Karr quarterback John Johnson breaks out of the pocket on his way to a touchdown against Alexandria in the first half of the Division I select football state championship at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
Karr’s Corey Adams pressures Alexandria quarterback Max Gassiot in the first half of the Division I select football state championship at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
Karr quarterback John Johnson breaks out of the pocket on his way to a touchdown against Alexandria in the first half of the Division I select football state championship at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
John Johnson, Edna Karr
Edna Karr senior John Johnson threw for more than 3,300 yards and 34 touchdowns as he helped the Cougars win the Division I select state championship.
But what he did with his legs put him over the top. Already a prolific passer for much of the regular season, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Johnson made several big plays by running with the football during the postseason, including the state final.
Beginning with a state quarterfinal win against St. Thomas More, Johnson rushed for seven touchdowns in the final three postseason games. In the state final, he ran 19 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
This came after a regular-season finale against Rummel in which Johnson scored six total touchdowns — three passing and three rushing.
Johnson completed the season with 4,301 total yards and was responsible for 50 touchdowns, including 903 yards and 16 touchdowns rushing. All enough for the Times-Picayune to select him as the large schools’ all-metro offensive player of the year for the 2024 season.
Johnson quarterbacked his team to the state title more than two decades after his father, also named John, played quarterback for an O. Perry Walker team that reached the state final in 2002. The father was the Karr offensive coordinator for his son, making the season even more special for the pair.
QB John Johnson, Edna Karr, Jr.
RB Jasper Parker, Shaw, Sr.
RB Nate Sheppard, Mandeville, Sr.
RB Calvin Smith, Hahnville, Sr.
WR Jakai Anderson, McDonogh 35, Jr.
WR TaRon Francis, Edna Karr, Sr.
WR Daejawn Smith, Edna Karr, Sr.
OL Juelz Baptiste, St. Augustine, Sr.
OL Christopher Bourg, Jesuit, Sr.
OL Jamard Jones, Rummel, Sr.
OL Abrum Lewis, Covington, Sr.
OL Leon Noil, Edna Karr, Jr.
ATH Malachi Dabney, Destrehan, So.
ATH Norman Taylor, Rummel, Sr.
ATH Thomas Vaughn, Warren Easton, Jr.
K Henry Cardenas, Shaw, Sr.
Corey Adams, Edna Karr
No two players made a better pairing at any position group in Louisiana, but it was Corey Adams who earned the 2024 large schools’ all-metro defensive player of the year selection from the Times-Picayune for what he did in helping Edna Karr win a state championship.
Karr’s Corey Adams pressures Alexandria quarterback Max Gassiot in the first half of the Division I select football state championship at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
Adams, an Ole Miss signee, played most snaps alongside LSU commitment Richard Anderson on the defensive line — each a Class 5A all-state selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Adams finished with 47 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, 20 quarterback hurries, one interception, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
During the regular season, Adams played well enough for District 9-5A coaches to select him as the all-district defensive MVP.
Adams had a sideline-to-sideline presence while also working his way into opposing backfields, making him one of the more dominant defensive players in the New Orleans metro area.
“I do a lot of wild stuff on the field,” Adams said during media interviews after the school celebrated his college signing in the week before the state championship. “My coach wasn’t lying. I really do some crazy stuff. I’m aggressive. I’m hard. … I don’t fear nobody, and that’s how it’s going to stay.”
DL Corey Adams, Edna Karr, Sr.
DL Richard Anderson, Edna Karr, Jr.
DL Nate Malek, Brother Martin, Sr.
DL Warren Roberts, St. Augustine, Sr.
LB Jeffrey Curtis, John Curtis, Sr.
LB Nick DiGerolamo, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB Myd Gilbert, Destrehan, Sr.
LB Dylan Post, St. Paul’s, Sr.
DB Jakobie Anderson, McDonogh 35, Sr.
DB Rontrae Carter, Shaw, So.
DB Aiden Hall, Edna Karr, Sr.
DB Michael White, Mandeville, Sr.
FLEX Xavier Brown, John Curtis, Sr.
FLEX Lester Johnson, Rummel, Sr.
P Creighton Wilbanks, Mandeville, Sr.
RS Jaden Williams, Chalmette, Sr.
Brice Brown, Edna Karr
Brice Brown coached Karr to an undefeated season that included a Catholic League championship and ended with dominant showing in the Division I select state final against Alexandria.
Karr reached the state final for the first time since 2020 and won a fifth state championship with Brown as coach, but this was the first title won by the Cougars since the school moved to Class 5A.
Karr opened the season by defeating Shaw, the eventual Division II select state champion. Shaw coach Hank Tierney received consideration for the coach of the year.
Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com
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