Ferriday High School was led by a plethora of star-studded talent that guided the Trojans to a LHSAA quarterfinals appearance with a 9-4 overall mark.

Perhaps headlining the strong crop of Trojan athletes this past year were juniors Dare Rosenthal and Dantrieze Scott, who were each recently named to the USA Today 2016 All-USA Louisiana Football Team.

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Rosenthal was selected as a first-team offensive line performer, while the 6-foot-4 Scott was named to the second team as a tight end.

“Their athleticism garners a lot of attention as far as college prospects goes,” Ferriday coach Dwight Woods said of his dynamic tandem. “Their stock is still moving up, and being named to the (All-USA Louisiana team) always helps. When you look at their film, they both did an outstanding job.”

The duo’s achievements, however, didn’t come without their fair share of perseverance.

Rosenthal played through a shoulder injury for most of the 2016 campaign, while Scott overcame an early-season two-game LHSAA transfer suspension to haul in 32 passes for 531 yards and three scores.

“Both of them battled through some adversity,” Woods said. “Dantrieze even had a few injuries and a few nicks and bruises as well. A lot of people don’t throw to the tight end spot that much. They’re athleticism and the way they were able to play (at a high level) was outstanding.”

Scott credited the Trojans coaching staff for helping him obtain the illustrious status.

“This feels pretty good,” he said. “The coaches pushed me to do (the work), even if I didn’t feel like doing it. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Rosenthal said he and Scott have shared a close bond since as long as he can remember, and to share the selection with a friend is a reward in itself.

“This means a lot to me,” Rosenthal said. “(Scott) and I are real close, and we’ve been that way since the third or fourth grade. We grew up and played together all through Pop Warner football.

“This is the first time I’ve gotten something big like this, and it feels good when you know you worked to try to be the best.”

Added Scott, “Dare is like a brother to me. We stick together, and we hang out all day every day together.”

Woods said he is proud of the achievements his star juniors reeled in, and is more than eager to see what they can potentially accomplish in their final stint at Ferriday.

“The whole junior class is really great,” Woods said. “All of those guys stepped up and took a leadership role and wanted to be good. They pushed themselves to do a little bit extra, and we’re looking forward to next year.”