Eye-catchers from Edna Karr vs. St. Augustine

New Orleans rivals Edna Karr and St. Augustine squared off Saturday in a highly anticipated Catholic League matchup to officially wrap up Week 5 and the first half of the regular season.   But after trading scores and takeaways evenly early, the Cougars opened a lead in the second quarter and began to seem increasingly more in control in the second half on their way to a 34-13 statement win early in district play.   Here are a few notes on 12 players who stood out, starting with Edna Karr's three LSU commit.     [player_tooltip player_id='710991' first='Richard' last='Anderson'] — 6-4, 280 DL — Edna Karr (2026)   Big Rich played huge in the middle of the Cougars' defensive front, clogging running lanes that helped limit St. Augustine's ability to be find consistent balance on the ground and showing his explosiveness and quickness and he brought pressure into the middle of the pocket even against frequent double teams.   [player_tooltip player_id='401932' first='Aiden' last='Hall'] — 6-2, 185 DB — Edna Karr (2026)   Anderson's fellow 2026 LSU commit was a similarly active and integral piece to the stingy Edna Karr defensive performance at every level in slowing down the typically potent Purple Knights attack. Hall was all over the field from sideline to sideline, working off the edge in both pass-rush and run-support situations and chasing down a receiver after a catch across the field to save a touchdown.   [player_tooltip player_id='426960' first='TaRon' last='Francis'] — 6-1, 200 WR — Edna Karr (2025)   Coach Brice Brown praised the LSU-committed receiver for toughing out four full quarters despite not necessarily being 100%, which makes even more impressive the effort Francis showed not only flashing the speed and going up for catches, but battling for extra yardage with every opportunity after the catch and in the return game.   [player_tooltip player_id='710768' first='Daejawn' last='Smith'] — 5-11, 170 WR/ATH — Edna Karr (2025)   The speedy, under-recruited senior receiver showcased on the relatively big stage the same explosive threat that has made him a huge piece of the Cougars' success during the first half of the season. Smith was a consistent target for junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='920629' first='John' last='Johnson'] and, in particular on a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, showed both his abilities to make defenders miss and swiftly accelerate through and away them.   Bryant Sanchez — 5-10, 170 RB/ATH — Edna Karr (2025)   Another more under-the-radar who has been critical to the Cougars' offense this season, Sanchez shouldered the rushing load with the game's first touchdown and another pair in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='291158' first='Arsenio' last='Bolds Jr.'] — 5-11, 210 LB/DB — Edna Karr (2025)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1598152' first='Tyrik' last='Brigalia'] — 5-10, 185 LB/DB — Edna Karr (2025)   The Cougars' two linebackers with safety backgrounds and athleticism ran freely behind Anderson and company up front, shutting down running lanes and hitting hard and each snatching first-half interceptions that helped keep St. Augustine out of the end zone and Edna Karr build its lead.   [player_tooltip player_id='710970' first='Hayward' last='Howard Jr.'] — 6-2, 175 DB — Edna Karr (2026)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1237623' first='Maurice' last='Williams'] Jr. — 5-11, 160 DB — Edna Karr (2026)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1602024' first='Torrence' last='Sanders'] — 6-1, 180 DB — Edna Karr (2026)   The Edna Karr secondary appears loaded with top-end talent this and next year with the continued emergence of Hall's fellow 2026 classmates in Howard, Williams and the versatile and under-the-radar Sanders — all with good size and even better physicality to their game in space.   [player_tooltip player_id='1601952' first='Syre' last='Gilmore'] — 5-10, 175 DB — St. Augustine (2026)   The junior safety had stood out on the back end of the defense during our first opportunity to see the Purple Knights in Week 2 and showcased more of his strength in run support Saturday and nose for the ball with a fumble recovery and nearly another.   [player_tooltip player_id='1618849' first='Jaelle' last='Noble'] — 6-0, 180 QB — St. Augustine (2028)   The Purple Knights went to their young back-up quarterback early and with some consistency on short-yardage situations, including the goal-line touchdown to cap their first possession, as they showed their trust in the athleticism and vision of the freshman on whom the coaches are high as part of the future of the offense.   Lejon Moore — WR — St Augustine (2025)   The speedy senior was the most consistent weapon for junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1348424' first='Vashaun' last='Coulon'] during the course of the game, continuing his strong run in recent weeks and capping the night with a touchdown reception on a contested ball along the sideline in the end zone.   [player_tooltip player_id='1323402' first='Miguel' last='Whitley'] — 6-0, 170 WR — St. Augustine (2027)   and [player_tooltip player_id='1356127' first='Ray'Quan' last='Williams'] — 6-0, 165 WR — St. Augustine (2027)   The Purple Knights' dynamic sophomore duo on the outside didn't have their typical big games, but did still each manage a big gain to highlight their days even against the top-flight Edna Karr secondary — Whitley on a shorter screen and run and Williams on a deeper route across the middle of the field as Coulon evaded and stepped through the rush to make the throw.

New Orleans rivals Edna Karr and St. Augustine squared off Saturday in a highly anticipated Catholic League matchup to officially wrap up Week 5 and the first half of the regular season.