Algiers, America: The Relentless Pursuit (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 5 - Forever 48 - full transcript
Hope and loss sit side by side in Algiers when the celebration of scholarships and graduation is tarnished by tragedy. But the only way Coach Brown can move is forward. The seniors prepare for college, the juniors for the next sea...
♪ marching band music playing ♪
♪
CHEERLEADERS:
Let's go, Cougars!
ANNOUNCER 1: Karr's got two timeouts,
two minutes to go.
Down by seven as they seek
a seventh consecutive trip
to the 4A state championship game.
Karr's got a hot quarterback
right now in AJ Samuel
and a terrific wide receiver
in Aaron Anderson.
ANNOUNCER 1: I can't believe
they're gonna kick it deep.
Anderson's the only deep man.
And they kick it toward Anderson.
Watch him here at the 25,
their most dangerous player.
Makes a move at the 30.
Outta bounds at about the 38.
They need to go 61 yards
here in the final 1:54.
You wanna try Aaron again early or no?
Get the front, get the front.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Westgate, only rushes three.
Samuel will run it.
Samuel will get the ball
into Westgate territory.
ANNOUNCER 2:
And he is really in command.
Takin' what the defense is givin' him,
keepin' his eyes downfield.
ANNOUNCER 1: Samuel. Takes the snap.
They tough it off.
Jackson trying to get
that first down and he does.
ANNOUNCER 2:
When Karr decides to strike,
it does not take long.
ANNOUNCER 2:
You know your target if, if you're Karr.
I mean, number two is Aaron Anderson.
ANNOUNCER 1:
They rush three again.
Step out. Throw that bitch.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
ANNOUNCER 2:
They're lookin' for him.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Samuel.
Gets hit from behind!
Ball's loose!
Westgate's done it!
And Westgate's goin'
to the 4A championship game!
[cheering]
Westgate is gonna pull
the monumental upset here.
Westgate recovers
at the 40-yard line.
They're goin' crazy on the far side.
They're goin' to the championship game
for the first time.
♪
ANNOUNCER 2: The Westgate Tigers
finally broke the barrier.
Gettin' it done and goin'
to their first state championship game.
And it's unbelievable.
ANNOUNCER 3 [over speakers]:
Five consecutive travels
to the Superdome ends today.
But let's give it up
for our Karr Cougars
who played so valiantly
all season long.
Fuck!
- A lotta respect, for sure.
- Hold your head up, my nigga.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, 'ppreciate that.
♪
COACH:
Jersey, pants on the cart. Helmet.
♪
I love the fuck out all y'all boys.
So, new caps.
PLAYERS: Love you, too, bruh.
New cap. We really went out
with a bang, bro.
I ain't reachin' my goal
my senior year,
but, fuck, long as I have fun
with all y'all, bro.
Be good, bro.
Y'all upcomin' seniors,
bro, y'all just try to do
better than us, bro.
Y'all go win that shit, son.
Hard work, bro.
Be dedicated to that shit, son.
Love y'all boys.
BRICE: State championships
don't measure success for me.
When you win so much,
people lose respect for winning.
You thought you was supposed to win
instead of wantin' to earn the win.
Every journey in your life is temporary
based on the decisions
that you choose to make or don't make.
So, don't point the finger,
but look at yourself
and say what you did or you didn't do.
We proud of y'all,
but you let your circumstance
affect your hustle.
You let somebody pat you
on the back and you took it.
You took that temporary satisfaction,
and you held on to it,
and you kept it.
You didn't respect the fact
that it was temporary.
♪
♪ EOD by Kenneth Brother playing ♪
♪ They say that we never gon' make it ♪
♪ We ain't trippin', never was basic ♪
ANNOUNCER 1: Brice Brown's team
has won 26 consecutive games.
ANNOUNCER 2:
'Cause when you look at what they've done,
that's mind-boggling, isn't it?
ANNOUNCER 1:
No one had called them a dynasty yet.
Let us be the first.
Karr signed 12 seniors
to college football
scholarships last spring.
How big is this for the West Bank
of New Orleans?
Man, this big for the city
of New Orleans.
♪ They say that we never gon' make it ♪
♪ We ain't trippin', never was basic ♪
♪ Showed love,
shoulda never been gracious ♪
♪ Free my brothas on federal cases ♪
♪ Already won hope, my medal is waitin' ♪
♪ I done got back with Nick ♪
♪ I think they could tell
by how this b-- boom or somethin' ♪
♪ I'm the hardest
in the room or somethin' ♪
We tryna reclaim our spot
as the best team in the city again.
How? We gon' work our ass off.
Win, right now.
♪ And they say
that we never gon' make it ♪
♪
All right. Six.
Uh, I really don't remember
how to get to gate G.
That's where the state championship
teams check in.
I've never driven myself
to the Dome.
[laughs]
My security usually drives me.
SECURITY: 'Sup, Coach? How you doin', man?
What's up? The-- Is this where the--
we go for the media credentials?
- SECURITY: Huh?
- The media parkin' is in here, too?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Oh, okay.
SECURITY: You can take
that second lane if you want, Coach.
- A'ight.
- Might be easier for you.
Appreciate you.
Fuck. This is insane.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
You know, I didn't feel good
about Westgate that whole week.
But the coaches knew that
Westgate was a good opponent
to go against in the semifinals.
They knew that they could
potentially beat us.
The players didn't think
about it like that.
They were just sayin',
"Westgate? Who is that?
It's not Warren Easton.
It's not our real rivals."
Right?
So, boom, Westgate came
and smacked the shit out us.
[indistinct chatter]
They weren't intimidated
by the word, Karr.
The mystique of Behrman Stadium.
That particular night,
they were the better team.
And you have to accept that.
They did a good job.
[chuckles]
What's up, Mr. T?
KEN TRAHAN: Hey, man.
You're here in the right place.
Listen, it, it was, it was hell
tryna find out how to get in.
Really?
This is my first time
drivin' to the Dome.
[laughter]
I just wanna chill,
watch this game.
[indistinct announcement on PA]
KEN: And a pleasant
good evening to you.
Ken Trahan joined
by a couple of guys
that I'm really happy
to be with this evening.
What in the world is he doin' up here
and not down on that field?
Uh, he, of course, is
Brice Brown of the Karr Cougars.
BRICE: Thank you, Mr. T.
I can't wait to call the game,
especially with Coach Brooks,
who actually coached me
at, uh, E-Edna Karr High School.
So, it's a pleasure and thank you.
KEN:
From Caesars Superdome,
it is the class 4A
state championship game
as this evening
the Warren Easton Eagles
battle the Westgate Tigers.
I had to pause briefly.
I almost said the Karr Cougars, but
[laughter]
old habit, old habits die hard.
What do you want me to do?
Here's the kickoff. It is short.
That's gonna be returnable.
BRICE: Warren Easton is really tryin'
to establish the line of scrimmage here.
You got inside zone,
outside zone, just runnin' power.
KEN:
Touchdown, Jay Gordon,
on an inside run.
Doucet throwing
deep down the middle!
- Great catch! Touchdown!
- Oh, wow. Great catch!
Ohh.
BRICE: When they look back on film,
that is gonna be
the best blitz pickup by the right guard
on an inside double blitz.
The right guard gives Doucet
a half a second
to get his left foot on the ground
and throw that deep climb route
over the middle of the field.
