Gridiron Gumbo

Two Unbeatens Walked In. Vinton Walked Out 8-0 After a 43-26 Win Over Rosepine

Two cast-iron gumbo pots steam on burners on a football field at night, with a wooden spoon and a folded white towel on the grass in front.

Written by

T-Rohn

in

Louisiana ,

By T-Rohn | Gridiron Gumbo
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 · LHSAA Week 8 · District 5-2A
FINAL · CONFIRMED

REPORTED: Final score per MaxPreps, KPLC and the American Press; scoring summary, stats and coach quotes per the American Press (Oct. 23–24, 2026); records, schedules and standings per MaxPreps (retrieved Oct. 23–24, 2026). District math, where shown, is Gridiron Gumbo’s own (sources below)

Rosepine scored more on Vinton than anyone had all season, and the Lions still stayed perfect. Now the 5-2A title likely comes down to one Nov. 6 game.

THE ESSENTIALS

  • Final: Vinton 43, Rosepine 26 (Friday, Oct. 23, at B.S. Walker Stadium, Vinton)
  • Records (MaxPreps): Vinton 8-0, 2-0 District 5-2A · Rosepine 7-1, 1-1
  • Next: Vinton at Pickering, Friday, Oct. 30 (district) · Rosepine vs. East Beauregard, Friday, Oct. 30 (district)

The recap

Something had to give when two 7-0 teams met in Vinton on Friday night. It wasn’t the Lions. Vinton beat Rosepine 43-26 to improve to 8-0, its first 8-0 start since 1999 and a third straight win over the Eagles, the American Press reported. With Notre Dame’s win over Lake Arthur, the paper said, Vinton is the lone unbeaten team remaining in Southwest Louisiana; MaxPreps lists Notre Dame, in Crowley, at 8-0 as well.

TAKE (joke): Two unbeaten teams in one stadium is the football version of two aunts arriving at the reunion with the same potato salad, cher: one pan was always going home full.

Rosepine’s 26 points are the most anyone has put on the Lions this season; no earlier opponent had topped 13, according to Vinton’s MaxPreps schedule.

“That was a good statement win,” Vinton coach Tyler Lavergne told the American Press. He added that plenty of good teams start 7-0, but few great ones finish 8-0.

How it unfolded

The first quarter was scoreless. Everything below comes from the American Press scoring summary and game story.

  • Second quarter. Quarterback Michael Lange got the Lions on the board with a 20-yard score, and senior Mika Roper added a 7-yard run. Rosepine answered with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Brynnum Chaney, the Eagles’ No. 9. Then came the last snap of the half.
  • The last play of the half. Vinton had forced a fourth-down fumble as Rosepine tried to get within one possession. With 12 seconds left, Lavergne chose to take a shot instead of kneeling. Lange’s deep pass for Jacob Edison was batted by a Rosepine defender and fell into Edison’s hands, and he took it 65 yards to the end zone. Carrier ran in the two-point try, and the Lions went to the break leading by 16.
  • Third quarter. Roper broke an 80-yard touchdown run, his second score. Rosepine answered with drives of 74 and 62 yards, and Chaney scored from 2 and 4 yards. It was 29-20 with 4:09 left in the quarter.
  • Fourth quarter. Vinton put together an 80-yard drive, 11 plays long, that crossed into the fourth and ended on Lange’s 1-yard keeper for a 36-20 lead with 9:30 left. Chaney scored again, and Jaydin Smith’s 46-yard run closed the scoring.

TAKE (joke): Twelve seconds is not enough time to reheat a plate of boudin or find a clean fork, but it turned out to be plenty for a football game to change its mind.

Chaney accounted for every Eagles touchdown, three running and one catching, and finished with 150 rushing yards on 26 carries, per the American Press. Vinton did its damage on the ground: 380 rushing yards, led by Mika Roper (17 carries, 164 yards, two touchdowns) and Traylen Carrier (18 for 122). Lange threw three passes and completed one, the 65-yarder.

REPORTED: According to the American Press, Chaney scored all four Rosepine touchdowns, three rushing and one receiving. This is a single-source report; MaxPreps has no box score for the game.

Lavergne said it was the first time this season his team played four full quarters, and the first without a running clock. “A lot of positives tonight,” he told the American Press.

The district race

Vinton (2-0) and East Beauregard (2-0) share the top of the MaxPreps 5-2A standings and meet Nov. 6 at Vinton. By Gridiron Gumbo’s math, Vinton wins the title outright by beating Pickering (1-7, 0-3) on Oct. 30 and East Beauregard on Nov. 6. (That’s our count, not an LHSAA announcement.) East Beauregard (5-3 per MaxPreps) beat Pine Prairie 40-6 on Friday, KPLC reported, and visits Rosepine on Oct. 30.

Rosepine (1-1) needs help to earn a share; it hosts East Beauregard on Oct. 30 and closes at DeQuincy on Nov. 6.

What others missed

  • The closest game of Vinton’s year, by 11 points. Its seven earlier wins came by 28 to 50 points on MaxPreps (40-12 over Elton was the closest). Friday’s 17-point margin is the smallest of the season by a wide gap.
  • They don’t share a playoff pool. Per the American Press, Vinton ranked No. 3 in LHSAA Division IV power ratings and Rosepine No. 4 in Division III before kickoff, and PrepRank (an unofficial tracker) lists the same split. Two teams chasing one district title will be seeded in different playoff pools.
  • Two turnarounds, one field. The American Press’ preview noted Vinton went 2-17 across 2022 and 2023, and that Rosepine, after back-to-back 1-9 seasons, had started 7-0 for the first time since 2018. One of those streaks ended Friday; the other kept going.

TAKE: the 5-2A title likely runs through a Nov. 6 Friday in Vinton. If Vinton and East Beauregard both win Oct. 30, then by our count everyone else is playing for third.

Related: Two Perfect Seasons, One Field: Rosepine at Vinton Preview (Both 7-0)

Sources

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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