When you talk about the top quarterbacks in the state, Rickie Collins is a name you better get real familiar with. 
The 6-foot-3, 185 pound dual-threat quarterback from Baton Rouge, Louisiana has been the starter since his freshman year. He’s coming off of an impressive sophomore campaign where he threw for 1,445 yards & 16 touchdowns in only five games. 
The Memphis Tigers has taken notice of the talented signal caller giving him his first official offer of his high school career.

​“It’s real exciting to get my first offer from a program like Memphis,” Collins said. “Their offense is always pretty good & I noticed this past season how much success their quarterback had throwing for over 3,000 yards & over 30 touchdowns.”

The 2023 quarterbacks in Louisiana is a deep class led by Newman’s Arch Manning along with Zachary’s Eli Holstein, Denham Springs’ Reese Mooney, & Scotlandville’s Zae Teasett. All of these quarterbacks had been offered before Collins before today, but Collins expressed how it fueled him. 

​“It’s tough when you see quarterbacks throughout the state in your class getting multiple offers & you’re not getting any,” Collins said. “I don’t take it personal though, I just let it fuel me to keep working on my craft. I know what I can do & what I’m capable of so I just have to focus on what I can control.”

The three-sport athlete has also excelled in basketball & baseball. He also had a great showing in Miami on the 7v7 circuit with Louisiana Elite. On the hardwood this season he’s averaging close to 19 ppg to go along with some eye popping dunks every game that sends the crowd into a frenzy. And on the diamond Collins batted over .300 as a freshman.

​“I consider myself a real athlete,” he said. “I love competing & trying to be the best at every sport that I play. When you love to compete at everything that you do, it brings the best out of you. And playing with Louisiana Elite 7v7 is preparing me for college because of the type of talent I'm surrounded around. We have an elite group & and it's super competitive, so I'm looking forward to going all over the country throwing to guys like Aaron Anderson (LSU commit)."

The same day Collins receives his first offer, he also received an invite to the Elite 11. Founded in 1999, the Elite 11 is the premier quarterback event in the nation, bringing together the top quarterbacks in the country. 
The Elite 11 event alumni include 24 of the 32 current NFL starting quarterbacks, and 13 of the past 14 quarterbacks who have hoisted the Heisman Trophy.

​“Getting the Elite 11 invite is something I’ve always wanted, so it’s a dream come true,” Collins said. “I can’t wait to go out there & showcase that I’m one of the best quarterbacks in the country.” 

Written by Kyle Valdez

Madison Prep last lost came when they fell to Rayville 78-69 0n December 30. Since then they've been on a 8-game winning streak. During this winning streak, the Chargers has had impressive wins over No. 2 Opelousas and a undefeated Carver team who is No. 1 in 4A & undoubtedly emerged as Louisiana's most entertaining team this year. Entering this past Saturday night matchup at Madison Prep in Baton Rouge, the Rams put their perfect record (15-0) on the line once again. Unlike the teams' previous matchup, which ended 60-55 in favor of Carver, Madison Prep came out on top.

The Madison Prep Chargers found a rhythm and used the home crowd to run away with a 62-45 win. Deziel Perkins scored 29 points on seven 3-pointer's to lead MPA, while Jaylen Williams and Percy Daniels added 10 points each.

Versus No. 2 Opelousas, the Chargers came out on top with 55-34 win with freshman guard Jayce Depron leading the way with 18 points

Written by Kyle Valdez

The Carver Rams are 14-0 & currently ranked No. 1 in 4A  along with a No. 12 nationall ranking according to Max Preps. Their last three games have all been on the road versus St. Augustine, Slidell, & Ellender who is ranked No.5 in 4A. 

Carver's formula for success this season has been the highly-touted junior duo of Dorian Finister and Solomon Washington. However, Deion Ware caused the most problems for Ellender with 24 points. The sophomore wing torched the Patriots with five 3-pointers and 16 points in the first half. Finister played his part: chipping in 11 points and playing excellent defense in the half-court. Fredrick Price added 8 points.

​Despite the gritty game, Carver continues to prove themselves as Louisiana's composite No. 1. Playing in games similar to this game will prepare both teams for those chippy playoff games down the road. The ability to grind it out and have others contribute shows how well-built Coach Nate Roche's squad is this season.

Click the link below for full highlights!!

Carencro won their first state title since 1992 with a 35-19 over the defending champions Edna Karr. 
The Bears came into the came in as the #1 seed, but they seem to still be the underdogs. After a scoreless first quarter from both teams, senior running back Traylon Prejean scored from two yards out on fourth down for the Bears to make it 7-0. 