Woo-hoo!
KEN: Forty seconds, 39 seconds.
Third and goal at the one.
Robertson the running back,
snap it, give it to Robertson.
- He's hit for a loss at the three.
- Wow.
Will Coach Phillips elect to kick,
uh, extra point style
on four down right here?
I-I don't think he can.
I mean, based on what I've seen,
I don't think he can.
It's right down the middle
right here, Mr. T.
He's right in front of it.
I'mma go for it.
[indistinct chatter]
Bro, I'm goin' for it.
KEN: This is it.
This is indeed it.
WILLIE BROOKS JR.:
This has been a great game, man.
KEN:
Twenty-seven seconds. No timeouts.
Fourth and goal at the three,
for the 4A state championship.
This how you like
this type of game.
Twin receivers left,
single to the right.
Connelly has Robertson
in the backfield.
Takes the snap. Fakes it to him.
Rolling right. In trouble.
Oh, my God!
Ohh!
- KEN: He falls down.
- Wow.
KEN: And the Westgate Tigers
have won the state championship.
♪
Whenever Warren Easton goes back
and look at this film,
I think the call they will regret
is not lettin' Connelly run
quarterback Iso
straight ahead on the half-yard line.
When you've got one yard to make
and you got three downs to make it,
block 10 guys, and, and pound it at 'em.
For the third time,
Warren Easton is gonna lose
a state championship game
by one point.
When we played Warren Easton,
we were on the one-yard line.
KEN:
Yeah?
And we ran the quarterback
to win the game.
KEN:
Yeah.
TORY:
Well, them dudes deserve that shit, bro.
Them dudes earned that shit.
I ain't gon' lie.
[indistinct].
BRICE:
Hats off to Westgate, man.
To beat Edna Karr and Warren Easton
in back-to-back weeks
in one of the highest classifications
in our state,
that really shows
how good this team really is.
And Coach Antoine deserves
all of the credit.
And congratulations to Westgate
winnin' the 4A state title
in Louisiana.
I've taken that walk five times,
and I've taken that picture five times.
[laughs]
So, I'm battin' 500.
I done took that walk a couple times.
- Yeah, that's a long walk, Coach.
- Yeah, that's a long walk.
Ooh, feel like that walk never gon' end.
But I tell you what, you know what
Coach Willie used to tell us?
Sun gon' come up in the mornin'.
Thank you, Brice.
Great job.
Brice Brown. What a, what a great friend.
What a good man.
And, and so strange to not see you
on that field tonight.
I, I hope this experience was okay
for you here this evening, buddy.
I need somebody to help me, uh,
get to the parkin' garage
'cause I really don't know
where I parked at.
[laughter]
ANNOUNCER 1 [on TV]:
Thirty-four seconds left.
Well, they gotta throw the ball
one way or the other, right?
ANNOUNCER 2 [on TV]:
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER 1:
They gotta get in the end zone.
Get back in the zone.
- This the fumble, right?
- Yeah.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Samuel, takes the snap, steps left.
AJ:
I had pressure.
Everyone was tryna break it off of me.
Connelly was tryna break it off of me.
ANNOUNCER 1: Samuel rolls right.
He's gonna get sacked. And he fumbles.
It's on the turf, and it's over.
It's recovered by Westgate.
AJ:
Aw, fuck.
Fuck!
To me, like, the way I view stuff, like,
I don't never wish
I could take... anything back
because of how I wanna learn from it.
But at the same time,
if I could do it all over again,
I'm not doin' that.
I mean, like, that--
I was s-stupid.
Like, of course,
if I'd have kept that ball,
we winnin' that game.
It was a L on my part, like--
MICHAEL SAMUEL JR.:
We needed to get to the Dome
to stamp his, uh, recruitment.
Now, it's just, you know,
leaves a little bit of
guess-guessin' on the parts
of the scouts.
When you don't have those
multiple championships,
it just, kind of-- it make
your path a little bit tougher.
That's all. You know, he still got
another shot at it, you know?
BRICE:
AJ, you know, still waitin' to see
how this is gonna end with him.
He's a quarterback.
He's goin' to senior year.
You know, all the goals
that he, that he has,
he still can reach... right?
Because he has this last year.
His journey is still continuing.
Nah.
Like, my recovery month?
INTERVIEWER:
Yeah.
Probably, average probably five,
four, somethin' like that.
Yeah.
To be honest,
when I got hurt,
it shifted my whole, like,
what I wanna do in the future.
Like, I broke my wrist.
I got shot.
Beaucoup ankle injuries.
My last game at high school,
I tore my ACL.
Like, stuff just gon' keep
happenin' to me?
Like, dang, what I do?
My football don't love me.
[chuckles]
I ain't gon' say, like,
just completely, like, throw sports
out the window,
but
my number one priority
is rap right now.
I mean, I just think
he came too far with ball
to just wanna, like, let it go.
To me, it's the education.
It about the education.
This school in Texas gave him a offer.
But a lotta coaches be like,
"He's real small, his size,"
you know, like-- But I'm like,
"But he a giant on the field."
I'm-- I miss Karr Football.
I ain't gon' lie.
'Cause, like, it wasn't just football,
it was like... love.
There ain't nothin'
you can't tell your brothers.
Nothin' you can't tell
your coaches, like.
'Cause that just how Karr is.
♪
♪
[indistinct chatter]
Jaylin's first, Tygee's second,
Aaron third.
So, Jaylin will be first.
- So then, when his video play--
- Mm-hm.
then he'll declare
where he's goin'.
Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
BRICE: Got your phone?
[indistinct chatter]
Got my keys... Come here.
Love y'all, love y'all.
Love you, too.
Be good.
[over microphone]
We put together a little, um,
presentation for the boys
because, uh, we wanted them
to have the opportunity to say
they thanks to not only
their parents,
they school,
or to whoever it may have been.
But I tell you this,
with all three of them,
they have already completed
all assignments of graduatin' early.
So, I think that deserves more
of a recognition than anything.
[applause]
Speakin' individually to all of them
and their parents this week,
I'm most proud of their character.
From what they were told
they couldn't do,
from what they told
they weren't able to accomplish,
they've accomplished everything.
They are different kind of champions.
They're champions of life.
These three young men exemplify character.
Not only at Edna Karr High School,
but the city of New Orleans
and the state of Louisiana.
So, I just wanna say publicly,
listen, I love these three.
If I had my own children,
they would be the prime example
of what you want
your child to be.
Courageous, available,
accountable, and authentic.
So, I love y'all
from the bottom of my heart.
And I'm very proud of y'all,
even though I know
we fell short of our goal.
But like I said at the end
of our game,
champions cannot be measured by winnin'
state championship games.
[applause]
Our first honoree
is gon' be Mr. Jaylin Lucas.
He got it. He a little nervous.
[applause]
TYGEE [over microphone]:
For the next three to four years,
I will be attendin'
Louisiana State University.
[applause]
Tysha and Rock,
I hope y'all still come to the games.
[laughter]
TYSHA:
We always Cougars, Coach.
Last but not least,
Mr. Deuce Anderson.
[applause]
For the next three to four years,
I'll be attendin'--
[applause]
BRICE [over microphone]:
You know, as I sit here today,
I don't know how we
gonna replace these three.
So, I think we have to earn
our check a little bit more now.
