One of Louisiana’s titanic clashes unfolded on Thursday night, with USA TODAY Super 25 No. 18 John Curtis battling out a narrow, 42-39 victory against Edna Karr.
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Here’s what we learned from the Patriots’ win:
1) Curtis quarterback Collin Guggenheim’s biggest weapon may be deception
Collin Guggenheim isn’t one of the nation’s more decorated quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean he’s ineffective or inefficient. A true dual-threat, the Army commit did his most decisive damage with his feet, including two critical second half scores that made for the difference in a Curtis win. In the first of those second half scores, On the first of those second half scores, it was Curtis’ last second decision to pull back the ball and slip around the end that made the difference.
2) All good things eventually come to an end
Edna Karr entered the game riding a 27-game winning streak that spanned three season and state titles. Even the mystique that came with that run and a heroic performance from quarterback Leonard Kelly were enough to keep the streak going against a Curtis team with superior talent. About Kelly: He finished with five passing and two rushing touchdowns to account for all of his team’s points.
3) Want proof how big a game this was? Ask Alvin Kamara
Thursday was opening night for the NFL. Star Saints running back Alvin Kamara wasn’t watching. Instead, Kamara was at the John Curtis-Edna Karr matchup, taking in some of Louisiana’s best high school football. It’s not the first time that a New Orleans-area professional athlete has shown up at a high school football game, but it might be the first time one has skipped watching the opening night matchup in his own sport to be there.
