If the third time is to be the charm for
Karr (New Orleans), junior quarterback
Devante Noil may well be the Cougars' rabbit's foot and four-leaf clover wrapped into one.
Noil was all that and more for Karr last week in its 28-16 Class 4A state playoff semifinal victory over Holy Cross (New Orleans) that propelled the Cougars into their third consecutive state championship game.
Devante Noil, Karr
Photo courtesy of 247
Second-seeded Karr will face top-seeded Neville (Monroe, La.) in a rematch between a pair of 13-0 teams for the state title in New Orleans' Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Friday.
With Noil hobbled by two sore ankles, Neville beat Karr in last year's final, 27-6.
Karr kept its current record unblemished as the mercurial Noil completed 17-of-24 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns against Holy Cross.
He also rushed for 92 yards and a score in being named the New Orleans Capital One Bank High Yield Student Athlete of the Week.
For all Noil's accomplishments, perhaps his most important feat was driving Karr 97 yards in 12 plays to give the Cougars a 13-0 lead four seconds before halftime.
"That was the turning point of the game," Karr veteran coach Jabbar Juluke was quoted as saying afterward. "Our defensive line stepped up once again, and for the offense to put together that drive was huge."
Holy Cross had reached the Karr 1-yard line only to be driven back. After its fourth-down pass fell incomplete, Noil quickly put the Cougars on the move in living up to his nickname of "Speedy."
He galloped 31 yards on first down in displaying the running ability that resulted in a 15-yard, first-quarter touchdown run to begin the scoring and give Karr a lead it never relinquished.
Noil apparently had capped Karr's lengthy scoring drive with a 5-yard touchdown run only to have a holding penalty negate what would have been Noil's second score.
Undaunted, Noil threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to
Blake Horton on the next play. Noil added an 8-yard touchdown pass to
Glenn Irons in the fourth quarter.
Noil also threw a two-point conversion pass to
Standish Dobard in the fourth quarter after
Jeremy Jamison's 1-yard touchdown run.
"He's a phenomenal athlete," Juluke said of Noil. "He's one of those kids that actually comes around every 10 years or so. He can do it all … He's a great young man as well."
Coveted as a wide receiver by numerous colleges, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Noil has five touchdown receptions this season. That pales in comparison to what he's accomplished as a quarterback.
Noil has thrown for 1,826 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,322 yards and 19 scores. He recently was named October Amateur Athlete of the Month for Greater New Orleans in voting sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
For all that, a state title has remained beyond Noil's reach. At full strength, and with his sights set on the elusive prize, Noil is primed to place an exclamation mark on his charmed season.
