State Championship Top Performers: OCS vs. Vermilion Catholic

Landon Graves

Jerit Roser December 27, 2022 @ 07:00 PM

Ouachita Christian returned to its fourth straight state championship game and took advantage of the opportunity provided to claim its first title since 2019.   OCS snatched three interceptions to stifle No. 1 Vermilion Catholic, broke a tie with a quick-strike drive just before halftime and began pulling away in the third for the 28-14 victory in the Division IV select bout.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bf1v6_PiR-0 </div></figure>   Broc Hogan (6-2, 180 ATH/WR/DB | 2023)   Coach Steven Fitzhugh joked that Hogan wasn't in the top 10 candidates to step into injured star Tristan Wiley's role in the secondary last postseason. But, a year later, with an offseason of focused work on his speed and feet, and the senior was snatching a pair of impressive interceptions — and Outstanding Player honors — to go along with his six catches for 64 yards, including multiple pivotal first-down pickups.   Tate Hamby (6-2, 180 ATH/WR/DB | 2024)   The speedy standout finished with four receptions for 89 yards, including a long 45-yarder up the right sideline in the final seconds of the first half to help set up a go-ahead touchdown before the break and a highlight-reel leaping sideline grab over a defender to end the third quarter.   Zachary White (6-0, 185 ATH/LB/RB | 2024)   Yet another two-way standout, the junior linebacker and running back made the first big splash play of the contest with an interception at the OCS 35-yard line. He later added a 16-yard gash to the end zone to stretch a 14-7 game in the third quarter to 21-7 and help his team begin taking more firm control on what would become the program's eighth state championship. White finished with 88 yards rushing.   [player_tooltip player_id='138293' first='Landon' last='Graves'] (6-0, 180 QB/ATH | 2023)   Ouachita Christian's senior quarterback led its offense with confidence and efficiency and a balance of big plays with his arm and his legs. Graves put the Eagles on the board with a 12-yard run on which he made defenders miss, changed direction and dashed to the end zone through a final would-be tackler. He then completed 19 of his 25 passes for 215 yards, including the dimes to Hamby and Hogan and a pair of touchdowns to tight end Drew Dougan.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/TfD8Qe3u3DU </div></figure>   Ashton Belaire (5-11, 185 LB | 2023)   The three-time District 8-1A Defensive MVP looked the part on the Caesars Superdome stage flying all over the field as a once-more leader of the Vermilion Catholic defense, including multiple disruptive plays behind the line. Belaire finished the season with 104 tackles, including 21 for loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles and three recoveries.   [player_tooltip player_id='291147' first='Jonathan' last='Dartez'] (5-8, 160 QB/ATH | 2025)   The sophomore matched Graves' initial touchdown with a 2-yard run of his own and earned Outstanding Player honors for his 115-yard rushing and 96-yard passing performance, completing nine of 17 attempts. He finished the season completing 72 percent of his passes for 1,397 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushing for 1,515 yards and 17 more scores. The District 8-1A Offensive MVP's final game of the season including its share of miscues on which OCS capitalized, but the young athlete also provided his own Eagles with most of their biggest plays.

Ouachita Christian returned to its fourth straight state championship game and took advantage of the opportunity provided to claim its first title since 2019.