And we have to,
we have to grind a little bit harder.
You'll forever be
a Edna Karr Cougar.
These doors will always be open to you.
Now let's keep bridgin'
high school to college
to build a better support system
for these young men.
That is key.
College, let's keep 'em there.
When they come home
and they say,
"Listen, I'm gettin' homesick."
Let's get together
and make sure they finish
just like they finished here.
And Go Hoosiers,
Go Tigers, Roll Tide.
Congratulations to these
three young men.
[applause]
♪ Little Do You Know
by Kenneth Brother playing ♪
♪ I hear you ♪
♪ I'm still haunted by the memories ♪
♪ By the memories, yeah ♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪
♪ Mind ya business, that's how we livin' ♪
♪ And time is money,
pay attention to how ya spendin' ♪
♪ Crunch time, I'm forever ballin'
like Skylar Diggins ♪
♪ I do that shit with me
and all my ninjas like Tyler Blevins ♪
You originally committed to LSU,
then you flipped to Alabama.
Was there any chance
on the backend
that Frank Wilson
and the LSU coaching staff
were almost getting you back
to be a Tiger?
Uh, I wanna say no,
but I wanna thank them
for giving me the opportunity.
You know, if anything, I feel like,
me and Coach Saban, you know,
the next three to four years,
you know, we are gonna be very close
and we gonna make history.
♪ Skatin' but its me,
so they don’t say shit ♪
♪ I put the B in best
before I go I need a Naismith ♪
Have you thought
about tackling Aaron?
Yeah. Yeah.
Uh, just playin' with that thought
that next year
we're gonna play
against each other.
And that-- I think that's gonna be the--
one of the best highlights in college.
Just tacklin' my former player.
LSU versus Alabama in Death Valley.
I just can't wait for that moment.
What've you told him
about that moment?
I-I just said, uh, whenever
he catch a smokescreen,
don't turn it inside,
I'mma be there.
[laughter]
♪
It is over!
The wait is over!
Lord, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ooh, we good.
So, we done. It's official.
Mm-hm.
[Tysha sighs]
He did this.
Uh, all I did was emailed
it to get print. [laughs]
He contact the person.
He came and told me,
"Ma, I got somethin' to show you."
And that's how I found out about this.
Sixteen thousand views.
92,000 people seen it on they timeline.
All right.
TYSHA:
Yeah, I-I don't know.
[Tygee chuckles]
No.
That's a lotta people.
That's a lotta people.
[Newman chuckles]
What?
"Another four," um,
"four-star lead tackler
from the [indistinct]
made his deci-- commitment on Thursday."
There's a picture. I love that picture.
It's unbelievable but, you know,
when, when God show you somethin'
when he's six years old,
and he tell you to do it,
you know,
you just as a parent,
parents that's listenin',
just trust what God show you.
I got tears in my eyes now,
you know?
It's, it's very emotional
because goin' from, you know,
watchin' him play parkball
the day I brought him out there,
to go from parkball to high school
and now, four years later almost
he about to, you know,
go to, go to college.
Things that, you know,
bring chills in your body.
- TYSHA: Doin' a group family hug.
- A group hug?
TYSHA: A group--
[laughter]
[indistinct]
[phone ringing]
What's up, Coach?
Yeah, just got done
signin' to the family.
Appreciate it.
He in good hands with you, Coach Wigg.
Right. I'm with you.
Got it.
Right.
AARON:
I'm with you.
Yeah, appreciate it.
All right.
[phone beeps]
Coach Wigg.
That's why you coach
high school football,
to see that maturation process
from basically a child to a young man.
To see him at
the University of Alabama,
you know, you don't get
much better than that.
Nobody knows except for Aaron
what made him not go
with his friend that day.
It's unfortunate that we lost Mall.
You have this family
and this mom who's still mournin'
her child's loss, right?
And then you have this other side
where he's being immortalized.
A life was lost...
and then a life prosper.
Why you can't have both?
AARON:
Let me see.
"God has blessed you with the mind,
talent, and the ability to be the best.
"Never forget at a point--
"at one point when people believed
you couldn't do it,
"it was you who told us
that what you can't do.
"Much love, Pops.
Love, Pops.
My love for you is forever."
Like that.
You know, every card he give me,
I go hang, I go hang it up.
He the reason I understand
what love is, you know?
He the reason-- he the one
who showed me what it was.
I... show back by doin'
what I gotta do.
- That's it?
- This is it.
NORMAN: The season didn't end
the way we wanted it to end,
but we still had a lotta success.
We had a lotta kids
that was signin' scholarships.
Jaylin, Aaron, and Tygee
had a big early signin' day
because they all graduated
in December.
And we were moving forward,
gettin' ready for spring football.
Then just out the blue,
I get a phone call from Brice.
He told me that he think
Keyron had been shot
and that
he was on the way
to the hospital and,
and we would know more soon.
[printer whirring]
Karr school leaders
and students are heartbroken
as they deal with the loss
of yet another student
to gun violence.
REPORTER: 18-year-old Keyron Ross
was a scholar athlete at Edna Karr,
a member of the football team
and the baseball team.
His coach and other school leaders
describe him
as full of energy and dedicated
to school and to sports.
Keyron was a great kid,
had a infectious personality.
He was a part of the program
for three years.
He was gonna be
the startin' defensive end
for this year's upcomin' team.
What the fuck happened?
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
MAKITA WELLS HARTFORD:
I know.
Baby, oh, come on, sister.
We gon' be okay, Coach.
We gon' be okay.
And I told Keyron, I say, "You have
the ability, son, to break this curse."
I said, "You could break it."
I say, "Y-You, you have it.
"You have the talent... to get out
and come back and reach
and pull somebody forward."
But I guess God had other plans.
This is a opportunity
for him to reach people
in a different way.
Not how we planned it,
but how, how he planned it.
MAKITA:
I'm devastated that my baby is gone.
But if I can help another mother
not feel this kinda pain,
I feel like that's what my,
that's what my calling is.
Like, I have to find a way
to reach somebody's child.
He always said that he was
gonna be a better father
to his son than his daddy ever was to him.
BRICE: And that's why he tried so hard,
because he knew
he was gonna have
to start teachin' somebody else.
MAKITA:
Yep.
TYGEE:
That was last Thanksgiving.
For the Turkey Bowl.
You know, we take a picture.
Yeah. [sighs]
It's, uh, just surprisin', like.
This the last picture we took together,
in game.
I just try to think about...
good times with him.
Like, us joking, us laughing.
When he found he had
a kid on the way,
I'll never forget,
he sent the ultrasound
to every group chat he could think of,
just every group chat.
He just wanted to be
that, that father figure.
I wish it wasn't like this.
Everything was good.
And you just... go to school,
party, and just come home, like.
Right.
Yeah, this is real, like,
sometimes you just be scared
to go outside.
It's like, dang, like,
even me goin' to college, like--
If this somebody who was close to me
that happened, it's, like, you hear me?
Like, it make you, like, think,
like, this could happen to me.
Make you feel vulnerable, like, like,
almost, like, you, like,
runnin' away from death, like,
it's chasin' you,
but you just keep runnin', like,
we don't know who he gon' catch.
Yeah.
It's, it's all around you.
NORMAN: Comin' into that year,
you could've never told me
we were gonna lose him.
