Top Performers: Parkview Baptist vs. Baker

Parkview Baptist recovered an onside kickoff to start the game against Baker and never particularly slowed down. The Eagles rolled to a 47-0 victory in the matchup of district rivals who have had relatively tough seasons in the Baton Rouge area. Here were a half dozen of the key contributors to the memorable night for the home team, as the temperature began to cool down with the postseason just around the corner. &nbsp; <strong>Wyatt Beck (2022)</strong> <strong>6-1, 205 LB/ATH</strong> The senior was a disruptive force for the Eagles’ defense the entire night, helping set the early tone with a third-down sack and forced fumble on Baker’s first possession. He’s a little smaller than the prototypical linebacker, but flies around the field well in space and coverage in addition to navigating traffic in the box. And Parkview Baptist utilized his physicality on offense as well, including a two-point run to help stretch its early lead to 14-0. &nbsp; <strong>Jeremiah Deverteuil (2022)</strong> <strong>5-10, 200 RB</strong> The stout, physical back was the bell-cow for the Parkview offense and occasionally showcased a nice move or two in on the outside on top of his tough work between the tackles. When penalties put the Eagles behind the chains a few times, Deverteuil’s ability to still gain big chunks on the ground allowed his coaches to keep the Buffalos’ defense guessing with their play-calling. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138428" first="Micah" last="Johnson"] (2023)</strong> <strong>6-2, 215 TE/ATH</strong> The big junior, who has been a top target for the team since freshman season, is the most well-known college prospect on a largely overlooked roster still waiting for a scholarship offer to come from the many programs who have shown interest the past two years. Johnson has been looked at primarily as some sort of hybrid or tweener receiver or tight end with a stride for his size, but not necessarily high-end speed. And this season, including his team’s rout of Baker, he has showcased some defensive ability as well as an outside linebacker and strong safety able to play well on the back end or providing containment or pressure off the edge. &nbsp; <strong>Abram Johnston (2024)</strong> <strong>6-0, 180 QB</strong> The Eagles’ quarterback is a talented young prospect that has had his coaches excited for his potential even as he waited behind veteran starter Roman Mula last year and continues to learn the position under head coach Stefan Lefors, a former Louisville and NFL quarterback. Johnston’s top throws included a 7-yard touchdown among several well-placed passes on the run and a 42-yard ball deep down the sideline to highlight a long scoring drive. And he also looked good tucking the ball, patiently following his big offensive line’s blocks, including a short touchdown run, and making a few defenders miss out in space. &nbsp; <strong>Offensive Line</strong> The Parkview Baptist offensive line did a really nice job up front for Johnston, senior quarterback Nate Goza and all the weapons around them. Seniors Clay Petty (5-5, 180), Canon Cervantes (5-8, 185) and Jonathan Eichholz (5-11, 185) and sophomores Caleb Ordogne (6-1, 220) and Mason Marie (5-11, 180) took the bulk of the snaps. The group isn’t one of the bigger line groups of some of the Eagles’ past teams, but caused problems with its quickness, mobility and execution and was aggressive off the ball to create space. &nbsp; <strong>Brant Yarbrough (2022)</strong> <strong>5-10, 180 ATH</strong> The speedy jack of all trades easily recovered an opening onside kickoff and then actually made a quick move, found an angle and managed a long return before referees realized that that the ball was down at the spot of the recovery. Yarbrough secured Johnston’s longest pass of the night, 42 yards down the sideline, and soundly navigated his blocks for a short touchdown between the tackles in the first quarter and then flashed his speed on a longer dash to pay dirt in the second. The senior is a versatile weapon his coaches and quarterbacks know they can rely on for big plays in a variety of capacities.