Eye-catchers from Ouachita Parish vs. Destrehan

Ouachita Parish made the long trip south Friday to Destrehan and pulled off one of the state's more notable second-round upsets.   The No. 14 Lions rose to the occasion with big plays in all three phases, showing their growth from a four-game losing streak in a loaded District 2-5A race to become one of the final eight teams standing in the Division-I Non-Select bracket.   Defense and special teams were stout throughout from an early spark to the final close-out of the Wildcats' comeback attempts, and the offense managed enough timely plays and put together a couple scoring drives to help survive and advance, 21-19.   Here's a look at some of the eye-catching standouts from the contest.     [player_tooltip player_id='401954' first='Dylan' last='Berymon'] — 6-3, 335 DL — Ouachita Parish (2026)   The Lions' defense was disruptive from the outset with their highly touted defensive tackle anchoring the front, generating some pressure of his own and commanding attention that helped free up teammates such as Ray Jones and Brandon Bruce to fly around for big stops behind the line and all over the field. Destrehan had its moments or drives of success on the ground, but Ouachita slowed the Wildcats down better than any other opponent this season, including a couple fourth-down stops and more than a couple quick punts.   <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=obchANapWAE </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1348505' first='Wydell' last='Clark'] Jr. — 5-9, 160 WR/DB — Ouachita Parish (2026)   Both offenses had trouble getting rolling early — a credit to the defenses as well as some penalties, particularly for Destrehan, that proved costly. But Ouachita's senior speedster provided a spark nonetheless with a punt-return touchdown that put the Lions on the board and allowed them to play from ahead.   <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=MM9LuhxyiqA </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='283985' first='Montrell' last='Conner Jr.'] — 5-9, 150 QB/ATH — Ouachita Parish (2026)   Friday wasn't one of Ouachita's bigger offensive outputs, but its senior athlete at quarterback made plays with both his arm and his legs at times throughout the contest, including a few of each on a long scoring drive in the third quarter on which he scrambled out of trouble on multiple occasions and found [player_tooltip player_id='775878' first='Kevon' last='Whitlock'], [player_tooltip player_id='1247371' first='Macario' last='Dade Jr']. and Cameron Brooks to eventually reach the end zone for highlights in the passing game.   <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=j0S9anDHXPw </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1247371' first='Macario' last='Dade Jr']. — 5-5, 160 RB — Ouachita Parish (2026)   The senior running back had one of the bigger gains on the Lions' third-quarter on a quick catch-and-run out of the backfield and helped lead the rushing attack throughout, including a third-down play early in the fourth quarter he popped to provide the final cushion necessary to outlast Destrehan.   <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=fjaT1YtJM6M </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='1348504' first='Orlando' last='Freemont'] — 5-10, 180 DB/ATH — Ouachita Parish (2026)   Count "O.D.," one of the Lions' versatile, two-way playmakers, among those aforementioned defenders who was flying around the field and consistently disrupting the Destrehan offense. Freemont was as hard-hitting and sure a tackler in space as anyone on the field, including multiple plays behind the line to help throw Wildcats drives off track before they could get going.   Deandre Mansfield — 5-11, 165 DB — Ouachita Parish (2026)   The senior safety joined Clark in providing an early special teams highlight as he fired off the edge and blocked a field-goal attempt to keep Destrehan scoreless in the first quarter. He was among the many defenders who played fast and physically throughout the night and came away with a big takeaway late in the red zone as he scooped a fumble that helped end a Wildcats scoring threat.   [player_tooltip player_id='212340' first='Jabari' last='Mack'] — 6-1, 195 WR/ATH — Destrehan (2026)   The LSU commit broke loose in the open field on a few occasions for some of the game's most explosive plays, but had a couple negated by penalties. The long touchdown that held up was a 60-yard highlight that checked a slew of boxes as he beat defenders to the perimeter, ricocheted off a pair of attempted tackles and accelerated downfield, cutting past one defender and hitting a gear others weren't catching.   [player_tooltip player_id='1402701' first='Malachi' last='Dabney'] — 5-9, 185 RB — Destrehan (2027)   The Wildcats' junior running back gained steam as the game went on, including carrying the bulk of the load all the way down the field and into the end zone on the team's touchdown drive just before half and a 55-yard scoring scamper to highlight his second-half success. Dabney showcased both his toughness and balance through contact and his speed to break some bigger runs as he paired with Mack to provide the bulk of Destrehan's offensive production.

Ouachita Parish made the long trip south Friday to Destrehan and pulled off one of the state's more notable second-round upsets.