That kid wasn't doin' anything wrong.
I'm thankful for my mama especially
for, for always bein' there for me,
takin' care of me,
puttin' a roof over my head.
I'm just thankful bein' here
with y'all boys every day, bro.
Y'all keepin' it up.
Y'all keepin' out of trouble,
make a stay out the streets
and all that good shit.
Fuck, I'm just thankful for y'all.
And that's it.
[applause]
He just wanted to play football
and baseball.
That's it. And he was good at it.
Really good at it.
[crowd cheering]
He played multiple positions.
He was a leader on the team.
I miss him.
You know, I miss bein' around him.
We got seven birthdays today,
okay. All right?
Keyron mom set up food.
That's what they family do.
All right? They take care of each other.
And, and as you can see,
there's a lotta love in the room.
He wanted everybody to eat.
If his mama bought him somethin',
he wanted his mama
to buy it for everybody.
If his mama provided somethin' for him,
he would break it off
and give it to everybody.
He wanted everybody to flourish.
[indistinct chatter]
It's just stressful and it's just
sickening.
And, uh, I don't know
no other way to explain it,
but... that was my guy.
I loved that kid.
♪
♪
♪
JAMAR MCKNEELY [over microphone]:
Over the last 15 years,
myself, Dr. Wyatt, Dr. Washington
have found ourselves
in this type of situation.
And when you see us,
regardless of where
we come from,
regardless of where you live,
we family, we Karr family.
All of us have been here
on Friday night cheering.
All of us celebrate together.
But us, as Black people,
have to do better, people.
We owe a responsibility to each
and every one of us
to be as strong
as we can be for each other.
And when we understand,
when we leave this stadium,
we just not another person.
Like, we gotta get better.
We gotta do better.
DR. WYATT:
Is it okay if I just talk to y'all?
No big words, nothin' fancy,
I just wanna talk to you.
I want you to understand that
y'all keep inductin' mothers
into a sorority that they don't
wanna have no business bein' in.
Miss Rhonda's out here.
We were here five years ago.
Y'all remember? Tonka?
Y'all remember five years ago?
And we here today.
The children who are not embraced
by the village
will burn it down
to feel its warmth.
I want you to hear that.
Because, you see,
we have a child that's dead,
but we also have a child
behind the, behind the gun.
So, we got to love
on him too, right?
The village is burnin'.
I'mma tell ya how we fix it.
The village has to be
more welcomin' than the streets.
That's how you fix it.
The village has to be
more welcomin' than the streets.
So, it's not about just your child.
When you see a child doin' wrong
and you walk by that child,
you have disowned that child.
You have given him to the street.
You better love them gunmen
before they take your child from 'em.
Y-You got to. It might sound crazy,
but you gotta love 'em.
We gon' love our way outta this.
Every time I see a child,
I tell him I love him.
I don't have to know
your child to love him.
Because when I look
at your child, I see mine.
PERSON:
Amen.
When I look at your child,
I see me.
PERSON: Oh yeah.
I was a wayward child, too.
And if the village didn't love me,
I couldn't be Dr. Wyatt.
Y'all better start gettin' real
about actual conversations.
Stop harborin' killers.
You know he carryin' a gun.
Where he got it from?
Stop acceptin' money from him
if he don't have no job.
You know what he doin' to get it.
Let's be real.
I don't wanna release no balloons
for no funerals and no vigils.
I wanna release the balloons
when them children graduate,
when they go to college,
when they get married,
when they have children.
We have to stop meetin' like this.
It's a sad day for Cougar Nation.
It's a sad day for Algiers,
but it could be the last sad day.
This kind of sad anyway.
One, two, three.
CROWD:
We pray for you, Tootie.
♪ melancholy music playing ♪
♪ Is o'er ♪
♪ And our times ♪
♪ Will be no more ♪
♪ No more ♪
♪ Well, guide me gently ♪
♪ Safely o'er ♪
♪ To thy kingdom ♪
♪ To thy shore ♪
BRICE:
In the history of this school,
we have some
very successful people
that are still with us
and doin' great things.
But, man, it's hard
to think about that
when you bury a 17-year-old.
It's hard to think
about anything but that.
And it becomes difficult to endure.
It becomes difficult
to keep accepting.
'Cause to see that type of hurt
and that type of pain
is unnatural.
We're talkin' 'bout a loss of life.
That's more hurtful
than losin' any damn game.
♪ Well, guide me gently ♪
♪ Safely o'er ♪
NORMAN: I didn't even get a chance
to hug him or anything.
And then the next time
I see him is the funeral.
And, you know, there you have
to kinda be strong
for the team and the kids.
But for a while,
you know, I was numb.
And for a while,
I didn't wanna coach.
I wanted to call Brice
and tell him I was done.
To be honest with you,
I didn't wanna be
in my community no more.
'Cause this shit is really
outta hand,
and I can't keep takin' it.
You know, the mission of the program
is to save all our kids
and put 'em in better positions
than, than they are now.
But losin' him,
it make you question
everything you're doin'.
And is it, is it, is it working?
But we feel like we gotta keep
the mission the same
'cause there's
a hundred other kids.
Everything we do is gonna be for him.
Everything.
♪ Let it be, Lord ♪
♪ Let it beee ♪
NORMAN: [indistinct] .
I'll give the welcome speech,
I say my bit about Keyron,
and y'all do Pledge of Allegiance,
and then I introduce [indistinct]
you know, introduction to her.
She'll speak.
[students chattering]
Welcome, welcome, and welcome again.
Uh, I wanna start the program off
with a, with a prayer.
Um, I know over the past week,
we've all in our community
here at Edna Karr,
uh, and the Ross family
have had heavy, heavy hearts.
We ask for healing.
We ask for strength and blessings
to be sent to the Ross family.
We ask that you look over them
in this time, Lord.
Keyron would've been right here
in the stands, smilin', jokin', laughin'
and havin' fun
right along with his brothers.
Because the one thing
that he always wanted to see
was the people around him be successful.
All right. So, we're gonna go forward
with our declaration of signees,
number seven himself.
PERSON: Go, Tory!
One of the mentally toughest kids
I've ever been around, Tory Morgan.
[cheering and applause]
When I was down,
y'all bring me back up to who I am.
I wanna thank my brother, Trevor,
he's sittin' right there.
I wanna thank Miss Ellis.
I'm just blessed, you know,
blessed to have my grandma,
and my pawpaw.
I'm blessed to have everybody,
you know, to build me to who I am.
And with that being said,
I'm takin' my talents
to Northwestern State University.
[cheering and applause]
Henderson State University.
Louisiana Christian University.
The University of Nicholls.
Northwestern State University.
Louisiana State University.
[cheering and applause]
♪
DENISE ELLIS:
Yeah!
I had her cryin' like a baby.
She did-- He did.
TORY: I'm feelin' good, you know?
I was a little shook on stage,
I ain't gon' lie.
The lights got to me but, man,
it-it's a great moment for me,
you know, for my family.
You know, we breakin'
the hurt cycle, you know?
PHOTOGRAPHER: One... two. Here we go.
Aw, it's a beautiful mornin',
I know it's rainin',
but for them, uh, it's like the sun
is shining in here right now.
And I think
Keyron's up there laughin',
and he's ecstatic right now,
and I'm ecstatic.
We grew up here.
