Top Performers: Carencro vs. Edna Karr | Class 4A Championship

Carencro players heard all week from decades worth of their predecessors about the significance of the opportunity at their hands. The Bears could join the legendary 1992 team as just the program’s second state champions, or the 1996 and 2011 groups that fell just shy in their pursuits of that dream. As Louisiana (Lafayette) commitment [player_tooltip player_id="63580" first="Kendrell" last="Williams"] dashed 40 yards to the end zone in the third quarter, their destiny began to come into focus. And as fellow senior running back Traylon "Popcorn" Prejean spun through tacklers for 6 yards and another score, the Bears solidified their place in history with an emphatic 35-19 defeat of four-time reigning champion Edna Karr. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZsCZpciUf_o" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>2021 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Randre’ Charles — 6-2, 250 DL — Carencro</strong> Much of the disruption up front to the long night for Karr sophomore quarterback A.J. Samuel came from Carencro senior defensive end Randre’ Charles, who finished with five tackles, including one for a loss and leaped to deflect another pass. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63586" first="Bailey" last="Despanie"] — 6-2, 185 DB — Carencro</strong> The Bears let the Tulane signee roam the middle of the field and play a major role in limiting the Karr’s typically more productive passing attack. The Cougars were able to connect on a few deep balls down the sideline in the first half despite tight coverage, but couldn’t sustain the success in the second half. Despanie finished with seven tackles and a blocked extra-point attempt. But his impact loomed larger than the box score. <strong>Tavion Faulk — 6-1, 180 ATH — Carencro</strong> The senior quarterback ran the Bears’ offense to near-perfection on a 418-yard night against a typically highly touted Karr defense. He made decisions in the backfield to help facilitate a 268-yard rushing attack, led largely by a pair of his talented running backs, and burned the Cougars for 104 yards on 3-for-4 passing, including a 45-yarder and 20-yard touchdown. <strong>Traylon Prejean — 5-8, 190 RB — Carencro</strong> "Popcorn" rushed a team-high 25 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, including a spinning 6-yarder through contact and to the end zone to put the nail in Karr’s coffin, and completed one of two pass attempts for a 46-yard touchdown to junior athlete Jaylon John. <strong>Dylan Smith — 5-10, 190 LB — Carencro</strong> The undersized, but productive senior linebacker was once again the Bears' leading tackler in his final high school game with nine stops, including blitzing from his linebacker spot to harass Samuel with 2.5 sacks. Coach Tony Courville praised Smith as being "phenomenal" all year and "not flashy, but a tackling machine," and those compliments certainly rang true again Tuesday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63580" first="Kendrell" last="Williams"] — 6-0, 2015 RB — Carencro</strong> Outstanding Player honors went to the Louisiana (Lafayette) commitment, who rushed 22 times for a game-high 139 yards and 40-yard dash to the end zone in the third quarter to stretch a 22-19 lead out to 28-19. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63669" first="Cahn" last="Meads"] — 6-2, 215 DL — Edna Karr</strong> The Texas Southern target finished with 11 tackles, including half a sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss of nine yards. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63719" first="Destin" last="Refuge"] — 5-9, 175 DB — Edna Karr</strong> Carencro’s full backfield and run-heavy approach might not have been the ideal opponent for the undersized senior cornerback to showcase his full range of talent once again in his final high school game, but Refuge’s instincts and toughness for his size find their way to impact any contest. He closed quickly in run support on the perimeter on eight tackles for his team to help Karr limit the Bears better than many opponents had managed. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PTloTZHFyCQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>2022 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Quinn Collins — 6-0, 240 OL — Carencro</strong> Courville praised the junior guard as the team’s most effective blocker to help pave the way for Faulk, Prejean, Williams and John. <strong>Ryan Perry — 6-1, 205 TE — Carencro</strong> Perry’s blocking on the end was critical to the Bears’ ground game, and the tight end also enjoyed the opportunity to catch two passes his way for 65 yards and a touchdown on a pair of plays that frustrated the Cougars. <strong>Aaron Anderson — 5-10, 185 WR — Edna Karr</strong> The recent LSU commitment earned Outstanding Player offers for the Cougars with an explosive first half that helped keep his team in the game. Anderson caught seven passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns, despite tight coverage, and rushed for another 17-yard touchdown. <strong>Tory Morgan — 5-10, 210 LB  — Edna Karr</strong> The junior linebacker was active in the box as ever with a game-high 16 tackles and recovered a fumble for the Cougars’ only takeaway on the night.