NEW ORLEANS, La. - West Monroe jumped out to a big lead in Saturday's Class 5A state championship game against Carencro at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, but the Rebels had to weather a number of turnovers and spirited Bears rally before claiming a 20-13 victory and hoisting the state championship trophy for the eighth time in school history.

Coming into the LHSAA Class 5A state championship game Saturday night, the West Monroe Rebels were in familiar territory being on the center stage of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, playing in their 14th title game in the last 19 years. On the other hand, the Carencro Golden Bears were making their first appearance since 1996. Second-year head coach Brent Indest has done a remarkable job in turning around the Bears' program, coming off a 5-5 season last year and being a slight favorite coming into this championship with a ton of athletic talent. On top of that, the Bears were seeking a little payback from a 24-21 title game defeat at the hands of the Rebels 15 years ago.

West Monroe's philosophy of play has been pretty consistent over the tenure of head coach Don Shows and has won him many games and championships: smashmouth football on offense and a swarming, smothering style defense. Defensive coordinator Jerry Arledge has the 2011 version of the Rebels' defense only giving up 14 points per game, one shutout, and only four times have they given up more than two scores, mainly in trash time.

No team has been hotter than Carencro coming into the Dome game, a team that brandishes a 2,805-yard rusher in Alex Johnson (5-11, 195) and an offense that averages 43 points/game, so something had to give between the two squads.

Both teams were plagued by turnovers in the game, but the Rebels seized momentum at the start to build up an early 10-0 lead, before Carencro got on the board. The lead would increase later on in the contest for West Monroe, stretching it as much as a 20-3 spread on the high-octane Bears. Carencro was able to answer with less than nine minutes to play in the ballgame, to cut the margin to 10. The Bears would cash in on back-to-back turnovers in consecutive possessions by the Rebels, to make it a one possession game with 6:53 left to play. West Monroe would eat up over six minutes of the remaining clock, in a 13-play drive that stalled at the Carencro 31. The Bears' would get a chance to pull off a game tying score from 71 yards away, with 46 seconds remaining. Carencro would make it to near midfield, but the West Monroe defense would turn back the Bears' hopes of sending the game to overtime and cemented the victory, finishing the year at 13-2.

In front of 29,874 in attendance, the Bears took the field on offense first, pitting strength-versus-strength of each team on display at the very beginning. Carencro found out right away how tough the Rebels' defense was, going three-and-out on their first series.

West Monroe would open up on offense for the first time, at their own 47-yard line. Two short rushes by a pair of senior fullbacks, Jacob Tyson (6-1, 230) and Bubba Reeves (6-1, 205), netted the Rebels eight yards. The next play from scrimmage, senior QB Connor Osborne (5-10, 155) busted a 45-yard run for a touchdown to put the Rebels on the board first -7-0.

Carencro would still search for their initial first down of the game, as the West Monroe defense turned them away for another three-and-out. Rebel return man and cornerback Xavier Woods (6-0, 176) would return the Bears' punt 25 yards, to set West Monroe up deep in Carencro territory. The Bears would rise up and hold the Rebels to a 46-yard field goal by kicker Beau Benson, making it 10-0 with 5:44 left in the 1st quarter.

The Bears had a little more success on offense on their third possession, finally getting a first down and flipping the field before handing the ball back over to West Monroe.

Carencro received a break, when Tyson would fumble and LB Kye Poole (5-9, 225) would recover at the Rebels' 15-yard line. The West Monroe defense would minimize the damage and hold Carencro to a 32-yard field goal by kicker D.J. Thomas for a 10-3 game.

Both teams traded possessions to start the 2nd quarter, but Carencro would benefit when Poole would recover his second fumble, this one by Rebels' Reeves. The Bears' would not be able to capitalize on the error, throwing two incomplete passes and having a loss on another play, to punt the ball back over to West Monroe.

West Monroe would later make a push with time winding down for halftime, when Woods would catch a 33-yard pass from Osborne, down to the Carencro 31. Beau Benson would miss short on a 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired for intermission, Rebels led 10-3.

The potent Carencro offense would only have two first downs and 52 total yards of offense, in 27 plays, to end the half. The Rebels would net 131 yards and 10 first downs, holding on to a seven point lead.

Carencro's Johnson would cough up the ball in the Bears' first drive of the second half, caused by Rebels' senior FS Alex Yount (6-1, 188) and recovered by senior DE Terrell Lathan (6-4, 255) at the WM 44-yard line.

The Rebels would get turned back by the Bears' defense after driving to the Carencro 30-yard line, when an incomplete pass from Osborne to junior WR Tanner Noel (5-9, 163) fell incomplete.

Again, free safety Yount would find a nose for the ball and step in front of a Jalen Nixon pass and return it to the Bears' 13-yard line to set the Rebels up in the Carencro red zone. Four plays later, Benson would tack on three more for the Rebs, making it a 13-3 ballgame, with 4:32 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

Carencro senior QB Jalen Nixon (6-2, 225) would be picked off again on the next drive by Woods, to set up West Monroe in business again. This time the Rebels' would maximize the opportunity and cash in with a touchdown, when Osborne would rush 14 yards for the score for a 20-3 West Monroe lead with 1:43 remaining in the third.

West Monroe's defense rose to the occasion once again, when Carencro's Johnson was stuffed on a 4th & 1, falling inches short of the first down. But the Rebels would give the ball right back by way of an Osborne fumble that was recovered by Poole, his third of the game.

Four plays later, Nixon outran the Rebels defense and dove for the pylon on a 13-yard keeper, drawing Carencro to within ten (20-10) and 8:52 left in the game.

