High School

Ouachita Parish defeats Ruston: Lions avenge regular season loss in Louisiana Division I Non-Select Championship

No. 14-seeded Lions roar back from two-TD deficit to defeat district rival No. 1 Ruston 21-20 for first state title since 1989

Mike Coppage

Montrell Conner

The third and final day of the Prep Classic promises more fun-filled action as the heavyweights of Division I compete in New Orleans on Saturday.

No. 14 Ouachita (10-4 and District 2-5A rival No. 1 Ruston (11-2) meet at noon in the Division I non-select finals. Please check out our preview and prediction here:

Louisiana Division I Non-Select Football Playoff Bracket

Follow this post, refreshing frequently to receive the latest live update from the game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, with real-time reporting on scores and key plays.

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PREGAME

-Kickoff is set for 12 P.M. Updates will appear here once the game begins.

FIRST QUARTER

-Ouachita feeds MJ Dade for one yard on the first play. Gain of six on a second down pass from Montrell Conner. 3rd and 3 for the Lions. Snap goes way over the head of Conner. Terrible start for the Lions. 16-yard loss. 4th and 19.

-Great field position for Ruston at the 50. QB Sam Hartwell over 20 TD passes and only three interceptions. First down handoff yields a short gain.

-Kohl Gray huge gain off the right guard. First down Bearcats at the OPHS 19. Gray again, stopped for a two-yard loss. 8:33, 1st.

-3rd and 12, Hartwell pass intended for Josiah Morgan. Poor tackling by the Lions as Hartwell eludes the pass rush and gains 11 yards. 4th and 1 at the 10. Bearcats going for it. First Down! Gray carries.

-Toss to Gray, and he's down to the 1 or 2-yard line. Impressive first drive for the Bearcats. Gray tackled for a three-yard loss. 3rd down and goal from the 4. Naked bootleg by Hartwell. TOUCHDOWN, RUSTON! 5:55, 1st. Ruston 7, OPHS 0

-Dade goes for 8 yards on a sweep to the right side. Conner explodes through the middle for nice yardage. First down at the 42. Conner overshoots an open receiver downfield who would have scored. 2nd and 10.

-Conner keeps on the speed option, and he has speed to burn. 3rd and 3 at the 48. Dade won't get the first down. 4th and 2. Lions line up to go for it. Conner's pass incomplete. Ruston's ball at the OPHS 49.

-3rd and 10 for the Bearcats. Incomplete pass on a crossing route by Ahmad Hudson. Ruston will punt. Good defensive possession for OPHS. Ball rolls down to the Lions' 5. 2:48, 1st.

SECOND QUARTER

-BIG PLAY! Conner launches a 50-yard bomb from his end zone to Seneca Battle, who catches the pass over a Ruston defender in great position. Drive stalls and Lions punt. Ruston takes over at its 12. 11:48 2nd.

-TOUCHDOWN, RUSTON! Hartwell runs for 15 yards through a huge hole, and then throws a pass to Ahmad Hudson, who breaks a tackle and scores on a catch and run from midfield. 59-yarder. 3 plays, 88 yards. RUSTON 14, OPHS 0 10:45 2nd.

-Conner corralled for a four-yard loss on first down. Dade gains 17 yards on the next play. He's shifty in the open field. 5-foot-5, 160 lbs. Dade carries again for six yards.

-Conner has all day to throw. It's incomplete. The announcers are calling for a flag and say it's a "missed call." Conner carries again for six yards 3rd and 4. So far, 0 for 4 on third downs. Conner completes a pass to Battle to move the chains. FIRST DOWN, LIONS!

-Ruston intercepts the ball in the end zone, but there is going to be a flag for pass interference. Lions first down at the Ruston 27. 6:51, 2nd.

-TOUCHDOWN, LIONS! Dade sprints from 27 yards. RUSTON 14, OPHS 7 6:44 2ND.

-On 3rd and 12, Hartwell passes to Hudson, who outmaneuvers defenders around the 24 and runs to the OPHS 47.

-Hartwell runs for a large gain. Ruston in the red zone. SACK! Hartwell taken down around the 30. Big loss. 3rd and 23. 3:10, 2nd Quarter. QB keeper on third down. Ruston attempting a field goal on 4th and 15. It's from 37 yards away. Timeout. 1:56, 2nd.

-FIELD GOAL, RUSTON! Joaquin Ramos with the kick. RUSTON 17, OPHS 7 1:48, 2nd. 9-play drive covering nearly 70 yards.

-Lions driving in the two-minute offense. Conner pass to Wydell Clark in Ruston territory. TIMEOUT, LIONS

-PASS INTERFERENCE, RUSTON! Conner's pass incomplete but a flag will move the Lions to the Ruston 24. Clark was the intended receiver. 0:31 remaining in the half. Conner overshoots a wide-open Clark down the right sideline.

-Conner keeps it and goes out of bounds to stop the clock. 20 seconds left in the half. 3rd and 9 at the Ruston 23. Another keeper by Conner. 4th down at the Ruston 15. Field goal attempt incoming.

-NO GOOD! Lions miss field goal. Ruston will get the ball first in the second half. Still nine seconds left in this first half. Ruston 17, OPHS 7.

