Louisiana
Top performers from Louisiana high school state championships
NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Louisiana high school football season came to a riveting finish in the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans over the weekend as eight champions were crowned and prospects from around the state stepped up in their final games of the season.
The Boot is regularly loaded with future Saturday stars, and in this case, future Sunday standouts as well. Several Power 4-caliber recruits turned in strong performances in the Dome. Rivals was on-hand for all three days of action.
Here are the top 10 performers from championship weekend headlined by Rivals MVP four-star LSU DL commit Richard Anderson
FOUR-STAR DL RICHARD ANDERSON – LSU COMMIT
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Richard Anderson put forth a dominant performance working inside in the trenches helping to slow down a rushing attack that’s been unsolvable for nearly four months of the season. Anderson, the No. 8 ranked defensive tackle in the Rivals250, came through with 7 tackles, including 6 TFL, a sack, and topped off a safety — in addition to occupying multiple blockers on a play-to-play basis. Anderson’s impact on the game was worthy of Most Outstanding Player consideration. The four-star LSU commitment from New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr is a force up front capable of causing havoc at 6-foot-4 and 315-plus pounds. Anderson is immensely powerful and bouncy and came away with several splash plays behind the line of scrimmage to impact this game’s outcome.
FIVE-STAR QB ELIJAH HAVEN
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Elijah Haven has taken a massive leap forward from his freshman to sophomore season, and in the process anchored Baton Rouge (La.) Dunham to the state championship game and eclipsed 100 touchdowns, etching his name in the program’s record books. The five-star quarterback from The Boot completed 25-of-37 (68 percent) passes for 300 yards with 2 TD in his first state title game appearance. He also carried the rock 32 times for 153 yards for 2 TD.
Haven completed 9 of his first 10 passes making big-time throws in the middle of the field with anticipation and arm strength to attack vertically downfield, including a controversial Hail Mary in the waning seconds of the first half. The 2027 passer was superb at maneuvering within the pocket, extending plays, and improvising outside of structure. At 6-foot-5 and 200-plus pounds, Haven evades pressure at a high clip and maintains accuracy on his throws under duress. He also has the frame to break tackles and extend runs.
FOUR-STAR WR JACOB WASHINGTON – MICHIGAN SIGNEE
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Jacob Washington broke through with his best game of his senior season at Marrero (La.) Shaw on the biggest stage to date. The Michigan signee came through with 8 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TD on 11 targets. The four-star WR piled up seven of his eight catches in the first half — separating at a high clip, making plays in the open field, and operating smoothly outside the numbers. Washington’s first touchdown came in the final seconds of the first half — and his second iced the victory in the fourth quarter. The future Wolverine also came through with plus blocking in the run game and finished with Most Outstanding Player honors.
FOUR-STAR WR TARON FRANCIS – LSU SIGNEE
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TaRon Francis capped a productive four-year run at New Orleans (La.) Edna Karr with a state championship. The blue-chipper came through with 3 catches for 66 yards on 3 targets, including 2 TD, and finished with 91 all-purpose yards. Francis was able to easily generate separation downfield, and at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, the LSU signee is able to make big-time contested receptions in the red zone. He’s sure-handed and a big, physical receiver capable of game-altering plays on the perimeter. Francis boasts major upside.
FOUR-STAR RB JASPER PARKER – MICHIGAN SIGNEE
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Jasper Parker is going to add another layer of physicality to the Michigan backfield. The four-star running back from Lousiana turned 19 carries into 174 yards and a TD — averaging north of 9 yards per carry. Parker’s 62-yard TD run in the third quarter put Marrero (La.) Shaw on top late. The 6-foot-2, 200-plus pounder barreled downhill through a host of defenders; his tough running style is tone-setting and demands the attention of opposing defenses. The Wolverines signee is a workhorse with good hands and quick feet. Playing through an ankle injury, Parker was hard to corral once he got some steam behind him.
FOUR-STAR ATH BRAYLON CALAIS
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Braylon Calais saw action at multiple positions showcasing different areas of his skill set in Cecilia’s (La.) triumphant title game victory. The top-100 ATH saw snaps at running back, receiver, and linebacker — in addition to return duties — to the tune of 192 all-purpose yardage (52 rushing, 36 receiving, 88 KOR yardage). Calais returned his first kickoff of the game to the house as the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder flashed his elusiveness in the open field and his ability to change direction seamlessly. After a spring evaluation of Calais, there was plenty of evidence of his upside at receiver. He was equally as impressive toting the rock out of the backfield and working in the box at linebacker. His speed translates to both sides of the ball and he takes direct paths to the ball.
THREE-STAR DE DK MAYS – HOUSTON SIGNEE
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DK Mays battled a wrist injury for the first half of the season and played his best football down the stretch, including in Baton Rouge (La.) Central’s championship game. The Houston signee filled the box score with 2 tackles, 2 quarterback hits, and 2 fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder also batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage and helped set the edge against the run at a high clip.
FOUR-STAR SAF AIDEN HALL – LSU COMMIT
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Aiden Hall is a difference-maker in the secondary. Hall saw snaps at free safety and in the nickel and came up with the first big play on the first pass attempt of the game in man coverage housing an interception. Hall’s first-quarter pick-6 was complemented by a handful of tackles made and a pass defended on fourth down defending the middle of the field in the slot. The LSU commit has outstanding range and is a plus tackler in the open field.
FOUR-STAR RB JT LINDSEY – LSU SIGNEE
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JT Lindsey put forth a senior season for the record books at Alexandria (La.) Senior High. The LSU signee amassed almost 2,800 yards from scrimmage this year, including 127 yards rushing in the Dome on Saturday averaging north of 5 YPC. At 6-feet and 185 pounds, Lindsey can accelerate at a rapid clip and hits the next gear almost immediately. The speedster from Central Louisiana is a threat to score from anywhere on the field, and even in his quietest game of the fall, eclipsed the 100-yard mark with some eye-catching runs. He’s a slasher with home-run ability and a physical touch to his running style.
