthur faces dangerous portion of schedule” (Oct. 15, 2026): https://americanpress.com/2026/10/15/rocky-road-unbeaten-lake-arthur-faces-dangerous-portion-of-schedule/
- PrepRank, DeRidder football page (Division II non-select projected seed and power rating, viewed Oct. 24, 2026; unofficial): https://www.prep-rank.com/schools/deridder/football
- MaxPreps game page, final 24-20 and quarter scores (retrieved Oct. 23, 2026, about 11:35 p.m. CT): https://www.maxpreps.com/la/football/game/deridder-vs-kinder/10-23-2026/?c=ef6df253-867e-4291-9c4f-798dc4ee4591
- KPLC TDL Week 8 scores: https://www.kplctv.com/2026/10/22/tdl-week-8-scores-highlights/ · KPLC 7 Sports on X, final: https://x.com/KPLC7Sports/status/2113824047330996603
- MaxPreps schedules: DeRidder · Kinder
Featured image: Gridiron Gumbo illustration. No outside photos.
Corrections: Gridiron Gumbo fixes errors promptly and notes changes at the bottom of the story. Spot one? Tell us.
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