Eye-catchers from Ouachita Parish vs. Ruston state championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ouachita Parish completed its underdog run as a No. 14 seed to its first state championship since 1989.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions (11-4) started slow Saturday, but came up with a series of critical plays late to upend No. 1 Ruston (11-3), their District 2-5A rival, for the 21-20 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the eye-catching standouts from the Division-I Non-Select finale.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='401954' first='Dylan' last='Berymon'] — 6-2, 320 DL — Ouachita Parish (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The box score released after the game only listed the Lions' big defensive tackle with two tackles, including one for loss, but those numbers clearly shortchanged his true statistical performance — not to mention his overall impact anchoring the defensive front that held Ruston to 3.9 yards per carry and just 2.4 yards per carry outside of two bigger gains. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1348505' first='Wydell' last='Clark'] Jr. — 5-9, 155 WR/DB — Ouachita Parish (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The three-phase standout was among the Lions' leaders on both sides of the ball with seven tackles, including 0.5 for loss, and a forced fumble and four catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. And Clark's afternoon was highlighted by three of the team's most critical plays: a 49-yard gain for its longest pass play, a leaping 30-yard touchdown catch that provided the late lead with the extra point and then the chase-down strip-tackle to help preserve the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='283985' first='Montrell' last='Conner Jr.'] — 5-9, 150 QB/ATH — Ouachita Parish (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conner finished an efficient 11-for-17 passing for 184 yards, the touchdown to Clark and no interceptions and added 55 yards on 16 rushes, extending plays and getting loose on several occasions to turn disrupted plays into positive Gaines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1247371' first='Macario' last='Dade Jr']. — 5-5, 160 RB — Ouachita Parish (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior running back not only helped complete his mission of lifting Ouachita one step further than his father's runner-up 1994 team, he was named the Lions' Outstanding Performer with 21 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aiden Adams — 6-2, 200 LB — Ruston (2028)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore linebacker led all players with nine tackles, including one behind the line, and other disruptive and hurrying plays at and behind the line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Hartwell — 6-0, 175 QB — Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first-year starter at quarterback had a solid day leading the Bearcats' offense against a stout and athletic Ouachita unit. Hartwell rushed 13 times for a team-high 71 yards and a touchdown and completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts for 184 yards, a touchdown and no interception. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='469439' first='Ahmad' last='Hudson'] — 6-8, 240 TE — Ruston (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The highly touted junior prospect was the best player on the field, seemingly unstoppable in stretches with his six catches for 179 yards and a touchdown with his ability to make tough catches, strength and balance to break tackles and speed and quickness to make defenders miss and rack up big gains after the catch and after contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->