Evangel Christian wins Division I state title

NEW ORLEANS — Forcing three first-half turnovers, the Evangel Christian Academy Eagles defeated the Scotlandville Hornets, 38-6, for the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division I state championship in a game that ended early Saturday morning at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The championship is the 14th in school history for Evangel (12-2), second only in Louisiana prep history to John Curtis.
Scotlandville took the opening possession of the game, driving all the way to the Evangel 5-yard line before Ardarius Washington intercepted Levi Lewis. Jarrick Bernard intercepted Lewis on the next possession for the Eagles.
Scoreless after the first quarter, Evangel got on the scoreboard on its first possession of the second quarter, driving 75 yards on 11 plays, culminating with a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Connor Curry to take a 7-0 lead.
Forcing a Scotlandville punt late in the second quarter, the Eagles took only two plays to take a 14-0 lead when Curry hit Josh Walker for a 36-yard pass and then hit Tanner Ash for a 9-yard scoring strike.
Curry hit Ash for a 62-yard touchdown on the first possession of the second half to push the Evangel lead to 21-0.
Scotlandville (12-1) was making its first trip to the state championship game.
STM captures
1st state title
In a rematch of the 2015 Division II state championship game, the St. Thomas More Cougars defeated Parkview Baptist, 54-29, in the 2016 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division II state championship game Friday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The win for the Cougars (10-3) is the first football championship in school history.
St. Thomas More scored on its first two possessions.
A 6-yard touchdown run by Chris Primeaux capped a 77-yard, eight-play drive.
After forcing a Parkview Baptist punt, senior quarterback Nate Cox led the Cougars on a seven-play, 71-yard drive, ending with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Lagrange.
Parkview Baptist’s lone points of the first half came on a 3-yard run by Connor Joffrion. Joffrion also ran in the 2-point conversion attempt, cutting the lead to 14-8.
Cox led St. Thomas More back down the field, commanding an 11-play, 65-yard drive, culminating with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Matthew Gautreaux.
The Cougars’ lead grew to 27-8 when Cox found Griffin Hebert from 7 yards out.
Cox tied the state championship game record by throwing for six touchdowns.
In 2015, Parkview Baptist defeated St. Thomas More, 24-21, for the Division II championship.
Riverside beats rival for Division III title
Riverside Academy has captured the school’s first-ever Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division III state football championship with a 47-20 win against district rival St. Charles Catholic.
The Riverside Academy Rebels (12-1) got on the scoreboard first Friday inside the Mercedes Benz Superdome when Trey Catoire stripped the ball from St. Charles Catholic quarterback Lloyd Nash and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown.
Tied 7-7 after a 1-yard touchdown run by St. Charles Catholic’s Tim Williams, Riverside scored the final 27 points of the first half to take a commanding 34-7 advantage. Jalen Banks had a 17-yard touchdown run, Jeremy Gibson ran 11 yards for another touchdown, Jordan Loving found Avonti Cannon for a 27-yard touchdown scoring strike and Garland Robinson Jr. had a 43-yard punt return for a score for the Rebels.
Loving also hit Cannon for a 52-yard score on the first possession of the second half to extend the lead to 41-7.
The Comets (11-3) were seeking the school’s second championship title. St. Charles Catholic’s lone title came in 2011.
Southern Lab repeats as champions
Defending their state championship from a season ago, the Southern Lab Kittens defeated Ascension Episcopal, 36-9, to capture the 2016 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division IV title.
The Kittens (12-1) got on the scoreboard in the first quarter Friday when Shannon Forman sacked Ascension Episcopal (13-1) quarterback Jake Vascocu in the end zone for a safety.
After receiving the free kick, Tyrion Davis made it 8-0 Kittens when he scored on a 52-yard touchdown run. It was the first of three long touchdown runs for the sophomore tailback, who also scored on a 57-yard run later in the first quarter and an 85-yard run in the fourth.
The Blue Gators got on the scoreboard when Taylor Doss hit a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 16-3.
Southern Lab pushed its lead to 22-3 on its first play from scrimmage in the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown run by Charvis Thorton.
Junior quarterback Quincy Fillmore’s 7-yard touchdown run and subsequent two-point conversion pass extended the Kittens’ lead to 30-3.
The state championship win was the sixth title for the Kittens, while Ascension Episcopal was making its first-ever appearance in the game held at the Mercedes Benz Superdome.