After Billy Napier took the head coaching job at Florida, it was evident that a few of the Ragin' Cajuns would follow, but the question was which players would it be?? On last Thursday, running back Montrell Johnson announced that he was following his old coach to the Swamp.

"When coach Napier told us he was leaving, I knew that it was a possibility I could end up there," Johnson said. "Having the opportunity to play at the highest level & be great was something I've always wanted.

Johnson didn't really consider any other schools besides Florida after hitting the portal because of the familiarity with most of the staff. 

"I didn't really entertain any other schools like that because I knew that Florida is where I wanted to be," he said. "I knew coach Juluke & coach Napier being there it would make my transition easier. Already being familiar with the offense & having a close relationship with coach Juluke played a huge part in all of this."

He led the Ragin' Cajuns in carries last season with 162 for 838 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Sun Belt Conference recognized as him the Freshman of the Year. Coming to the SEC will be a different beast but I'm sure Johnson's 5-foot-11, 210 pound frame will help him get acclimated to this league just fine. 

"I know I can have success in the SEC as long as I work hard & take care of my body the right way," Johnson said. "I'm just ready to get started so I can prove I belong on this level," he said. "Being here for spring football will be a big advantage for me & I'm excited to start my new journey."

ULL standout receiver Kyren Lacy put his name in the transfer portal on last weekend making the former Ragin’ Cajun a hot commodity amongst many premier programs around the country. On Friday, he decided to make a decision to stay in the boot to play for the purple & gold. 

“It just came down to being able to play for an elite program in my home state,” Lacy said. “Coach Kelly & coach Denbrock really showed me how they plan to use me all over the field. They made it clear that I was a need not just a want.”

“Coach Frank (Wilson) also did a good job of showing me how playing for LSU can really help me down the road for life after football, that was really big to me.”

The 6-foot-2, 210 pound receiver pulled in offers from LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Penn St, North Carolina, Baylor, & Central Florida. 

“I had a real interest in some of those schools that offered me, but after my visit to Auburn I was feeling like that was the move for me,” Lacy said. 

“Their whole staff was very relatable & I really liked how they wanted me to come in day one to be their featured receiver.” 

Auburn’s charge was led by Louisiana native Trovon Reed(recruiting personnel), defensive back coach Zach Etheridge, & receiver coach Eric Kiesau. 

LSU head coach Brian Kelly has been open  about using the transfer portal to improve his football team in year one. Lacy makes the seventh transfer that has committed to LSU for this 2022 class. 

“Coming out of high school I felt like I was a power five player & now I get to showcase my skills on the biggest stage,” Lacy said. 

“I feel like I got too comfortable at ULL. And my relationships with people like coach Jordan(Arcement), coach Sloan, coach Frank (Wilson), & coach Carter (Sheridan) on this staff I know they won’t ever let me get comfortable.” 

Lacy has 50 receptions over two seasons, racking up 668 yards and 10 touchdowns. And He led the Ragin’ Cajuns with six touchdown receptions this past season in a run heavy offense. He also has 3 years eligibility remaining. 

The defending 4A state champs hasn't shown any complacency to start the season with a 12-2 record with wins against some of the top programs in the state like Carver, Madison Prep, Port Allen, & Bossier. The Mustangs have also taken their talents out of the state with wins against Episcopal (FL), Seminole (FL), Andrew Jackson (FL), & Universal Academy (TX). 

Head Coach Steve Kelly has been adamant about keeping his team motivated because he feels they're still not respected like they should be. Even if that bolds to be true, it has definitely lit a fire under his squad this season thus far. "Even though we won state last year, I feel we still have to earn our respect," Kelly said. "We have some pretty good players over here & any given night somebody different can lead our team."

Highly touted (JR.) forward Corey Chest has shown a lot of progression from last season to now. One of the Mustangs more recent games vs Port Allen, Chest led all scorers with 31 pts, 13 Rebs, 3 blks, 3 stls & his team Christian Pichon added 14 pts to help win the game convincingly 80-57. The Mustangs were only up 50-47 at the end of the third but they outscored the Pelicans 30-10 in the fourth with Chest scoring 12 of the 30 points.

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Zachary was down 20-7 early on in the game, but they would score 28 unanswered points to win the 5A state championship 28-20 over the Ponchatoula Green Wave. 

