Road To The Dome: LHSAA Class 4A State Championship Preview

by Jace LeJeune and Lee Brecheen

Well, here we are. We have reached the final destination for the public schools when it comes to the Road to the Dome. 32 teams had one goal in mind and that goal is to be one of nine teams in the end holding a state championship trophy. Now, 30 teams’ seasons are over and there are only now only two teams standing. Both teams had a long journey to get to this point, but now, only one team will get the taste of sweet victory while the other team will suffer the agony of defeat. The Louisiana high school football stage does not get any brighter than this. In this game, the Edna Karr Cougars will face off against the Warren Easton Fighting Eagles for the Class 4A state championship crown. Both of these teams have shown that they have what it takes to win the state championship, but which of the two teams will be able to get the win in the end? Well, Louisiana Football Magazine’s recruiting guru Lee Brecheen and editor Jace LeJeune give their predictions on will claim the right as state champion. Today, we will get you all covered in what you need to know for the Class 4A state championship game.

Class 4A State Championship Game:

Matchup: #3 Edna Karr Cougars (12-2) vs. #20 Warren Easton Fighting Eagles (9-4)

Game Info: Saturday, December 14th at 3:30 P.M. Game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Edna Karr’s Road To The Dome: 49-21 win over Cecilia in first round; 48-13 win over Carver in second round; 51-14 win over Breaux Bridge in quarterfinals; 40-21 win over Neville in semifinals

Warren Easton’s Road To The Dome: 44-6 win over Peabody in first round; 35-26 win over Tioga in second round; 34-22 win over Carencro in quarterfinals; 64-55 win over Lakeshore in the semifinals

Game Preview: For the second straight season, the Edna Karr Cougars will face the Warren Easton Fighting Eagles in the Class 4A State Championship game.

The Edna Karr Cougars are pursuing an incredible fourth straight state championship under head coach Brice Brown. Under center, Leonard Kelly is back in his second straight season as the starting quarterback. This season, Kelly has taken the next season to a new level by throwing for 3,186 yards and 39 touchdowns while completing 65.8 percent of his passes while being intercepted only five times. Kelly has especially been good in the playoffs passing for 1,087 yards and 16 touchdowns in the team’s four playoff victories. He also has rushed for 356 yards and eight touchdowns on 51 carries while also accounting for an incredible 47 of the team’s 68 offensive touchdowns. Kelly’s go to wide receivers Destyn Pazon and Aaron Anderson are a great one two punch. Pazon has a team-leading 50 receptions good for 1,033 yards and 14 touchdowns while Anderson has 30 receptions good for 567 yards and nine touchdowns. Pazon’s 14 TDs lead the team in scoring. Running back Leonte Richardson has rushed for 623 yards and 11 touchdowns on 97 carries giving the Cougars balance offensively. Defensively, the Cougars will lean on a talented linebacking duo in Dylan Smith and Joe Thomas as well as a good secondary led by Jamie Vance and Rodney Johnson.

While the Edna Karr Cougars will rely on throwing the ball, the Warren Easton Fighting Eagles, led by head coach Jerry Phillips, will rely on it’s running game. The Eagles will run the football with Colorado running back commit Ashaad Clayton behind Georgia center commit Sedrick Van Pran. This season, Clayton has dominated rushing for 2,056 yards and 29 touchdowns, especially in the playoffs with close to 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in the last four games. At quarterback, Dayshawn Holmes takes over for Lance Legendre, who is now playing quarterback for Maryland. This season, Holmes has done a good job accounting for 2,000 yards and 24 touchdowns. When the Eagles throw the football, Holmes has had 27 catches for 700 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Edna Karr Cougars will try to pick up the program’s sixth state championship while the Warren Easton Fighting Eagles will try to pick up its third state championship, but first since 1942.

Jace’s Pick: Edna Karr

Lee’s Pick: Edna Karr

Win-Loss Picks For Class 4A Picks: (At Conclusion of Semifinals):

Jace: 25-5

Lee: 25-5

Hey football fans. Like our recruiting interviews, stories, and other content on our website? Click on our website daily to view articles on recruits, coaches, and so much more at our website: https://www.lafootballmagazine.com/. Also, we have exciting news that for the third straight year, we will have our North and South LA issues and both are now out! Both issues will continue to cover all the Louisiana s as well as all the high schools in state, but there will be 16 pages that will focus on North Louisiana as well as South Louisiana. For more information, please check the following link to where you can find the magazine in a store near you. Also, below are the two covers as well as where you can order both magazines on our website.

Store Link: https://www.lafootballmagazine.com/news/2019-louisiana-football-magazine-north-and-south-editions-now-available-in-stores-near-you/

North Cover South Cover

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