Karr Survives Thriller, Defeats American Heritage in Overtime

Clendell Caliste
Sep 15
2 min read

Edna Karr 24, American Heritage 17 (OT)

By [Clendell Caliste]

NEW ORLEANS — In a national-stage thriller at the Caesars Superdome, defending Louisiana champion Edna Karr rallied to beat Florida powerhouse American Heritage 24–17 in overtime Friday night, forced by a last-second field goal and sealed by a John Johnson touchdown run in OT.

The finish

With the clock running out at the end of regulation, Karr sophomore kicker Brayan Castellon drilled a long field goal to force overtime; the Cougars then opened OT with a John Johnson 3-yard quarterback sweep and the defense held on American Heritage’s final play to secure the win.

Key performers

John Johnson (Edna Karr) — Completed 19 of 29 passes for 221 yards and two passing TDs; he also carried 18 times for 66 yards and capped the game with the 3-yard OT touchdown.
Brayan Castellon (Edna Karr, K) — Drilled the go-ahead field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime (widely reported as a 37-yard kick).
Jamar Denson (American Heritage, WR) — The Patriots’ deep threat — multiple outlets credit him with two touchdown catches and a huge night. (Note: outlet stat lines differ — MaxPreps lists 5 catches for 148 yards and 2 TDs, while local reports list 4 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs.)
Jeffar Jean-Noel (American Heritage, emergency QB) — Started in place of injured Dia Bell and threw multiple TDs; reports list his passing total in the 150–170 yard range (MaxPreps: 7-of-12 for 166 yards, 2 TDs).
Jonathan Bueno Jr. (American Heritage, RB) — Finished the night with a strong rushing total (reports vary; local recap shows 107 yards, MaxPreps lists 116 yards — both outlets agree he was the Pats’ engine).

Game flow & turning points

Karr struck first in the second quarter on a circus one-handed TD catch (Floyd Jones), but American Heritage answered before the half and led 10–7 at intermission.
In the third, John Johnson connected on a touchdown pass to Joshua Ford to put Karr back on top 14–10; late in the fourth the Patriots answered when Jamar Denson broke free for a long TD to make it 17–14.
Karr mounted a late drive and Castellon’s kick as time expired tied it and sent the game to OT, where Johnson finished it on the ground and the Cougars’ defense made the decisive stop on a trick play attempt by American Heritage.

Why it matters

Beating American Heritage — a perennial Florida national program loaded with Power-5 commits — in the Superdome is a signature non-conference victory for Edna Karr. It validated Karr’s offseason hype, showcased the maturity of QB John Johnson and provided a huge national scalps-on-resume moment for the Cougars.

Quick box (scoring summary)

Q2: Edna Karr — Floyd Jones 1-hand TD catch (PAT good).
Q2: American Heritage — Kade Bailey 48-yd FG (PAT good).
Q2: American Heritage — (Jean-Noel →) TD (PAT good).
Q3: Edna Karr — Joshua Ford 15-yd TD (PAT good).
Q4: American Heritage — Jamar Denson 56-yd TD (PAT good).
4Q (as time expired): Edna Karr — Brayan Castellon 37-yd FG (sent game to OT).
OT: Edna Karr — John Johnson 3-yd run (PAT good); American Heritage failed to score on OT possession.