Eye-catchers from Catholic (BR) vs. West Monroe

<p>Catholic (Baton Rouge) finally halted a promising West Monroe drive before halftime, then marched quickly down the field the other way to blow the anticipated matchup open with its third touchdown of the second quarter.</p>   <p>The Bears took advantage of an early special-teams spark to score quickly, then began to take control with big plays in all three phases to cruise to a 31-14 victory.</p>   <p>Here are notes on 10 players who stood out during the contest — focusing on different Catholic players from those mentioned in the eye-catchers article following the Bears' season-opener vs. Destrehan. <br></p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PksxdevMJUA </div></figure>   <p><br><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='912267' first='Rylan' last='Parker'] — 5-11, 190 RB — Catholic (2025)</strong></p>   <p>The senior running back was this week's leader of the Bears' loaded backfield with three first-half touchdowns on 16 carries for 66 yards and three catches for 18 yards with both the elusiveness to make defenders miss and strength to battle through contact. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTYYcSSWiYA </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602040' first='Turner' last='Goldsmith'] — 5-10, 170 QB — Catholic (2026)</strong></p>   <p>Goldsmith earned the start and heaviest responsibility to date with fellow junior [player_tooltip player_id='1602055' first='Baylor' last='Graves'] working his way back from an injury, and he excelled in the role with an efficient 23-for-26 passing night for 210 yards and two touchdowns. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FZ16jRMiN4 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710770' first='Cohen' last='LeBlanc'] — 5-10, 185 WR — Catholic (2025)</strong></p>   <p>The Navy, Air Force and Northwestern State target started the Bears with a big spark on an 83-yard kickoff return to open the game, then a catch a couple plays later for a first down and to set up a touchdown. LeBlanc finished with two returns for 148 yards and six catches for 52 yards. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LAvsAllYall/status/1839830797898928181 </div></figure>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='291082' first='Amari' last='Clayton'] — 6-2, 195 WR — Catholic (2025)</strong></p>   <p>The Nicholls State commit proved a go-to target for Goldsmith with nine catches for 78 yards all over the field, but particularly over the middle. </p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598066' first='Karson' last='Johnson-Harris'] — 6-1, 280 OL — Catholic (2025)</strong></p>   <p>The two offensive linemen featured following the opener — Louisiana Tech-committed senior tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='546455' first='Erv' last='Smith']</strong> and highly ranked junior tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1345158' first='Blaise' last='Thomassie']</strong> — both excelled once again. And, in another notable storyline for the Bears' front, Johnson-Harris stepped into the starting lineup for an ill teammate and played well in the role, including a highlight block on Parker's second touchdown run.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LAvsAllYall/status/1839835073970946305 </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1602105' first='Maxwell' last='Maurer'] — 5-10, 190 LB — Catholic (2026)</strong></p>   <p>The junior linebacker was active flying around the box with multiple highlight plays during the course of the night, including spear-heading a fourth-down stop behind the line in the fourth quarter that helped effectively put away the game. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT9LDsESCTg </div></figure>   <p></p>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1356164' first='Jayden' last='Vessell'] — 6-2, 205 DL — Catholic (2027)</strong></p>   <p>Another disruptive playmaker in the Bears' defensive front, Vessell brought pressure off the edge throughout the contest, including a fourth-down sack on the opening possession of the second half to immediately re-assert the Catholic control.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LAvsAllYall/status/1839845872831455730 </div></figure>   <p><strong>An'Jahvion Perkins — 5-9, 160 WR — West Monroe (2025)</strong></p>   <p>West Monroe received two of its biggest sparks for their senior speedster with a 43-yard punt return in the first quarter to set up the team's first touchdown and a 43-yard catch downfield late in the third quarter to set up the team's next score. He finished as the Rebels' leading receiver with four catches for 71 yards.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LAvsAllYall/status/1839851575302308237 </div></figure>   <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920696' first='Smoltz' last='Lilly'] — 6-4, 225 DL/LB — West Monroe (2026)</strong></p>   <p>The Rebels' junior defensive end stood out from the eye test and, even on a night when the aforementioned Catholic tackles were impressive, made a few plays of his own as well. </p>   <p><strong>Daniel Lane — 6-1, 185 P/K — West Monroe (2025)</strong></p>   <p>The Rebels were forced to punt more frequently than they would have liked, but their senior's big leg was consistently impressive when called upon as he boomed one after another high and long downfield with notable hang time. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FseYZMJEPrc </div></figure>

Catholic (Baton Rouge) finally halted a promising West Monroe drive before halftime, then marched quickly down the field the other way to blow the anticipated matchup open with its third touchdown of the second quarter.