The Dunham School has one of the nation’s best quarterbacks that showed he wasn’t totally infallible in his season opener. An uncharacteristic opening first quarter resulted in two interceptions, the loss of his top play-making wide receiver and a team dealing with extreme temperatures.
That’s when senior five-star recruit Elijah Haven, an Alabama commitment, showed his resiliency, playing error-free football for his last three quarters and generating a signature performance with 344 total yards and six touchdowns, leading Class 2A’s top-ranked team to a 55-15 victory over Class 5A’s Parkway last Friday.
“For all of our kids, especially the quarterback position, to be able to control what you can control,” Dunham head coach Neil Weiner said. “We had the two drives in the first half result in interceptions. The first one was a perfectly placed ball that our receiver unfortunately didn’t handle, bobbled it up in the air and their kid made a nice play. Those things happen.
“The second one, you don’t have many tipped balls from defensive lineman when you’re 6-5,” Weiner said of Haven. “That’s what happened. Their kid did a great job of getting his hands up and deflected the ball and they made the interception. Those things happen and I think he understands that’s part of playing the position. He’s always done a good job of handing some adversity and getting back out there and being ready for the next play.”
Haven’s performance was good enough to earn LouisianaSports.net’s inaugural Player of the Week.
Haven shook off the early miscues, and some dropped passes, to complete 10 of 20 attempts for 148 yards and three touchdowns. He had an even bigger impact in the team’s 300-yard rushing total with 11 carries for 176 yards – 16 yards per carry – and three touchdowns in the Stars & Stripes Border Classic at Independence Stadium.
“I thought Elijah stepped up to the plate and answered the call and did a great job for his teammates,” Weiner said. “He put on a pretty good show there.”
Promoters moved Dunham’s scheduled game from Bossier City to Shreveport to showcase two of the nation’s top quarterbacks in the doubleheader.
Evangel Christian quarterback Peyton ‘Pop’ Houston, an LSU commitment, appeared in the second game that was won by West Monroe, 42-32.
“Towards the end of the summer they asked us if we would be OK with being a part of this classic they were putting on,” Weiner said. “We thought it was even better for our kids and specifically for Elijah and our program.
“North Louisiana was very familiar with LSU commit Pop Houston and he’s an incredible talent with a bright future,” Weiner said. “They don’t really get to see Elijah down in south Louisiana. It was fun for them to see those two playing in the same stadium back-to-back and see what they’re both about.”
The doubleheader scheduled Dunham in the opener where temperatures on the artificial-turfed field were 96 degrees, leading to extreme cramping on both sides.
Because of early injuries to wide outs C.J. DeLeon (broken collarbone) and Jaron Smith (asthma), thus limiting Dunham’s front-line players at the position and also their participation on defense, Haven added an additional layer on his crowded plate.
“(Offensive coordinator) Coach (Jeff) Hand and Elijah realized that Elijah would have to carry us with his legs a little more than we normally ask him to,” Weiner said. “He did what the team needed him to do considering the conditions. He did a tremendous job of stepping up in those conditions.”
Dunham led 20-15 at halftime when Haven, the state’s Mr. Football and MaxPreps’ Offensive MVP in the state in 2025, asserted himself with Parkway choosing to play coverage, leaving them vulnerable against the run and the nation’s No. 15 overall player according to On3/Rivals.
Weiner said Haven carried the ball 11 times, with three designed quarterback runs and eight scrambles outside the pocket.
Haven improved his career record to 31-5 as a starter and his career total offensive numbers to 12,120 yards and extended his state record combined touchdowns to 186 – 138 passing, 48 rushing.
“If they’re going to take away the deep ball, and if everyone’s in coverage, that opens up some running lanes for the quarterback when he scrambles,” Weiner said. “That’s what we were able to do. We had three designed quarterback runs in the game that were called. The rest where him taking what they were giving him.”
