Top Performers: Acadiana vs. Alexandria | Class 5A Championship

Alexandria appeared, for a moment, to have suddenly ridden a furious comeback to an improbable lead with one minute remaining in the Class 5A state championship. [player_tooltip player_id="63637" first="Judd" last="Barton"] had connected with receivers Graham Vaughn and T.J. Johnson for a pair of touchdowns within a 45-second span, then tight end [player_tooltip player_id="63562" first="Shield" last="Taylor"] on an apparent go-ahead two-point conversion. But an illegal motion penalty forced a retry from the 7-yard line. And when the senior quarterback looked once again to the end zone, Acadiana junior cornerback Laterrance Welch jumped the route for a leaping interception to finally secure the 35-34 victory and his Wreckin’ Rams’ second straight title. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pHpWOCboRC4" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>2021 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63685" first="Caleb" last="Arceneaux"] — 5-11, 206 LB — Acadiana</strong> Arceneaux was once again one of the Wreckin’ Rams’ defensive leaders with seven tackles and one quarterback hurry. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63747" first="Derreck" last="Bercier"] Jr. — 5-9, 210 LB — Acadiana</strong> Coach Matt McCullough admitted that his standout linebacker had thought he could’ve earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the 2019 title game. And, if not for his teammate’s big day rushing the ball, Bercier had a strong case once again. The senior finished his high school career with a team-high nine tackles, including one for loss, one forced fumble and one pass breakup. <strong>Kennedy Pierre — 5-10, 179 DB — Acadiana</strong> Pierre was another of Acadiana’s tackle leaders with six to help quickly contain screens before Alexandria could turn the passes into much bigger gains and recorded one of his team’s two official pass breakups in the final box score. <strong>Tyvin Zeno — 5-10, 182 RB — Acadiana</strong> The Wreckin’ Rams’ Outstanding Player rushed 22 times for 201 yards and his team’s first two touchdowns to help build their early lead before leaving briefly in clear pain with an apparent injury. Zeno returned to give Acadiana its full complement of backs in the second half. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63637" first="Judd" last="Barton"] — 6-2, 185 QB — Alexandria</strong> Barton completed 19 of his 30 passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns against a stingy, veteran Acadiana defense that hadn’t allowed a touchdown in the quarterfinals or semifinals, just 21 combined points in four playoff games in this season and a field goal in the 2019 title game against Destrehan. The senior quarterback also rushed seven times for 21 yards. <strong>Trayv’on Culbert — 5-11, 190 WR — Alexandria</strong> Barton’s fellow senior may have been his favorite target, with a game-high six receptions for 38 yards, and snatched a goal-line fumble recovery mid-air to salvage a potential disaster into his team’s first touchdown. <strong>Abu Kamara — 5-10, 183 RB — Alexandria</strong> The versatile weapon on the Trojans’ offense rushed five times for 36 yards and caught a pair of passes for 34 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown. <strong>C.J. Kittling — 6-1, 180 DB — Alexandria</strong> The underrated prospect’s impressive senior season concluded with his team’s Most Outstanding Player honors in the Class 5A state championship with 14 tackles, including one for loss, and a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Kittling was all over the field, as usual, for Alexandria. His recruitment has been slow after waiting his turn behind 2020 star Ja’Darius "Bud" Clark before finally taking over for a COVID-impacted final season. But he could prove himself an overlooked diamond in the rough within a couple years. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63678" first="Jermaine" last="McNeal"] — 5-11, 190 LB — Alexandria</strong> The linebacker has been the Trojans’ other top defensive playmaker throughout their impressive run and finished his high school season with a game-high 15 tackles and a forced fumble in a matchup against the Wreckin’ Rams’ well-known veer rushing attack for which McNeal was vital in defending. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63562" first="Shield" last="Taylor"] — 6-4, 235 TE — Alexandria</strong> The headline talent, from a recruiting standpoint, of the Trojans’ senior class, the Stanford signee played all over the field on both side of the ball in his final high school game. Taylor caught a pair of passes for 24 yards and recorded a tackle, but his toughness and leadership left their mark beyond just the stat sheet. <strong>Graham Vaughn — 5-10, 165 WR — Alexandria</strong> A 37-yard scoring strike from Barton to Vaughn with 1:45 remaining cut Alexandria’s deficit in half and help begin swinging momentum in its favor. His three receptions tallied a game-high 70 yards to lead Barton’s deep cast of weapons. <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JpP-JIV6a6U" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>2022 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>Walter Bob Jr. — 6-4, 250 DL — Acadiana</strong> One of the Wreckin’ Rams’ top prospects for the 2022 class was disruptive in the first half with 1.5 of his tackles coming for loss, including half a sack, and another play on which he almost immediately drilled a receiver to force a fumble, then scooped the ball up for the takeaway. <strong>Jerimiah Brown — 6-0, 201 ATH — Acadiana</strong> The Arkansas target, who runs the Acadiana offense, shook back from a pair of fumbles to lead all players with 103 yards on 16 rushes, distributing the ball to Zeno and junior Omiri Wiggins out of the backfield and even completing a pair of passes for the run-dominant offense for 40 yards and a touchdown to sophomore Kevan Williams. <strong>Larry Lewis — 5-11, 220 LB — Acadiana</strong> The junior linebacker played his part alongside Arceneaux and Bercier with seven tackles of his own, including one for loss. <strong>Laterrance Welch — 6-2, 165 DB — Acadiana</strong> Another of Louisiana’s top 2022 prospects wasn’t sure he would play at all this season as he continued recovering from a knee injury. But the standout cornerback returned to action in the semifinals and made several key plays again in the championship: three tackles, including one for loss, and the interception on the two-point attempt chief among them. <strong>Omiri Wiggins — 5-10, 187 RB — Acadiana</strong> Wiggins was a key performer for the Wreckin’ Rams all season long and loomed particularly large again Wednesday when his partner in crime, Zeno, was temporarily sidelined and slowed. The junior rushed 14 times for 74 yards — actually out-averaging Zeno with 5.3 yard per attempt — and a pair of touchdowns of his own, including the 35-yard dash with 3:10 remaining to stretch Acadiana’s lead late. <strong>Jarvis Newton — 5-10, 170 RB — Alexandria</strong> The junior came on strong in the ground game for the Trojans to lead his team with 77 rushes and a touchdown on 14 carries. <strong>T.J. Johnson — 6-3, 175 WR — Alexandria</strong> Another key junior playmaker for the Trojans hauled in the 22-yard score in the final minutes to set up their pivotal two-point opportunity. Johnson caught four passes for 53 yards in the championship game and appears poised to blow up on the recruiting trail this offseason. <strong>J’Mari Monnette — 6-3, 265 DL — Alexandria</strong> The big man up front joined McNeal and Kittling in the double-digit tackle club with 10 of his own, including one for loss. &nbsp; <strong>2023 Recruiting Class</strong> <strong>John Parrish — 5-9, 180 DB — Alexandria</strong> The Trojans’ sophomore defensive back followed Kittling’s lead making plays all over the field to finish with nine tackles and a fumble recovery.