HALFTIME

THIRD QUARTER

-Hard-charging Sam Hartwell keeps for back to back first downs. Ruston at its 43. Gray out to the 46. Hartwell throws for Hudson. Incomplete, but the Lions were hanging onto him and will be called for pass interference. Bearcats in OPHS territory.

-Berymon gets a tackle for a loss. Hudson catches a pass near the original line of scrimmage. Incomplete pass. Ruston punts and pins the Lions inside their own 5. 8:00, 3rd.

-Hartwell has completed three passes - all to Hudson - for 105 yards. Conner runs on first down for the Lions and gains a couple to the 5. 3rd and 4 after a four-yard gain by Dade, who has 72 yards rushing on the day. FIRST DOWN, LIONS! Conner to Clark.

-Conner has six completions for 87 yards. 3rd and 3 for the Lions after Conner tries the middle. 45 touchdowns this season for the senior QB. FIRST DOWN, LIONS! Dade flashes between the tackles. OPHS at its 43. Conner fakes to Dade and runs to the 49. 4:57, 3rd.

-BIG PLAY! Conner threads the needle on a long pass to Clark who takes it down to the Ruston 3. TOUCHDOWN, LIONS! Berymon, the prized DL, blocks for Dade's second score. Ruston 17, OPHS 14 3:33, 3rd.

-RUSTON RESPONDS WITH BIG RETURN: Davis Demoss into OPHS territory at the 37. Gray down to the 33 on first down.

-HARTWELL TO HUDSON: The five-star grabs the ball and drags defenders to the OPHS 9.

-SACK, LIONS! Alex Smith tackles Hartwell, but Ramos adds a field goal from around 37 yards. RUSTON 20, OPHS 14 0:46, 3rd.

-LIONS RESPOND WITH BIG RETURN! Conner runs it to the Ruston 39 on first down. 2nd and 1. Dade to the 32. End of Quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

-Dade runs to the Ruston 19. 1st down, Lions. Incomplete pass. Conner completes pass to Battle, who is being covered by star DB Jayden Anding. 1st and goal at the seven. Dade to the 5.

-Ruston DL RaKeem Potts slings down Dade for a loss of 2. Conner scrambles to the 4. Fourth down. Lions will go for the touchdown. Bad snap ruins the play. Conner flips it to Dade, who is smothered for a loss of 10 yards. BEARCATS' DEFENSE STANDS TOUGH!

-3rd and 15 for Ruston at its 10. Cornered in the end zone, Hartwell throws it away. LIONS' DEFENSE STANDS TOUGH!

-Huge punt return by WYDELL CLARK on the Ruston punt. It's nullified somewhat by a penalty for a blindside block. OPHS, 1st and 10 at the Ruston 42. 7:40, 4th. Dade inside the 30 on a run to the right side.

-Conner, who has taken many hard hits, loses a yard. He's a tough player. Actually 2nd and 12. TOUCHDOWN, LIONS! Conner floats a pass on the run to Clark, who outjumps the defender. OUACHITA 21, RUSTON 20 6:41, 4th.

-Jeremiah Freeman with a BIG KICK RETURN for Ruston. 1st and 10 at midfield. Check that, this will change things significantly. Penalty on Ruston. Moved all the way back to its own 15. 6:31, 4th.

-Berymon is "taking control" according to the broadcast. He gets a stop at the line of scrimmage. Offsides, Lions. 2nd and 4. Kohl Gray carries for a first down. Ruston already has two field goals.

-Hartwell passes to Hudson to the 39. First down, Bearcats. 3:45 left. Gray gains three yards. 3:15 left. 3rd and 2, 2:40 left. False start, offense. 3rd and 7 now.

-4th down and 3 for Ruston. 1:45 left. TIMEOUT, LIONS

-LOT TO UNPACK HERE: Ruston runs a trick play with a halfback pass to Hudson, who breaks several tackles and makes it down to the OPHS 12 and loses the ball on a fumble. OPHS BALL, courtesy of WYDELL CLARK. On first down, Dade gets a large gain and runs out of bounds. 1:13, 4th. Ruston has all of its timeouts.

-TIMEOUT, BEARCATS. 1:05, 4TH. OUACHITA 21, RUSTON 20, 3rd and 10 for OPHS.

-TIMEOUT, BEARCATS 0:57, 4TH. Lions to punt.

-TOUCHBACK. Ruston at its own 20. No timeouts. 46 seconds left.

-Hartwell completes pass to Morgan. First down at the Ruston 33. Another completion to the 40. 33 seconds left. Clark's helmet comes off. He'll have to take a play off. Illegal procedure on the Bearcats. 2nd and 9. Officials are reviewing something.

-Six catches for 179 yards for Hudson. Officials still reviewing. 27 seconds left. Ruston completes pass to Morgan at the OPHS 43. 14 seconds left. Ruston will run one more play to try and set up a field goal.

-3rd and 10 for Ruston with eight seconds left at the OPHS 43. Hartwell to Morgan at the 33. Ramos to go for the win on a 50-yard field goal. Timeout, Lions.

-NO GOOD! LIONS WIN, 21-20!

POSTGAME

-MJ Dade, Ahmad Hudson named Oustanding Players

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Mike Coppage
MIKE COPPAGE

Mike Coppage is a Louisiana-based veteran reporter with decades of experience covering recruiting and high school sports for Scout, Rivals, The Acadiana Advocate and The Daily Iberian. He has been freelancing for High School On SI since 2024.

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