Growin' up, I didn't lose
my friends to death.
There was no gun violence.
There was none of that.
And so these guys are losing people
at a rapid rate.
So, they're really grateful
to really just be standing here on Earth.
TYGEE:
No, we still mournin' a little bit.
But just, right now,
it's a celebration.
Just livin' through him.
Just makin' sure 48 Forever.
Just, like, that just live through us.
Like Dr. Wyatt said,
we'll make the village
more appealin' than the streets.
Right here, this is real appealin'.
Seein' us all with our hats on,
our college stuff on,
that should motivate you
'cause you see us every day.
You could touch us. You've just seen us
at a store or somethin'.
The class after us,
the class after that,
is gon' be 20 dudes signin'
to Alabama, LSU.
That's what you do it for.
♪
Pontchartrain Patriots
and the McDonough Buccaneers.
This is the one
they been wantin' to see.
Coach Chucky, Coach Booda.
It's about to go down.
Pontchartrain Patriots,
McDonough Buccaneers.
Nine- to ten-year-old championship
is up next.
Y'all know what to do.
[indistinct chatter]
PERSON:
Hey, y'all.
Y'all listen to Jawin, okay?
He's number five for Edna Karr, right?
JAWIN: I came to talk to y'all
because when I was y'all age,
I had somebody to talk to me,
so I'm just passin' it down,
you feelin' me?
JACQUEZ HAYES: Well, why you can't
talk to us [indistinct]?
I really came to talk to you
'cause you five.
You remind me of myself.
You ain't get five for no reason.
Feel what I'm sayin'?
So, ball out in that five.
You are representin' somebody.
So, really ball out in that five.
Five mean a lot.
And you gon' learn that
as you get older.
It ain't just a number.
It's everything.
CHEERLEADERS: We ready!
We got the beat!
That mighty Ram [indistinct]!
Rams are number one!
Stick together. Okay?
Bad things gon' happen.
Stick together.
Trust the person.
Make the play.
Hit the hole.
Go run in, wrap up.
All right? Be disciplined.
Watch the ball.
Everybody got that?
PLAYERS: Yeah, we got that!
Say, fellas, man, this is it.
[all yelling]
[indistinct yelling]
[clapping]
ANNOUNCER: There's the snap. Drop back.
Throw it to Burton on the end.
He is met immediately
by number five,
Jacquez "J-Rod" Hayes.
Defense!
[crowd thumping foot]
[announcer talking indistinctly]
[whistle blows]
ANNOUNCER: Touchdown!
JACQUEZ HAYES:
Let's go! Let's... Let's go!
Let's go!
- Good game. Good game.
- Good game, Chuck.
Good game, Chuck. Appreciate it.
[players shouting]
JACQUEZ HAYES'S MOTHER:
Let's go, number five!
My baby really hurt.
CURTIS:
Good job.
Oh, yeah. Hey.
Hurry up. Let's, let's line up,
take the picture.
[indistinct chatter]
CURTIS: Who's got my back?!
PLAYERS: I got your back!
CURTIS:
Who's got my back?!
PLAYERS:
I've got your back!
CURTIS:
One, two, three.
ANNOUNCER:
Big-time championship win.
Just tell me 'bout what
this championship mean to you
and your team.
It's the first championship
for this park,
and we need to bring more.
You played a big-time game.
Talk about the game
that you had today.
JACQUEZ: When I caught that touchdown,
when they had a minute left,
I knew that was the game right there.
You know you're my favorite player
in the city, aren't you?
Yeah.
I love you, you hear?
♪ marching band music playing ♪
BRICE:
One minute, guys.
Graduation my second favorite day
other than signin' day.
Signin' day my favorite day.
That's the one day I let,
I let my guard down a little bit.
There's nothin' like goin' backstage
and talkin' to them
before the graduates are introduced.
We're graduatin'.
This is the moment we all,
we all waitin' for this moment,
we all been in pursuit.
Just ready to go across that stage, man.
Step out into the real world.
BRICE: Seein' how happy
and proud that they are,
proud of themself.
BRIDGETT:
I'm proud of him for real.
I'm tryin' not to get too emotional.
[chuckles]
[laughs]
Yeah, I'm happy. I'm excited.
♪
DR. WYATT:
You watch these stories unfold.
So, when you look at 'em
on the graduation stage,
all you can do is think about
all of the conversations
and all of the hard work
and all of the practices
and all of the, the rides home
and all of the haircut appointments.
You think about all of that
for that very moment.
And you can't do anything but be proud.
And I, I go to graduation
just to see it every year.
My name is Coach Brice Brown,
and I represent
the Bill Robinson Committee
on the Student Athletes of the Year.
This year's male recipient
may come to no surprise to many,
but what may surprise you
is his ability to show humility
when the lights and success
shine brightest on him.
Athletics is the bridge
that brought this recipient
to heights he has never seen.
If you ask me,
from Algiers to Tuscaloosa
doesn't seem that far at all.
It is my honor to, to present to you
the Bill Robinson
Male Student Athlete of the Year.
You may know him as Deuce,
but we at Edna Karr High School
know him as Aaron Anderson.
[cheering and applause]
Aaron is also receivin'
a $500 scholarship in his name.
Aaron Anderson has
outstanding character.
At one point, people thought
he was gonna go left,
but then he figured it out
and corrected himself
and went on that path
to bein' probably
one of the best receivers,
not only in, in Karr history
but in this-- in the history of the state.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Aaron Lawrence Anderson.
[cheering]
BRICE:
With him, you just reflect on, "Man,
this kid came a long fucking way."
Tygee is very authentic.
He's very comfortable in his own skin.
You know what?
He didn't let football define him.
He was comfortable enough
to say, "Coach,
look, if this don't work out,
I wanna be a real estate agent."
It wasn't that he didn't love football.
It's that he knew himself.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Tygee Newman Hill.
RELATIVE:
Let's go, Cougars!
Let's go, Tygeezus!
BRICE:
The sky the limit for him, too.
He's gon' be successful
in anything that he touch.
[cheering]
Tory Morgan will be missed.
When you talk about a kid
who lost his mom,
he's livin' with his grandparents
who are ill and elderly,
and doesn't make any excuse.
He never surrender. He never quit.
I would think the whole arena
should stand up
when his name is called at graduation.
I don't know how we gonna
replace a player like that.
I don't know if it's possible.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Tory Keith Morgan.
You know,
it's gonna be very different
without him.
Ready, dawg.
Ready, dawg.
I'm tweakin' right now.
Man, I love Jawin.
I'mma miss him.
You know, how he was livin' his life,
a huge transformation.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Jawin [indistinct] Newman.
BRICE:
I'm very proud of Jawin.
He turned into being
a responsible young man.
'Cause there's not,
there's not many times
where you could see a kid keep fallin'
and just keep gettin' up.
He keeps gettin' up
and stayin' on that straight line.
"Oh, yeah. I got shot.
I'm still gon' ball."
"Yeah, I tore my ACL.
I'm still goin' to college."
And he did it.
That whole class was--
it was somethin' special
about 'em from day one.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the class of 2022.
BRICE: This is gon' be hard
to replace all these kids.
As we sittin' here
talkin' about it,
I'm reflectin' on it
and talking at the same time,
and it's gon' be like, "Well, shit,
we got our work cut out for us."
