Championship Top Performers: Zachary vs. Ponchatoula

A Class 5A state championship game full of storylines ended Louisiana’s high school football season with a bang. No. 3 Ponchatoula had finally reached the title round in what legendary coach Hank Tierney admitted afterward would likely be his final game. And the Green Wave came out unfazed by the stage and impressive in their play en route to a halftime lead. But Texas A&amp;M quarterback commit [player_tooltip player_id="138485" first="Eli" last="Holstein"] and the top-seeded Broncos answered with a pair of third-quarter scores, while their defense pitched a second-half shutout to secure the 28-20 victory and fourth state championship in seven years. Here were some of the top performers: &nbsp; <strong>ZACHARY</strong> <strong>Kameron Hamilton (2022)</strong> <strong>6-4, 275 DL</strong> The senior lineman was once again a leader of one of Zachary’s best defensive fronts during its recent run of perennial contention. Hamilton recorded five tackles, including a sack and another tackle for loss, and deflected pass. The Broncos frustrated the Ponchatoula rushing attack and senior star [player_tooltip player_id="136657" first="Braydon" last="Johnson"] to the tune of just 30 yards on the ground for the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138485" first="Eli" last="Holstein"] (2023)</strong> <strong>6-3, 220 QB</strong> Zachary wasn’t able to get into a great rhythm in the first half and entered the break trailing, 20-14, but its star Texas A&amp;M quarterback commit got rolling a bit in the third quarter. Holstein scrambled 14 yards to the goal line, then dove over the pile a couple plays later to complete the drive and help the Broncos take the lead on the extra point. He then stretched the margin with arguably the play of the game as he side-stepped the blitz, shook off an arm tackle, planted and fired a 50-yard dart to [player_tooltip player_id="138458" first="Tylon" last="Williams"]. Holstein finished 13-for-30 with 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138305" first="Kylin" last="Jackson"] (2023)</strong> <strong>6-2, 190 DB</strong> The junior safety made a team-high nine tackles, eight of which were solo stops, and some of the game’s biggest special teams plays with a blocked field goal, blocked extra point and held down the bulk of the Broncos’ punting duties. <strong>Carlton Johnson (2022)</strong> <strong>5-9, 160 DB</strong> Had Holstein not continued the Zachary tradition of its quarterbacks — previously Lindsey Scott Jr. in 2015 and Keilon Brown in 2017 and 2018 — earning Outstanding Player distinctions, the senior defensive back would’ve made a nice case on the other side of the ball. Johnson snatched two interceptions, one leaping effort on the sideline to start the third quarter and set up the go-ahead score and another near the goal line in the second half to halt Ponchatoula’s last decent comeback opportunity. He also provided a pair of pivotal pass break-ups, including one on fourth down, and showed good closing speed on another third-down stop. <strong>Tai’Shon Nelson (2022)</strong> <strong>5-10, 250 DL</strong> Another senior standout on the defensive line, Nelson recorded a pair of tackles for loss, a sack and a big stuff near the line of scrimmage on which he held up the ball-carrier long enough for a teammate to come pry loose a fumble. <strong>Jordan Williams (2022)</strong> <strong>6-2, 185 WR</strong> The senior receiver stepped up for a 36-yard touchdown catch before halftime and another 3-yard reception for 69 yards total in his final game. The performance was huge on a night on which the Green Wave’s defense focused on keeping star [player_tooltip player_id="136512" first="Charles" last="Robertson"] Jr. in check. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138458" first="Tylon" last="Williams"] (2023)</strong> <strong>5-8, 160 WR</strong> The speedy junior led Zachary with four catches for 103 yards and the 41-yard score in the third quarter. &nbsp; <strong>PONCHATOULA</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="128246" first="Kody" last="Finley"] (2022)</strong> <strong>6-5, 202 WR</strong> The senior caught six passes for 76 yards, the bulk of which came in the second half to help keep the Green Wave’s potential comeback hopes alive across the middle of the field. <strong>Clyde Gaten (2022)</strong> <strong>5-11, 160 DB</strong> The senior cornerback was tested early and often by one of the country’s top quarterbacks with a deep cast of speedy receivers and, far more often than not, provided tight coverage and pass break-ups to help hold high-powered Zachary to its second-lowest scoring output of the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136477" first="Jacoby" last="Mathews"] (2022)</strong> <strong>6-2, 205 ATH</strong> Arguably the top senior prospect in the state this year caught five passes for 42 yards, swiped an interception on a beautiful read to set the Ponchatoula offense up just outside the red zone and returned a punt 22 yards of broken tackles and impressive quickness at his size. <strong>Brant Monistere (2023)</strong> <strong>5-10, 215 LB</strong> The hard-hitting junior linebacker led all players with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble and helped bring additional pressure on a couple other plays on which teammates ultimately secured the stop. <strong>Nolan Tribble (2023)</strong> <strong>6-0, 170 QB</strong> In a quarterback battle in which Tribble entered clearly overshadowed by his counterpart, Ponchatoula’s junior passer completed 25 of his 53 attempts for 307 yards and a 51-yard touchdown to keep his team right in the thick of the battle with chances to tie the game late. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="136481" first="Amorion" last="Walker"] (2022)</strong> <strong>6-5, 175 ATH</strong> The Notre Dame commitment, who flipped to Michigan on Signing Day, earned his team’s Outstanding Player honors with game-highs of eight catches, 143 yards and the 51-yard touchdown strike from Tribble.