St. Thomas More vs. Laf. Christian | Championship Eye Catchers

St. Thomas More didn't blink at a two-score deficit late in the first half, swung back quickly in the final minute before the break and then took control of the Division-II Select title game on its way to a fourth state championship in five years.   The Cougars' 35-21 comeback defeat of Lafayette Christian also marked their fourth victory in as many meetings between the district rivals in the past two years.   Here are a few more notes on 10 of the biggest eye-catching performers from the contest.     [player_tooltip player_id='914125' first='Gavin' last='Duplechin'] — 6-1, 175 DB — St. Thomas More (2025)   The junior cornerback snatched an early interception, the first of two in the game for the Cougars, to help start a string of early defensive stops in a matchup many expected to be a high-scoring track meet. Defensive plays such as the takeaway by Duplechin, who also recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup, helped St. Thomas More keep well within striking distance of Lafayette Christian despite a slow start. And the Cougars helped limit the Knights' deep shots to make them more than many opponents have succeeded to.   [player_tooltip player_id='902066' first='Sanders' last='Foreman'] — 5-10, 180 WR — St. Thomas More (2024)   The senior, who hauled in the game-winning score in the teams' regular-season matchup, led all players with nine receptions and 104 yards.   [player_tooltip player_id='1202532' first='Adam' last='Guidry'] — 6-3, 200 DL — St. Thomas More (2024)   The senior defensive end finished with four tackles, including a sack, and helped in the efforts by the Cougars' front to apply pressure and contain LSU-committed Lafayette Christian star [player_tooltip player_id='139261' first='Ju'Juan' last='Johnson'] as well as anyone had all season. Johnson still racked up huge numbers, but in more of an uphill battle than any other opponent had posed all season en route to the Knights' season-low 21 points.   Christopher Helaire — 5-8, 150 DB — Lafayette Christian (2025)   The cornerback capped a breakout junior campaign with another strong performance from a first-quarter interception, to two pass breakups, eight tackles and a forced fumble — all of which that either led the Knights statistically or (in tackles) came close.   [player_tooltip player_id='285654' first='Melvin' last='Hills III'] — 6-4, 260 DL — Lafayette Christian (2024)   The Texas commit helped create some problems up front from the St. Thomas More offense on his way to eight tackles, a sack and another stop for loss.   [player_tooltip player_id='139261' first='Ju'Juan' last='Johnson'] — 5-11, 180 QB/ATH — Lafayette Christian (2024)   For all the talk of how relatively well St. Thomas More contained or slowed Johnson compared to other opponents this season, the LSU commit still racked up huge numbers with 24-for-41 passing for 270 yards and 18 rushes for 187 yards and three touchdowns.   [player_tooltip player_id='1203232' first='Brody' last='Latiolais'] — 5-10, 195 LB — St. Thomas More (2024)   The senior linebacker had one of the most pivotal plays of the contest with an interception in the final seconds of the second quarter that he managed to return 80 yards up the sideline to help the Cougars suddenly tie the game at 14-14 at the midway mark after falling behind two scores in a challenging first half. Latiolais also tallied five tackles.   [player_tooltip player_id='145325' first='Ty' last='Lee'] — 6-0, 185 DB — Lafayette Christian (2024)   The versatile senior defensive back tallied four tackles in his final high school appearance, including some physical, hard-hitting stops, and broke up a third-down pass toward the end zone early to keep St. Thomas More off the board.   John Luke St. Pierre — RB — St. Thomas More (2024)   The senior earned Outstanding Player honors for his efforts in a balanced rushing attack in which he carried 11 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns — two of the Cougars' four offensive scores — to help finally put the team on the board late in the first half and pull back even at 21-21 late in the third quarter.   [player_tooltip player_id='289901' first='Hutch' last='Swilley'] — 5-11, 200 RB — St. Thomas More (2024)   The other half of the senior running back duo, Swilley carried 23 times for a team-high 91 yards — most in the game outside of Johnson — on several physical runs on which he doled out more punishment than he took on. The one-time Navy commit also caught three passes for 22 yards to help lead St. Thomas More with 113 all-purpose yards.

St. Thomas More didn't blink at a two-score deficit late in the first half, swung back quickly in the final minute before the break and then took control of the Division-II Select title game on its way to a fourth state championship in five years.