MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.) Cubs have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its fourteenth year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Cubs ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating St. Thomas More 55-46 in the
Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Division II state championship contest on Friday, December 7 marked the completion of an incredible 13-0 season — and earned University Lab an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
John Gordon McKernan's one-yard plunge with just more than three minutes remaining in the contest proved to be the difference, allowing the Cubs to repeat as state football champion for the first time in program history. McKernan's touchdown run with 3:06 remaining put St. Thomas More in a 55-46, two score hole and the Cub defense made sure the runners-up stayed there in the closing moments of the contest.
Leading 41-39 going into the final quarter, Cubs running back Mike Hollins capped a length of the field drive with a two-yard score on a shovel pass from McKernan before the Cougars responded moments later with a nine-yard aerial for a touchdown to pull within 48-46 to set up the game's final moments. The Cubs, who led 21-13 at intermission, never trailed in the contest and were tied once at 7-7 in the opening quarter.
Hollins finished the contest with 240 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 27 carries and added 47 yards on five catches and another score in the title contest. McKernan completed 20 of 33 passes for 331 yards and three scores at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Hollins' four touchdowns tied the Division II state championship record and the 101 combined points was a state championship record as well. The two finalists combined for 91 total pass attempts, 61 first downs, 1,210 total yards, 159 plays and 28 penalties, all title game records. University Lab out yarded St. Thomas More 607-603. University Lab opened postseason play with a first round bye before kicking in the door to the Final Four with a 48-14 win over St. Louis Catholic. The Cubs bumped De La Salle from state championship contention with a 43-14 semifinal triumph to set up the championship bout with St. Thomas More.
University Lab opened the season with a 46-17 win over Mandeville. Then, following a 42-14 triumph over Southern Lab, the Cubs almost doubled the score on Catholic-B.R. 41-21 to start the season 3-0. Chad Mahaffey's club outscored its competition 633-174 and posted four shutouts on the year. University Lab held nine foes to 14 points or less, while scoring a season-high 70 points in a win over Mentorship Academy.
Having won 26 straight football games dating back to 2017, the Cubs set themselves up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only is University Lab the top-ranked squad in
MaxPreps Louisiana Class II Rankings, the Cubs are the third best club in all of
Louisiana. University Lab is ranked No. 73 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings and played its way into the
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Writers' Poll at No. 21!
These incredible season achievements have earned the University Lab Cubs an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us at Tiger Stadium for a community celebration as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.