WR KEITHON WOMACK
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2026 Baton Rouge (La.) Central WR Keithon Womack put himself on the map during the surge to victory. Womack was a favorite for Nicholls State-bound QB Jackson Firmin, who made a great contested grab despite tight coverage downfield to open the game and emerged as the Wildcats’ leading receiver. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior pass-catcher broke loose for 6 receptions for 113 yards and 2 TD. Womack separated well at multiple parts of the field and displayed fantastic body control operating in tight windows. He’s someone warranting college’s attention in a big way.
Louisiana
North Carolina man arrested in Okaloosa County for alleged Louisiana mass shooting plan
DESTIN, Fla. — A North Carolina man allegedly headed to do a mass shooting at a large Louisiana festival was arrested in Okaloosa County Wednesday evening.
Federal authorities contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in regards to the man. The department was told the man would be in the area.
The man’s name has not been shared by authorities.
Deputies found the man at a Destin Hotel. They took him into custody as a “fugitive from justice.”
The man will be extradited to Louisiana to face state charges, deputies say.
Louisiana
Mom whose 3 children were killed in Louisiana mass shooting still has bullet lodged in face — and sometimes thinks kids are alive
The mother of three of the eight children massacred by deranged Army veteran dad Shamar Elkins in Louisiana still has a bullet lodged in her head and is struggling with her memory — sometimes believing her kids are still alive, according to a relative.
Christina Snow, the girlfriend of 31-year-old Shamar Elkins, was shot in the face early Sunday when the former National Guardsman went on a shooting rampage at two nearby homes in Shreveport.
Three of Snow’s children she shared with Elkins — Braylon Snow, 5, Khedarrion Snow, 6, and Sariahh Snow, 11 — were killed in their home.
Elkins fired a bullet through Snow’s nose which is lodged in her head, and doctors aren’t ready to risk surgery, according to her cousin Jamarckus Snow.
The mom is now dealing with heartbreaking memory loss about the fate of her kids.
“One day, she’ll remember they’re dead. I heard yesterday she woke up and was like, ‘I got to get my kids ready for school.’ She’ll lose memory of what happened,” he told NBC News.
“One day, she’ll know, and the next day, she’s thinking her kids is still there.”
Follow the latest updates on the Louisiana father who killed 8 children in Shreveport shooting:
Elkins fatally shot his seven children — the three he shared with Snow and his four daughters with his wife, Shaneiqua Pugh: Jayla Elkins, 3, Shayla Elkins, 5, Kayla Pugh, 6, and Layla Pugh, 7.
He also killed Mar’Kaydon Pugh, 10, the son of his wife’s sister, who was staying at their house.
The vet turned his gun on Pugh and Snow, too, severely wounding both women, who are still in the hospital.
Elkins shot himself in the driveway of his former military mentor as law enforcement closed in.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear, but Elkins was suffering from mental health issues and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday after Pugh asked him for a divorce.
Louisiana
Federal appeals court upholds Texas’ Ten Commandments law. What does it mean for Louisiana?
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a Texas law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments, just weeks after the same court allowed a similar Louisiana law to take effect.
A majority of judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas’ law, which is nearly identical to Louisiana’s, is constitutional and does not violate students’ religious freedom. In February, the court lifted an injunction on Louisiana’s law, which cleared schools to put up the posters, but the judges said it was too early to rule on that law’s constitutionality.
Tuesday’s ruling could bode well for Louisiana’s law if it eventually returns to the 5th Circuit, considered the country’s most conservative federal court of appeals.
In their majority opinion, the judges rejected the argument that posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms would pressure students to honor the biblical mandates or adopt particular beliefs.
“To plaintiffs, merely exposing children to religious language is enough to make the displays engines of coercive indoctrination. We disagree,” the majority wrote about the Texas law, known as S.B. 10. A minority of the court’s active judges dissented.
Even though Tuesday’s ruling only addressed the Texas case, defenders of Louisiana’s legislation celebrated it as a victory. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the 5th Circuit’s argument in upholding Texas’ law was identical to the one Louisiana made in defense of its law.
“Our law clearly was always constitutional,” she posted on X, “and I am grateful that the Fifth Circuit has now definitively agreed with us.”
Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law in 2024, which requires all public K-12 schools and colleges to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom. A group of parents quickly challenged the law in court, and a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that stopped the state from enforcing the law.
In February, the 5th Circuit reversed the lower court’s decision, saying it had been premature to block the law before it took effect. The judges said they could not rule on the law’s constitutionality before seeing how it played out in schools.
But in the case of Texas’ law, which that state’s Republican-led Legislature passed in 2025, the court did rule on the merits.
Rejecting arguments made by attorneys for the Texas families who challenged the law, the 5th Circuit majority said that requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments does not amount to the government endorsing a particular religion, which the U.S. Constitution forbids. The law also does not impose religious beliefs on students, the judges wrote.
“As noted, S.B. 10 authorizes no religious instruction and gives teachers no license to contradict children’s religious beliefs (or their parents’),” the majority opinion says. “No child is made to recite the Commandments, believe them, or affirm their divine origin.”
The Texas families were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with the law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP serving as pro bono counsel. The same groups, including Louisiana’s ACLU chapter, represented the Louisiana families.
In a statement Tuesday, the organizations said they are “extremely disappointed” by the 5th Circuit’s ruling, adding that they expect to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction,” the groups said. “This decision tramples those rights.”
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