♪ marching band music playing ♪
♪
♪
[crowd cheering]
♪
DR. WYATT: If you understand
the culture of New Orleans,
every graduation is important
because we know
what our children are facing.
Every day, there's a possibility
that the child you sent
out of your door might not return
because of the violence in our community.
So, you're damn right,
we gon' celebrate,
and we gon' do it real big
because this is an opportunity
to revel in all the good
that came from all of your sacrifice.
♪ marching band music continues ♪
It's finally done. He's done.
There's no more high school.
Straight to LSU, man. Let's go.
DR. WYATT:
Oh, you gon' be great.
You hear me?
Because you already great.
Yes, he is.
So, there's greater,
there's greatest, ya understand?
And I'mma be cheerin' you
the whole way.
You understand that?
[laughs]
These 256 graduates...
shit, we did a good job.
Another one in the books.
Hopefully, they rock this world
with not only their ambition
but... with they vision
of what they think is success.
Because all of those grads
are gonna walk out
and go 256 different ways.
Let's just hope
that none of 'em go left.
RHONDA [on phone]: You, like, one of the
best fives that ever came into my life.
So, Jawin, once you start
that new journey,
please continue on bein'
in my life.
Well, thank you so much
for comin' into my life
and bein' there for me.
I love y'all so much.
And we love you dearly.
JAWIN:
Everything happen for a reason.
They seen Tonka in me,
so... I'm not finished
carrying his legacy.
I'm gon' be there for the other fives
if they need me
in the name of Tonka.
TYSHA: All the family,
friends just celebratin'
[indistinct] 'bout to leave
to go to LSU.
Come on, you ready, Ma?
TYSHA: Wait.
[indistinct chatter]
Yes, sir! Yes, sir!
[laughter]
TORY:
I got so much clothes. Get that one, bro.
I had that shirt for so long, bro.
Still a new shirt. When my mama passed.
And I always kept it 'cause we--
all my brothers and 'em signed it.
So, I always kept it.
Yeah, right there.
I remember Coach be like, "You know,
you gotta write your goals down."
"And you gotta wake up to 'em every day.
That's the only way
you gonna achieve 'em."
I achieve every goal on here.
Goin' to college, goin' D1,
havin' a 115 plus.
The only thing I didn't achieve
was havin' turnovers.
I ain't get no picks this year.
But I'm gonna get some in college,
I ain't trippin'.
Leavin' New Orleans
always been my plan,
so now that I achieved my goal,
I'm just thankful and grateful.
And we're out!
- LORNA: Love you.
- I love you, too.
I'mma call you.
We did it, and I was here.
He let me stay here until then.
[car horn honks]
Thank you, Lord.
That's all I got to say,
is thank you.
♪
Time to go.
Y'all gon' be asleep
by the time we get to--
BRIDGETT: [indistinct].
[laughter]
♪
BRICE:
It's a little bit surreal
because you knew this day was happening.
You just, you, you know,
when the day come and then it's like,
"Oh, it's here."
You know, that's, that's like today.
You know, I'm happy for him, though.
He know that.
And they gon' be in there watchin' him.
Gotta walk on his own in there.
He'll be fine.
You home.
We know where he live at now,
so we could pop up
on him any time we want.
Ah.
- What you got, the box fan?
- Yeah.
[laughter]
What's up, man?
You good?
Good seeing you, bro.
Hot sauces.
They don't sell this down here.
They don't sell this... down here.
♪
Ohh.
Ohh. I love you
for real, for real.
I love you, too.
I'm tryin' not to be sad.
♪
AARON:
Yeah, I'm gonna miss you, too.
[laughs]
All right. Love you.
AARON:
I love you, too.
♪
BRICE:
Just think about the kids
who livin' in
the same circumstances as him
who now gon' turn on the TV
and see... a kid just like, like them
play at the University of Alabama.
If that's not inspirational,
I don't know what the hell is.
♪
♪
♪
He wrote me a letter.
It says, "What's up, Pops?
Just wanna tell you
"how much I appreciate you
for being the perfect example.
"Thanks for takin' me in
as a two and as a son.
"No matter what number I get,
I will always be Deuce
"and will ever be your son.
"When I have my family and my son,
"I want him to learn
the same lessons that you taught me.
"Respect. How to move.
The value of a dollar.
"Not goin' backwards.
Nothing isn't given to you.
"Everything is earned.
"I will always remember
these lessons.
Love you forever. Deuce."
[chuckles]
That's pretty good.
I'mma have to write him another one now.
[laughing]
What's next?
The 2022 football season.
We gotta do it again.
We got more lives to reach,
we got more people to teach.
The work don't stop.
The relentless pursuit of saving a child.
Easy to say that,
harder to do it.
Relentless.
Relentless pursuit of saving a child.
Sometimes from themselves.
That's what's real.
That's why they gray hairs
in my beard right now.
And I'm not even 40.
[all thumping]
One, two, three.
ALL: Boom.
"Family" on me,
"Family" on three.
One, two, three.
ALL: Family.
♪ Don't Give Up by Groove Armada playing ♪
♪ Brought tears to my eyes ♪
COACH:
Hey. Push, dawg.
ALL:
Ho! Hey! Cougars! Cougars!
[whistle blows]
♪ Just remember ♪
'Bout to come back out here,
get that work in.
Got turned down twice.
But, you know, we 'bout to come back,
you know, be great.
You know, we got unfinished business
to take care of.
Gotta get gritty.
♪ Just trippin' away ♪
NORMAN:
New journey, new team.
This is like, uh, gettin' away
from actual life.
These little few hours is heaven.
♪ Let your love bring us together ♪
MARVIN:
We gotta get our record back.
We gotta go get it.
And I think these kids
feel the same way.
"Compete" on me.
"Compete" on three.
- MARVIN: They wanna win.
- One, two, three.
ALL: Compete.
♪ Let your love bring us together ♪
♪
♪ All these hard times ♪
♪ Don't give up ♪
♪ Our time, we're moving ♪
♪ Our time, we're moving ♪
♪ If you believe ♪
♪ Just trippin' away, yeah ♪
♪
CHEERLEADERS:
Let's go, Cougars!
ANNOUNCER 1: Karr's got two timeouts,
two minutes to go.
Down by seven as they seek
a seventh consecutive trip
to the 4A state championship game.
Karr's got a hot quarterback
right now in AJ Samuel
and a terrific wide receiver
in Aaron Anderson.
ANNOUNCER 1: I can't believe
they're gonna kick it deep.
Anderson's the only deep man.
And they kick it toward Anderson.
Watch him here at the 25,
their most dangerous player.
Makes a move at the 30.
Outta bounds at about the 38.
They need to go 61 yards
here in the final 1:54.
You wanna try Aaron again early or no?
Get the front, get the front.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Westgate, only rushes three.
Samuel will run it.
Samuel will get the ball
into Westgate territory.
ANNOUNCER 2:
And he is really in command.
Takin' what the defense is givin' him,
keepin' his eyes downfield.
ANNOUNCER 1: Samuel. Takes the snap.
They tough it off.
Jackson trying to get
that first down and he does.
ANNOUNCER 2:
When Karr decides to strike,
it does not take long.
ANNOUNCER 2:
You know your target if, if you're Karr.
I mean, number two is Aaron Anderson.
ANNOUNCER 1:
They rush three again.