A trick play by the Green Wave that resulted in quarterback Nolan Tribble connecting up with Amorion Walkerfor a 51-yard touchdown on a flea flicker to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

Conner Wisham would score from 9 yards out for the Broncos making it 7-7. But the Green Wave came right back with two touchdown runs from Braydon Johnson to go up 20-7. 

Broncos quarterback Eli Holstein *Texas A&M commit* bounced back quickly, connecting with Jordan Williams for a 22-yard touchdown pass to bring within six at 20-14 at the half.

The Broncos took their first lead, 21-20, on a one-yard touchdown run from Holstein in the third. 
Holstein would give his team some much needed breathing room with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Tylon Williams to put the Broncos up 28-20 midway through the fourth.

​The Broncos defense would go on to stand tall keeping the Green Wave out the end zone after Carlton Johnson intercepted a pass in the red zone at the one yard line. 


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McMain came on the road to “The Rumble On The River” tournament hosted by Madison Prep playing some really good basketball as of late. 

​The Mustangs defeated Madison Prep 41-35 to give the Chargers their first loss on the season. Senior Nicholas Kaigler gave the Mustangs a boost scoring 6 points to put his team up 13-2 at the end of the first. 
The Chargers trailed 20-10 at the half, but finally late in the fourth they would cut the lead to 30-26 after senior Denziel Perkins hit a three with 3:50 left in the game. That would be the closest the Chargers would get after the Mustangs took care of the ball & made critical free throws down the stretch. 

McMain improves to (8-1) & Madison Prep falls to (7-1).
Nicholas Kaigler led McMain with 19 points & Percy Daniels led Madison Prep with 10 points.

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Westgate wins their first ever state title, with a 14-13 victory over Warren Easton. The Tigers began the game with a 73 yard touchdown from Jordan Doucet to Danny Lewis. 
Warren Easton tied the game at 7 going into halftime after a 1 yard touchdown by Jay Gordon. 

Westgate would get in the end zone again after Dedrick Latulus made an incredible one-handed grab to put the Tigers up 14-7 in the 3rd.
The Eagles would respond with a 6 yard touchdown run by Keon Stamps, but they would miss the extra point still trailing Westgate 14-13 with 6:52 left in the fourth.

​With the Tigers up by 1 with under a minute to go, the Eagles had 1st and goal at the 1. But Westgate came up with 4 consecutive stops to clinch the title.

No. 1 seeded Karr came up short to reach the state championship for the first time since 2014. Karr appeared in 10 of the past 11 state championships winning it five times, including four in a row from 2016-19.
No. 5 seeded Westgate stunned the Cougars on the road 27-20 in one of the most hostile environments you’ll experience in the state. 

​The Tigers jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter after Jordan Doucet hit Amaaz Eugene on a slant for a 38 yard touchdown & Dylan Bourque connected on a 33 yard field goal. 

Westgate’s defense would be the talk of the first half getting three 4th down stops. The Cougars would finally get on the board when A.J Samuel hit Alabama commit Aaron Anderson on a 17 yard touchdown pass. The Cougars trailed 10-6 at the half. 

​Both teams would go scoreless in the third quarter, but at the beginning of the fourth the five-star prospect Derek Williams would score from 3 yards out extending the Tigers lead 17-6. 
Samuel scored on a 13 yard run & converted the two point conversion for the Cougars, but Williams struck again with a 32 yard touchdown run for the Tigers making it 24-14 with 7:21 left in the fourth. 

Samuel would connect with Anderson for the second time on a 48 yard touchdown pass but the extra point was no good. The Cougars trailed 24-20 with 6:54 left in the fourth. 

Dylan Bourque extended the Tigers lead to 27-20 with a 25 yard field goal with 2:00 left in the game. On the Cougars next possession, Samuel was stripped by Bradley Lewis & Zyion Madison recovered the fumble for the Tigers to put the game away. 

The Cougars was without star athlete & Tulane commit Jaylin Lucas majority of the second half because he was ejected for a personal foul. Lucas had 156 yds all-purpose through 2 & a half quarters.
The Tigers will face the No. 3 seed Warren Easton Friday night at seven o’clock for the 4A state championship. 

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