It’s not often that two of the best teams in the state meet in the second round of the playoffs.

What happened?

Strength of schedules is to blame.

St. Charles Catholic (11-0), the second-seed according to the LHSAA power rankings, has been the best team in Class 3A all season. The Comets (11-0) has been first in the Louisiana Sportswriter’s poll all season.

SCC faced just two teams with winning records in the regular season, Port Allen and Brusly. The combined records of the Comets’ opponents were 43-76.

Patterson’s opponents also didn’t make the cut. Patterson (10-0) faced just one team with a winning record in the regular season (Kaplan). The combined records of those teams are 28-76.

The Lumberjacks beat Kaplan (6-5) 61-6 while St. Charles knocked off the Pirates, 49-6, in the first round of the playoffs last week.

Patterson, ranked second in the sportswriter’s poll, received a 15th-seed when the playoff field was announced. Other 15th-seeds include West St. Mary (6-5), lost in first round, and Brother Martin, (7-4) also first round losers. Just one other 15th-seed in the state won its first-round game, St. Edmund (9-2).

Both teams played the teams put in front of them and they dominated.

The closest game St. Charles Catholic has played was a 36-8 win over 5A Northshore. Before a 42-28 bi-district playoff win over 18th-seed Brusly, Patterson’s closest game was a 35-11 win in week three over North Vermilion. Brusly scored two late touchdowns after the game was long determined.

The two teams have three other common opponents. SCC beat St. James 55-0 in week nine while Patterson downed St. James 47-0. SCC downed Brusly 35-0 while Patterson beat Brusly 42-28 last week. Patterson KO’d Jeanerette 61-0 while SCC defeated Jeanerette 49-0.

So, a Superdome caliber team will be sitting home next week and that doesn’t rank very high.