NEW ORLEANS — No. 2 Southern Lab defeated No. 5 Riverside, 42-35 in the Division IV Select state championship game Thursday afternoon at the Caesars Superdome.
Riverside owned the first 16:51 of regulation, jumping out to a 14-0 lead behind a 27-yard touchdown pass from Kenric Johnson to Brennan Maus and a 43-yard connection from Brock Bourgeois to Maus.
Southern Lab would counter with 27 unanswered points in the second quarter, capped off by an Ian James interception returned 94 yards for a touchdown. The Kittens led by 13 at the break.
In the third quarter, Riverside responds with a 21-0 run sparked by running back Dedric Lastie.
The junior carried the ball 18 times for 107 yards and scored all three of his touchdowns in the second half. His third at the 10:40 mark in the fourth quarter would give the Rebels a 35-27 lead.
The final stretch of the game would belong to Southern Lab who finished the game on a 14-0 run behind a two-touchdown effort from Jerome Harris.
Riverside’s season ends with 12 wins and a runner-up finish under second-year head coach Lee Roussel.
The Rebels graduate 14 seniors but return 30 players listed on the championship roster.
Coach Roussel told his team after the game they would be back, meaning the Riverside revenge tour begins now.
Highlights of Thursday night’s matchup will be featured on WGNO’s Friday Night Football, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The show starts at 11 p.m. on Nola 38 the CW.
The replay follows at midnight on WGNO.
