Top Performers: St. Thomas More vs. Catholic (Baton Rouge)

Catholic (Baton Rouge) and St. Thomas More came down to the wire yet again Friday. The Bears survived a trip to Lafayette last fall on a game-winning field goal as time expired. And with the Cougars visiting Baton Rouge this year, the two state championship hopefuls were once again trading the lead late. And for the first time in six years, STM managed to come out on top behind the video-game performances from 2022 quarterback prospect Walker Howard and 2021 wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="63558" first="Jack" last="Bech"]. <strong>2021 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63558" first="Jack" last="Bech"] — 6-3, 215 WR — St. Thomas More</strong> The Vanderbilt commitment was one of Louisiana’s best pass-catchers as a junior. And after an offseason of simultaneously bulking up about 20 pounds and improving his speed, Bech has taken his game to another level. He started the scoring with a 63-yard touchdown on which he broke a tackle on a short screen play and accelerated away from the defense and up the sideline to pay dirt, then punctuated a 196-yard night with a leaping catch over a defender in the back corner of the end zone for a second score. Bech’s name is gaining steam among Louisiana media, coaches and athletes wondering why LSU hasn’t offered the in-state star with he video game numbers.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Third&amp;3. Walker Howard gets the ball to [player_tooltip player_id="63558" first="Jack" last="Bech"], and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vandy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vandy</a> commit takes care of the rest. STM leads, 7-0, just over a minute into the opening quarter. <a href="https://t.co/mFxejIMzT9">pic.twitter.com/mFxejIMzT9</a></p> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1317257753560272902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>Carter Arceneaux — 5-11, 165 WR — St. Thomas More</strong> As Bech’s success forced Catholic (B.R.) to shade its safeties his way, Arceneaux became the most consistent benefactor with eight catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. His performance showed why the Cougars figure to be among Louisiana’s best teams this fall. Star quarterback Walker Howard will have options if any opposing defense tries to go all-in on containing Bech. Arceneaux made one catch after another across the middle of the field against one of the state’s top defenses. <strong>Carter Domingue — 6-3, 190 WR — St. Thomas More</strong> St. Thomas More’s other pass-catching Carter is often better known for his basketball ability. But the tall, long athlete is also a good-looking target on the football field, whose three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown included an acrobatic catch down the Catholic (B.R.) sideline in the fourth quarter. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Howard &amp; Carter Arceneaux with the big third-down conversion for STM down to the 13. Six minutes remaining... and STM leads by one. <a href="https://t.co/76IJ4tyItP">pic.twitter.com/76IJ4tyItP</a></p> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1317296772964823041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63642" first="Dominic" last="Zepherin"] — 5-11, 175 DB — St. Thomas More</strong> The Yale commitment played a big role in a defensive effort that made passing yards difficult to come by. Catholic (B.R.) quarterback Landon O’Connor frequently had to take off scrambling for yardage on the ground or settle for check-downs. <strong>Jake Chiasson — 6-0, 215 DL — St. Thomas More</strong> The Cougars’ defensive lineman appeared to play much bigger than his listing up front against a good Bears offensive line. The senior disrupted a couple possessions with his rush, including a sack to start the second half. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63630" first="Christian" last="Mannino"] — 6-2, 290 DT — Catholic (B.R.)</strong> Another big week for Catholic’s big defensive tackle, who helped lead the team with five tackles, including 1.5 for loss and one downfield on which he showed his motor turning around after the pass and catching up to the receiver on the short catch.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Howard looking to Carter Arceneaux... Big [player_tooltip player_id="63630" first="Christian" last="Mannino"] continuing pursuit of the play for the big hit. <a href="https://t.co/068BDyVrB9">pic.twitter.com/068BDyVrB9</a></p> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1317282759300308993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>Landon O’Connor — 6-0, 190 QB — Catholic (B.R.)</strong> Coach Gabriel Fertitta talks about his senior quarterback as being a “a football player,” praising his toughness and competitiveness. O’Connor showed that mindset Friday when St. Thomas More was able to tightly cover his targets, and he managed to run 13 times for 103 yards and two touchdowns to keep the chains moving and his team in the game. When passing opportunities were open, he completed 12 of his 17 attempts for 113 yards and another score. <strong>2022 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Walker Howard — 6-1, 185 QB — St. Thomas More</strong> The LSU commitment faced his first major varsity adversity Friday on the road when perennial contender Catholic (B.R.), which had defeated the Cougars the past five straight seasons, came roaring back to take a late lead. Howard kept his composure in just his third career start, though, and marched down field for the 8-yard strike to Bech. He finished 26-for-43 for 390 yards and five touchdowns against a defense that rarely allows those type of numbers. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Walker Howard. [player_tooltip player_id="63558" first="Jack" last="Bech"]. We’ll be saying that a lot tonight and this year. <a href="https://t.co/DEmqjl4KAF">pic.twitter.com/DEmqjl4KAF</a></p> — Jerit Roser (@JeritRoser) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeritRoser/status/1317262545447772161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <strong>Corey Singleton — 5-11, 210 RB — Catholic (B.R.)</strong> The junior appears to be establishing himself as the Bears’ biggest home-run threat in the ground game. His 74-yard dash up the sideline in the fourth quarter for a go-ahead touchdown was far-and-away the team’s biggest play and highlighted an eight-rush, 113-yard evening. <strong>Emery Jones — 6-5, 325 OL — Catholic (B.R.)</strong> The big SEC target looked good at left tackle yet again, showing consistency at the position in his first season as the full-time start. Jones is a strong, athletic, physical force for Catholic, who plays smart and with consistent, block-finishing effort.