Step out. Throw that bitch.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
ANNOUNCER 2:
They're lookin' for him.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Samuel.
Gets hit from behind!
Ball's loose!
Westgate's done it!
And Westgate's goin'
to the 4A championship game!
[cheering]
Westgate is gonna pull
the monumental upset here.
Westgate recovers
at the 40-yard line.
They're goin' crazy on the far side.
They're goin' to the championship game
for the first time.
♪
ANNOUNCER 2: The Westgate Tigers
finally broke the barrier.
Gettin' it done and goin'
to their first state championship game.
And it's unbelievable.
ANNOUNCER 3 [over speakers]:
Five consecutive travels
to the Superdome ends today.
But let's give it up
for our Karr Cougars
who played so valiantly
all season long.
Fuck!
- A lotta respect, for sure.
- Hold your head up, my nigga.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, 'ppreciate that.
♪
COACH:
Jersey, pants on the cart. Helmet.
♪
I love the fuck out all y'all boys.
So, new caps.
PLAYERS: Love you, too, bruh.
New cap. We really went out
with a bang, bro.
I ain't reachin' my goal
my senior year,
but, fuck, long as I have fun
with all y'all, bro.
Be good, bro.
Y'all upcomin' seniors,
bro, y'all just try to do
better than us, bro.
Y'all go win that shit, son.
Hard work, bro.
Be dedicated to that shit, son.
Love y'all boys.
BRICE: State championships
don't measure success for me.
When you win so much,
people lose respect for winning.
You thought you was supposed to win
instead of wantin' to earn the win.
Every journey in your life is temporary
based on the decisions
that you choose to make or don't make.
So, don't point the finger,
but look at yourself
and say what you did or you didn't do.
We proud of y'all,
but you let your circumstance
affect your hustle.
You let somebody pat you
on the back and you took it.
You took that temporary satisfaction,
and you held on to it,
and you kept it.
You didn't respect the fact
that it was temporary.
♪
♪ EOD by Kenneth Brother playing ♪
♪ They say that we never gon' make it ♪
♪ We ain't trippin', never was basic ♪
ANNOUNCER 1: Brice Brown's team
has won 26 consecutive games.
ANNOUNCER 2:
'Cause when you look at what they've done,
that's mind-boggling, isn't it?
ANNOUNCER 1:
No one had called them a dynasty yet.
Let us be the first.
Karr signed 12 seniors
to college football
scholarships last spring.
How big is this for the West Bank
of New Orleans?
Man, this big for the city
of New Orleans.
♪ They say that we never gon' make it ♪
♪ We ain't trippin', never was basic ♪
♪ Showed love,
shoulda never been gracious ♪
♪ Free my brothas on federal cases ♪
♪ Already won hope, my medal is waitin' ♪
♪ I done got back with Nick ♪
♪ I think they could tell
by how this b-- boom or somethin' ♪
♪ I'm the hardest
in the room or somethin' ♪
We tryna reclaim our spot
as the best team in the city again.
How? We gon' work our ass off.
Win, right now.
♪ And they say
that we never gon' make it ♪
♪
All right. Six.
Uh, I really don't remember
how to get to gate G.
That's where the state championship
teams check in.
I've never driven myself
to the Dome.
[laughs]
My security usually drives me.
SECURITY: 'Sup, Coach? How you doin', man?
What's up? The-- Is this where the--
we go for the media credentials?
- SECURITY: Huh?
- The media parkin' is in here, too?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Oh, okay.
SECURITY: You can take
that second lane if you want, Coach.
- A'ight.
- Might be easier for you.
Appreciate you.
Fuck. This is insane.
♪ dramatic music playing ♪
You know, I didn't feel good
about Westgate that whole week.
But the coaches knew that
Westgate was a good opponent
to go against in the semifinals.
They knew that they could
potentially beat us.
The players didn't think
about it like that.
They were just sayin',
"Westgate? Who is that?
It's not Warren Easton.
It's not our real rivals."
Right?
So, boom, Westgate came
and smacked the shit out us.
[indistinct chatter]
They weren't intimidated
by the word, Karr.
The mystique of Behrman Stadium.
That particular night,
they were the better team.
And you have to accept that.
They did a good job.
[chuckles]
What's up, Mr. T?
KEN TRAHAN: Hey, man.
You're here in the right place.
Listen, it, it was, it was hell
tryna find out how to get in.
Really?
This is my first time
drivin' to the Dome.
[laughter]
I just wanna chill,
watch this game.
[indistinct announcement on PA]
KEN: And a pleasant
good evening to you.
Ken Trahan joined
by a couple of guys
that I'm really happy
to be with this evening.
What in the world is he doin' up here
and not down on that field?
Uh, he, of course, is
Brice Brown of the Karr Cougars.
BRICE: Thank you, Mr. T.
I can't wait to call the game,
especially with Coach Brooks,
who actually coached me
at, uh, E-Edna Karr High School.
So, it's a pleasure and thank you.
KEN:
From Caesars Superdome,
it is the class 4A
state championship game
as this evening
the Warren Easton Eagles
battle the Westgate Tigers.
I had to pause briefly.
I almost said the Karr Cougars, but
[laughter]
old habit, old habits die hard.
What do you want me to do?
Here's the kickoff. It is short.
That's gonna be returnable.
BRICE: Warren Easton is really tryin'
to establish the line of scrimmage here.
You got inside zone,
outside zone, just runnin' power.
KEN:
Touchdown, Jay Gordon,
on an inside run.
Doucet throwing
deep down the middle!
- Great catch! Touchdown!
- Oh, wow. Great catch!
Ohh.
BRICE: When they look back on film,
that is gonna be
the best blitz pickup by the right guard
on an inside double blitz.
The right guard gives Doucet
a half a second
to get his left foot on the ground
and throw that deep climb route
over the middle of the field.
Woo-hoo!
KEN: Forty seconds, 39 seconds.
Third and goal at the one.
Robertson the running back,
snap it, give it to Robertson.
- He's hit for a loss at the three.
- Wow.
Will Coach Phillips elect to kick,
uh, extra point style
on four down right here?
I-I don't think he can.
I mean, based on what I've seen,
I don't think he can.
It's right down the middle
right here, Mr. T.
He's right in front of it.
I'mma go for it.
[indistinct chatter]
Bro, I'm goin' for it.
KEN: This is it.
This is indeed it.
WILLIE BROOKS JR.:
This has been a great game, man.
KEN:
Twenty-seven seconds. No timeouts.
Fourth and goal at the three,
for the 4A state championship.
This how you like
this type of game.
Twin receivers left,
single to the right.
Connelly has Robertson
in the backfield.
Takes the snap. Fakes it to him.
Rolling right. In trouble.
Oh, my God!
Ohh!
- KEN: He falls down.
- Wow.
KEN: And the Westgate Tigers
have won the state championship.
♪
Whenever Warren Easton goes back
and look at this film,
I think the call they will regret
is not lettin' Connelly run
quarterback Iso
straight ahead on the half-yard line.
When you've got one yard to make
and you got three downs to make it,
block 10 guys, and, and pound it at 'em.
For the third time,
Warren Easton is gonna lose
a state championship game
by one point.
When we played Warren Easton,
we were on the one-yard line.
KEN:
Yeah?
And we ran the quarterback
to win the game.
