​Quarterback Montreal Connor 1, Ruston faces Ouachita Parish in the Division I nonselect LHSAA State Championship Game. The showdown is set for Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. In a season that has already seen two of Louisiana’s powerhouse programs prepared to collide in New Orleans, Ruston High School announced via its X (formerly Twitter) account that it will meet two-time defending Division I Select champion Edna Karr on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 3 p.m. at the Caesars Superdome.
Ruston has been a constant presence in the LHSAA title picture, advancing to championship games in each of the last four seasons. Under the leadership of Jerrod Baugh, the Bearcats captured the Division I nonselect crown in 2023 with a 31-17 victory over Zachary, marking the program’s ninth overall LHSAA championship. The team’s recent trek back to the D-I nonselect finals ended in a narrow 21-20 defeat to Ouachita last season, but Ruston remains loaded with talent and experience for another deep postseason run.
This year’s roster features several rising seniors who are drawing interest from major college programs. Ahmad Hudson and Jayden Anding have both earned commitments to LSU, Josiah Morgan is headed to Baylor, Sam Hartwell has pledged to Louisiana Tech, and Kelian Davis is bound for Northwestern State. The Cougars, who have been ranked by MaxPreps as one of the nation’s top programs, carry eight overall LHSAA championships in their trophy case, six of which were earned under the long-reigning leadership of Edna Karr and Brice Brown, a Grambling alumnus. Karr, a program that has dominated the Division I landscape in recent years, captured the 2025 D-I Select championship with a dominant 49-14 decision over St. Augustine, cementing its status as a perennial power. The team graduated 30 seniors from that championship campaign, and 20 of those seniors have since signed with Division I programs.
As Ruston prepares to challenge Edna Karr, the anticipation is high for a clash that could shape the narrative of Louisiana high school football’s premier divisions. The Bearcats’ return to the state title stage, paired with Karr’s proven pedigree and track record of success, sets the stage for what promises to be a gripping encounter in New Orleans. Both programs have built legacies on defense, explosive offenses, and a culture of winning, making this year’s matchup a marquee event for fans across the state and a potential benchmark for who sits atop Louisiana high school football in the coming seasons.
This recap originates from Monroe News-Star coverage, emphasizing Ruston’s looming confrontation with Edna Karr in New Orleans as part of broader coverage of Louisiana high school football’s landscape and rivalries.