Top Performers: Catholic vs. Byrd | Division I State Championship

Catholic High continued to solidify itself in the elite of Division I with a 35-12 defeat of Byrd on Sunday. The Bears made good on their fourth straight state championship appearance and fifth in six years with a third title in the latter span. Coach Gabriel Fertitta's balanced group overcame a pair of early turnovers to take a 14-6 lead into halftime and pull away from there. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zn2fZKid9qI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong style="font-size: 1rem;"> 2021 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Mike Albarado — 5-9, 197 LB — Catholic</strong> The undersized linebacker was involved in as many plays as anyone on the Bears’ defense with a team-high eight tackles, including one for loss, as well as a forced fumble, fumble recovery and one pass break-up. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63608" first="Michael" last="Cerniauskas"] — 5-11, 189 DB — Catholic</strong> The Army signee left his usual physical, hard-hitting stamp on the the game from the beginning and added a blocked extra point in the second quarter and a late interception to help seal the victory. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63625" first="George" last="Hart III"] — 5-10, 198 RB — Catholic</strong> With his junior running mate Corey Singleton sidelined by injury, Hart rushed 12 times for 62 yards to lead all players. He once again took a few snaps directly, adding an additional wrinkle to an offense already boasting a pair of viable quarterbacks. <strong>Landon O’Connor — 5-11, 169 QB — Catholic</strong> The senior quarterback returned to action from a late-season ankle injury and carried eight times for 46 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help split duties with his freshman teammate. <strong>William Berry — 5-10, 177 ATH — Byrd</strong> The senior speedster earned Most Outstanding Player honors for his team with his six rushes for 55 yards, including a 37-yard scamper and a 4-yard touchdown. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63607" first="Carson" last="Bruno"] — 6-5, 290 DL — Byrd</strong> One of the few college-signed or -committed prospects in the Yellow Jackets' impressive senior class was going to have to excel to give his team a chance. And the Louisiana Tech signee racked up eight tackles on an active night in the middle of the line, including a sack, but also showed mobility to pursue plays well outside. <strong>Brayden Hermes — 6-3, 193 DB — Byrd </strong> The senior safety ended two of Catholic's first three drives with interceptions and led the team with nine tackles. <strong>Kellum Humphrey — 6-1, 177 WR — Byrd</strong> Six of quarterback Lake Lambert's eight completions went to Humphrey, the split end, for 83 yards. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C1dnOGkTxmE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong> 2022 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Lloyd "Tre" Benson — 5-8, 172 WR — Catholic</strong> The junior earned Most Outstanding Player honors for his four-catch, 140-yard performance, including a 78-yard dash to the end zone on a pass from freshman quarterback Daniel Beale. <strong>Emery Jones — 6-5, 300 OL — Catholic</strong> The big left tackle was the cornerstone of the Bears’ offensive line that paved the way for 141 yards on 33 carries and protected its two quarterbacks to complete 12 of 18 passes for 223 yards. <strong>Josh Robertson — 5-8, 154 DB — Catholic</strong> Byrd opened the second half with an opportunity to potentially pull back even with a scoring drive, but instead Robertson snatched a bad pitch off a fortuitous bounce and dashed back the other direction to double the Bears’ lead. He added a tackle for loss on a two-point conversion on the next drive and finished with four tackles. <strong>Joshua Wax — 5-10, 160 DB — Catholic</strong> The speedy defender wasn’t far behind Albarado with seven tackles of his own, primarily using his quickness to the edge to contain and shut down potential big gains before they could get started. He also added one pass breakup in coverage. <strong>2023 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Shelton Sampson Jr. — 6-4, 181 WR — Catholic</strong> The highly touted 2023 prospect caught three passes for 45 yards and one leaping, highlight-reel touchdown to help stretch the Bears’ lead late that showed why LSU, Florida State, Virginia, Mississippi State, Tulane and several other colleges are already competing for his services. <strong>2024 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Daniel Beale — 6-1, 175 QB — Catholic</strong> The freshman quarterback shook back from a pair of first-quarter interceptions to complete 11 of 17 passes for 220 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help lead a state-championship run less than two months after joining the varsity roster midseason.