The generosity continued on the next series for the Rebels with Reeves losing the ball and Carencro junior LB Kassz Savoy (5-10, 180) recovering the fumble, putting the Bears in striking distance at the Rebels' 11.

With both defenses reigning supreme, the Rebels' held Carencro to a 31-yard field goal on a short field as their lead quickly evaporating to seven, 20-13 with 6:53 left to go.

A more composed West Monroe offense embarked on a 13-play, 51-yard drive (all rushes), to force the Bears to use all of their remaining timeouts. The Rebels drove down to the Carencro 14, before a critical holding penalty set them back. West Monroe then remained conservative and turned the ball over on downs to the Bears, instead of trying a 43-yard field goal.

With the way the Rebels' defense had played, a small miracle was needed for Carencro to send the game into overtime, 71 yards away, no timeouts to work with and only 46 ticks on the clock left.

Rebels defensive end Terrell Lathan sacked QB Nixon for an 8-yard loss, back to the 21-yard line. A false start by the Carencro offense put them in even a deeper hole at the 16. Nixon would find junior RB Jaylan Rose (5-9, 175) for a 17-yard gain to the Bear 33-yard line. Rose made the reception, but appeared to come down with the ball inbounds to a running clock, but the official called for the clock to stop running. To the displeasure of the Rebels' coaching staff of the call, they were flagged for protesting the ruling of the stoppage, warranting a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The ball was placed on the Carencro 48-yard line for a first down and two more seconds were added to the clock, making it :07 left.

Nixon throws an incomplete pass with one second left to go. Again Nixon drops back and heaves up a deep ball that fell far short of the end zone, going incomplete and ending the game -West Monroe 20, Carencro 13.

The MVP award for the West Monroe Rebels went to Osborne, who rushed for 85 yards on 22 carries (a 3.9-yard average), passed for another 33 yards and scored two touchdowns. Osborne also punting three times for a 30.3 yard average, landing one kick inside the 20.

Taking MVP honors for the Carencro Bears was Poole, who recovered three fumbles, forced one fumble, had three solo tackles, including one tackle for loss on defense.

With the win, West Monroe becomes the third team from Ouachita Parish to claim a state championship at this year's LHSAA / State Farm Prep Classic in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome -a feat never before accomplished in Louisiana. The other two teams from the parish wrapped up state titles on Friday night, with Monroe Ouachita Christian beating Edgard West St John (23-7) in the Class 1A championship and Monroe Neville winning over New Orleans Edna Karr (27-6) in the Class 4A championship.

The two-day total attendance for the event was 44,126.

Now with the 2011 prep season in the books, it's only 264 more days until kickoff -and counting!

First Downs: 14

Rushing yards: 51 for 213 yards, 2 TD's

Passing yards: 1/9 for 33 yards

Total offense: 246 yards

Punts: 3 for 91 yards (30.3 yard average)

Third-Down Conversions: 4 of 12

Penalties: 5 for 45 yards

Turnovers: Four (four fumbles)

Sacks By: 2 for 8 yards (McFarland, Lathan)

Field Goals: 2 for 3 (46, 31 made / 48 missed)

Time of Possession: 25:08

(Rushing)

Reeves -17 for 94 yards

Osborne -22 for 85 yards, 2 TD's

Mims -7 for 28 yards

Tyson -4 for 8 yards

Jones -1 for -2 yards

(Passing)

Osborne -1/9 for 33 yards

(Receiving)

Woods -1 for 33 yards

First Downs: 7

Rushing yards: 32 for 87 yards

Passing yards: 7/20 for 73 yards, 2 INT's

Total offense: 160 yards

Punts: 6 for 205 yards (34.2 yard average)

Third-Down Conversions: 4 of 14

Penalties: 5 for 55 yards

Turnovers: Three (one fumble, two interceptions)

Sacks By: 1 for 9 yards (Briscoe)

Field Goals: 2 for 2 (32, 31 yards)

Time of Possession: 22:52

(Rushing)

Johnson -13 for 43 yards

Nixon -15 for 43 yards, TD

Mouton -2 for 1 yard

Rose -2 for 0 yards

(Passing)

Nixon -7/19 for 73 yards, 2 INT's

Team -0/1 for 0 yards

(Receiving)

Johnson -3 for 36 yards

Thomas -3 for 20 yards

Rose -1 for 17 yards

(2011) West Monroe 20...Carencro 13 (5A State Championship)

(2006) West Monroe 18...Carencro 17 (Regular Season Week #2)

(2005) West Monroe 45...Carencro 07 (5A First Round Playoffs)

(2005) West Monroe 28...Carencro 14 (Regular Season Week #2)

(2004) West Monroe 21...Carencro 03 (Regular Season Week #2)

(2003) Carencro 20...West Monroe 14 (Regular Season Week #2)

(1996) West Monroe 24...Carencro 21 (5A State Championship)

(1995) West Monroe 35...Carencro 02 (5A Regional Playoffs)

(1993) West Monroe 27...Carencro 20 (5A Quarterfinal Playoffs)

(2011) West Monroe 20...Carencro 13

(2009) West Monroe 30...Archbishop Rummel 0

(2005) West Monroe 28...Acadiana 7

(2000) West Monroe 35...Archbishop Shaw 7

(1998) West Monroe 32...Ruston 14

(1997) West Monroe 22...Archbishop Shaw 19

(1996) West Monroe 24...Carencro 21

(1993) West Monroe 28...Destrehan 21

Carencro Bears State Championships (1)

(1992) Carencro 28...Neville 27 (OT)