LHSAA State Championships Top Performers: Oak Grove vs. Homer

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oak Grove put quite an exclamation mark on what coach Ryan Gregory considered arguably the proud program's best state championship run yet.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Tigers turned around a 3-3 season to roar through a gauntlet of playoff matchups all the way to a 17-0 shutout of 2021 Class 1A champion Homer in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The title, in the Division IV nonselect under the LHSAA's new format, marked Oak Grove's third in four years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/F06ZuQWYB00","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"embed-handler","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/F06ZuQWYB00 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='138304' first='Kam' last='Franklin'] (6-4, 205 ATH/DB | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Oklahoma State commitment had put on a show on defense his entire senior season and provided a fittingly prolific grand finale on the big stage to earn his team's Outstanding Player honors. Franklin flew around the field for 12 tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception to become the first Louisiana program to shut out Homer, the 2021 state champion, in more than three years. Franklin finished the season with 112 tackles, including 43 for loss and four safeties, as well as five forced fumbles, four recoveries, two interceptions and four blocked punts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='421608' first='James' last='Harris'] (6-2, 230 LB | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin was the headliner of the Tigers' impressive defensive performance, but he was far from alone. Harris, a budding 2024 star, wasn't all that far behind. The explosive junior linebacker racked up seven tackles, three and a half for loss and a sack, in a contest in which he seemed to live in the backfield. He finished the season with 92 tackles, including 18 for loss and five sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a blocked punt and a pair of defensive touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Decorian Freeman (5-10, 175 RB/ATH | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The title game wasn't much of an offensive showcase either direction, but the Tigers did manage to move the ball enough on the ground to reach the end zone a couple times, set up a field goal and eat clock. Freeman stretched the defense horizontally with his speed to the perimeter on a 25-yard touchdown in the first quarter and led the team with 128 yards in all. And sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='291089' first='Jackson' last='Bradley'] muscled his way for 109 yards up and down the middle of the field and across the goal line for a late insurance score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gunner Hale (6-1, 250 DL | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another key piece of Oak Grove's shutout effort was junior defensive lineman Gunner Hale, who made his way into the backfield on multiple occasions, including a sack. In addition to his strong work up front, he moved well enough to drop back in coverage to throw a mix of looks at the Pelicans and even intercepted a pass before a penalty elsewhere negated the play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/UrtauVOBPYw","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"embed-handler","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/UrtauVOBPYw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='276323' first='Walteze' last='Champ'] (6-0, 225 DL | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pelicans' senior defensive end garnered some national attention this season as pictures circulating social media had fans and media marveling at his biceps and overall muscular physique. Champ attacked opposing backfields throughout the season with the same determination with which he attacked the weight room and did so again on the state's biggest high school football stage, shedding blocks and surely securing ball-carriers near or behind the line en route to his team's Outstanding Player recognition. He finished the season with 101 tackles, including 10 sacks, three forced fumbles, three recoveries and three defensive touchdowns. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gregory Williams (5-10, 175 LB/ATH | 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Homer's heir-apparent to Champ as a standout athlete in the trenches with an impressive combination of strength and quickness and a chance to take his talent to the next level would be the underclassman Gregory Williams, who finished with a couple tackles for loss as well as some of the Pelicans' better runs, turning apparent losses into positive plays and converting a third down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->