Karr-Alexandria State Finals: Karr Defense vs. JT Lindsey | Preparatory sports

The Edna Karr-Alexandria state final will be decided by how well Karr can defend against running back JT Lindsey, an LSU signee with 2,361 yards and 33 rushing touchdowns this season.

The two undefeated teams will meet in the select Division I national championship on Saturday at noon at Caesars Superdome.

This is the second meeting between the two schools in two seasons after Karr (12-0) won a state quarterfinal 40-34 last season in which the 6-foot-1, 181-pound Lindsey ran 29 times for 179 yards and scored three touchdowns – two rushing and one receiving.

In a 24-13 semifinal win over John Curtis last week, Lindsey ran 41 times for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

“JT is a great running back,” Karr coach Brice Brown said. “I can’t talk about (Alexandria) without first saying his name. It’s the fuel that makes the car run.”

Brown said Karr needs to “get him running east to west” because “he can potentially be one of the best players on the field.”

“When you play good defense, the first thing you have to do is go after the best person on the field,” Brown said.

Defensive linemen pursuing Lindsey for Karr include Ole Miss signee Corey Adams and LSU commit Richard Anderson, a junior. LSU commit Aiden Hall is also safe in the Karr defense.

Alexandria (13-0) typically uses two quarterbacks, with sophomore Karsen Sellers having the most pass attempts ahead of sophomore Max Gassiott.

Darius Washington leads Alexandria with 57 catches for 818 yards and 14 touchdowns. Jimmie Duncan has nine touchdown receptions. Tanner Townsend caught a touchdown pass against Curtis. All three are seniors.

“They’ve done a good job in the passing game this year,” said Brown, who expects Alexandria to “use a lot of max protection to neutralize our defensive tackles Corey and Richard.” But you know, we’ve got to put some pressure plans together and us get ready for use.”

Karr has quick-hitting ability on offense, as junior quarterback John Johnson has thrown for 3,201 yards with 32 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has two 1,000-yard receivers in LSU signee TaRon Francis (67-1,146-10) and Louisiana Tech signee Daejawn Smith (69-1,133-13).

Johnson’s father, also named John, led O. Perry Walker to the state finals as quarterback in 2002 and is now Karr’s offensive coordinator.

“On offense, we have to take what they give us,” Brown said. “We can’t just throw the ball down the field. We have to be patient and really get into the game.”

Six-time state champion Karr is in the state finals for the first time since 2020 and last won a state championship in 2019, when it won the last of its four straight Class 4A titles.

The Cougars played in Class 5A the last three seasons and won the Catholic League overall in all three seasons, posting an 18-1 record in 9-5A play during that time.

Alexandria is in the Dome for the state finals for the first time after finishing second in 2020, when the final was played during the coronavirus pandemic at Northwestern State in Natchitoches.