​The Cougars came back the very next possession with a 37 yard touchdown pass from A.J Samuel to Aaron Anderson *LSU commit* to tie it at 7 in the second quarter. The same two would hookup again for a 39 touchdown scoring strike to go up at halftime 13-7. 

The Bears struck first in the third quharter with a halfback pass for a touchdown from Traylon Prejean to Jaylon John to take a 14-13 lead. Senior Tavion Faulk would help extend the lead with a 9 yard touchdown pass to Ryan Perry to go up 22-13 in the third quarter. 

​Junior receiver Aaron Anderson would score his third touchdown of the game on a 10 yard run off of a reverse for the Cougars to make it 22-19 in favor of the Bears with just under four minutes in the third quarter.  
Senior running backs Kendrell Williams & Traylon Prejean put the game away with one touchdown a piece to cap off a huge game for the Bears. Williams amassed 139 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries while Prejean had 25 rushes for 115 yards. 

The George Washington Carver Rams has made it clear that they have some unfinished business after losing in the top 28 last season.  

​They are off to a 12-0 start with some big wins over No. 9 Helen Cox in 4A, No. 2 Madison Prep & No. 4 Sophie B. Wright in 3A, No. 2 Scotlandville & No. 3 St. Augustine in Division I. 

The Rams are led by two of the best prospects in the state with juniors Dorian Finister & Solomon Washington, but head coach Nate Roche has done an excellent getting key contributions from sophomore Deion Ware, freshman Laurence Nathan, & senior Fred Price. 

The Rams will put their undefeated streak on the line Monday night on the road versus the No. 4 team in 4A, the Ellender Patriots who is led by 6-foot-7 junior big man Dionjahe Thomas. 

​To checkout the highlights from the Carver versus Madison Prep matchup, click the link below!!

Written by Kyle Valdez

Written by Kyle Valdez

"The jump ball to Sampson was a sprint out play where we felt like we could get him singled up because of some of the routes and where the safeties were," Catholic head coach Gabriel Fertitta said. "I think they had some trouble guarding him all game. He's such a big, dominant force there."

The second half of the action was all Catholic. Austin Jackson showed off some speed in the open field to score a 71-yard touchdown to give the Crusader's their final lead of the game at 31-28. However, from that point on, Catholic would reel off 21 straight to seal the deal.

Catholic put together two touchdown drives, to go along with a pick-six score for Connor Stewart to finish out the fourth quarter. The final score was 49-31.

Brother Martin, the No. 1 seed, suffered their first loss this season to finish at 8-1. Catholic improved to 8-2 and will play No. 3 C.E. Byrd in two weeks at Northwestern St. in Natchitoches. Byrd, who's turned some heads over the past two weeks, beat St. Augustine 31-14 and John Curtis 14-13 to make a state final appearance.

For full highlights & interviews click the link below!!

Written by Kyle Valdez

East St. John came into the game as the No. 18 seed in Class 5A & advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2006. Ehret entered the game as the No. 2 seed & unbeaten until running into East St. John. 

​On the opening kickoff, the Wildcats muffed the return giving the Patriots the ball at the Wildcats’ 32 yard line. A few plays later Royal Falgout would score a 5 yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead with less than three minutes into the game.

The Wildcats would answer back with a 23 yard pass from Marcus Jackson to Kylon Harris on a post route to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.

​Jackson would take matters into his own hands on a 10-yard keeper to give the Wildcats a 13-7 lead with 6:15 left in the second quarter. 

On the first play of the second half, Andrew Jones turned on the burners for 64 yard touchdown to give Ehret a 14-13 lead. Ehret extended the lead to 17-13 on a 27 yard field goal from Oscar Avalos with 11:06 left in the game, setting up a classic finish for the Wildcats. 

Jackie Marshall *Baylor commit*, ran for 33 yards while breaking a few tackles & dishing out a nasty stiff arm knocking the Ehret defender to the ground & getting to the Patriots’ 20 yard line. 

​On third & 2, Cortez Fisher showed excellent vision to score from 11 yards out. The two point conversion attempt failed, leaving the Wildcats with a 19-17 lead with 1:28 left in the game.

Marcus Jackson, who is also the team’s kicker, converted a perfect sky kick toward the East St. John sideline. Travis Turner raced down and fell on the ball sealing the game for the Wildcats. 
For full highlights & interviews from the game click the link below!!