DONALDSONVILLE - The Ascension Catholic Bulldogs are Superdome bound for the first time since 2018.

The No. 5 Bulldogs avenged last year's semifinal loss by dominating No. 1 Westminster Christian 45-14 in the semifinals last week.

"It means a lot to finally get over the hump that we've been stuck on for the past few years. Last year was a tough loss, so didn't want to feel that again this year," senior running back Trevin Simon said.

Simon will be crucial in the Bulldogs' hunt for a state championship. This season, the senior broke state records for most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns in a single season. He dominated opponents by rushing for 3,765 rushing yards and 57 rushing TDs.

Ascension Catholic is led by first-time head coach, Taylor James. James says the family-like bond between the team and coaches helped them be successful on the field.

"We have a very close knit team, a very close knit group of players. That would be the thing I would say, first and foremost, set these guys apart from everyone else," James said.

No. 5 Ascension Catholic will face No. 2 Riverside Academy in the Division IV Select state title game on Thursday at 3 p.m.