KEN:
Yeah.
TORY:
Well, them dudes deserve that shit, bro.
Them dudes earned that shit.
I ain't gon' lie.
[indistinct].
BRICE:
Hats off to Westgate, man.
To beat Edna Karr and Warren Easton
in back-to-back weeks
in one of the highest classifications
in our state,
that really shows
how good this team really is.
And Coach Antoine deserves
all of the credit.
And congratulations to Westgate
winnin' the 4A state title
in Louisiana.
I've taken that walk five times,
and I've taken that picture five times.
[laughs]
So, I'm battin' 500.
I done took that walk a couple times.
- Yeah, that's a long walk, Coach.
- Yeah, that's a long walk.
Ooh, feel like that walk never gon' end.
But I tell you what, you know what
Coach Willie used to tell us?
Sun gon' come up in the mornin'.
Thank you, Brice.
Great job.
Brice Brown. What a, what a great friend.
What a good man.
And, and so strange to not see you
on that field tonight.
I, I hope this experience was okay
for you here this evening, buddy.
I need somebody to help me, uh,
get to the parkin' garage
'cause I really don't know
where I parked at.
[laughter]
ANNOUNCER 1 [on TV]:
Thirty-four seconds left.
Well, they gotta throw the ball
one way or the other, right?
ANNOUNCER 2 [on TV]:
Yeah.
ANNOUNCER 1:
They gotta get in the end zone.
Get back in the zone.
- This the fumble, right?
- Yeah.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Samuel, takes the snap, steps left.
AJ:
I had pressure.
Everyone was tryna break it off of me.
Connelly was tryna break it off of me.
ANNOUNCER 1: Samuel rolls right.
He's gonna get sacked. And he fumbles.
It's on the turf, and it's over.
It's recovered by Westgate.
AJ:
Aw, fuck.
Fuck!
To me, like, the way I view stuff, like,
I don't never wish
I could take... anything back
because of how I wanna learn from it.
But at the same time,
if I could do it all over again,
I'm not doin' that.
I mean, like, that--
I was s-stupid.
Like, of course,
if I'd have kept that ball,
we winnin' that game.
It was a L on my part, like--
MICHAEL SAMUEL JR.:
We needed to get to the Dome
to stamp his, uh, recruitment.
Now, it's just, you know,
leaves a little bit of
guess-guessin' on the parts
of the scouts.
When you don't have those
multiple championships,
it just, kind of-- it make
your path a little bit tougher.
That's all. You know, he still got
another shot at it, you know?
BRICE:
AJ, you know, still waitin' to see
how this is gonna end with him.
He's a quarterback.
He's goin' to senior year.
You know, all the goals
that he, that he has,
he still can reach... right?
Because he has this last year.
His journey is still continuing.
Nah.
Like, my recovery month?
INTERVIEWER:
Yeah.
Probably, average probably five,
four, somethin' like that.
Yeah.
To be honest,
when I got hurt,
it shifted my whole, like,
what I wanna do in the future.
Like, I broke my wrist.
I got shot.
Beaucoup ankle injuries.
My last game at high school,
I tore my ACL.
Like, stuff just gon' keep
happenin' to me?
Like, dang, what I do?
My football don't love me.
[chuckles]
I ain't gon' say, like,
just completely, like, throw sports
out the window,
but
my number one priority
is rap right now.
I mean, I just think
he came too far with ball
to just wanna, like, let it go.
To me, it's the education.
It about the education.
This school in Texas gave him a offer.
But a lotta coaches be like,
"He's real small, his size,"
you know, like-- But I'm like,
"But he a giant on the field."
I'm-- I miss Karr Football.
I ain't gon' lie.
'Cause, like, it wasn't just football,
it was like... love.
There ain't nothin'
you can't tell your brothers.
Nothin' you can't tell
your coaches, like.
'Cause that just how Karr is.
♪
♪
[indistinct chatter]
Jaylin's first, Tygee's second,
Aaron third.
So, Jaylin will be first.
- So then, when his video play--
- Mm-hm.
then he'll declare
where he's goin'.
Okay.
[indistinct chatter]
BRICE: Got your phone?
[indistinct chatter]
Got my keys... Come here.
Love y'all, love y'all.
Love you, too.
Be good.
[over microphone]
We put together a little, um,
presentation for the boys
because, uh, we wanted them
to have the opportunity to say
they thanks to not only
their parents,
they school,
or to whoever it may have been.
But I tell you this,
with all three of them,
they have already completed
all assignments of graduatin' early.
So, I think that deserves more
of a recognition than anything.
[applause]
Speakin' individually to all of them
and their parents this week,
I'm most proud of their character.
From what they were told
they couldn't do,
from what they told
they weren't able to accomplish,
they've accomplished everything.
They are different kind of champions.
They're champions of life.
These three young men exemplify character.
Not only at Edna Karr High School,
but the city of New Orleans
and the state of Louisiana.
So, I just wanna say publicly,
listen, I love these three.
If I had my own children,
they would be the prime example
of what you want
your child to be.
Courageous, available,
accountable, and authentic.
So, I love y'all
from the bottom of my heart.
And I'm very proud of y'all,
even though I know
we fell short of our goal.
But like I said at the end
of our game,
champions cannot be measured by winnin'
state championship games.
[applause]
Our first honoree
is gon' be Mr. Jaylin Lucas.
He got it. He a little nervous.
[applause]
TYGEE [over microphone]:
For the next three to four years,
I will be attendin'
Louisiana State University.
[applause]
Tysha and Rock,
I hope y'all still come to the games.
[laughter]
TYSHA:
We always Cougars, Coach.
Last but not least,
Mr. Deuce Anderson.
[applause]
For the next three to four years,
I'll be attendin'--
[applause]
BRICE [over microphone]:
You know, as I sit here today,
I don't know how we
gonna replace these three.
So, I think we have to earn
our check a little bit more now.
And we have to,
we have to grind a little bit harder.
You'll forever be
a Edna Karr Cougar.
These doors will always be open to you.
Now let's keep bridgin'
high school to college
to build a better support system
for these young men.
That is key.
College, let's keep 'em there.
When they come home
and they say,
"Listen, I'm gettin' homesick."
Let's get together
and make sure they finish
just like they finished here.
And Go Hoosiers,
Go Tigers, Roll Tide.
Congratulations to these
three young men.
[applause]
♪ Little Do You Know
by Kenneth Brother playing ♪
♪ I hear you ♪
♪ I'm still haunted by the memories ♪
♪ By the memories, yeah ♪
[indistinct chatter]
♪
♪ Mind ya business, that's how we livin' ♪
♪ And time is money,
pay attention to how ya spendin' ♪
♪ Crunch time, I'm forever ballin'
like Skylar Diggins ♪
♪ I do that shit with me
and all my ninjas like Tyler Blevins ♪
You originally committed to LSU,
then you flipped to Alabama.
Was there any chance
on the backend
that Frank Wilson
and the LSU coaching staff
were almost getting you back
to be a Tiger?
Uh, I wanna say no,
but I wanna thank them
for giving me the opportunity.
You know, if anything, I feel like,
me and Coach Saban, you know,
the next three to four years,
you know, we are gonna be very close
and we gonna make history.
♪ Skatin' but its me,
so they don’t say shit ♪
♪ I put the B in best
before I go I need a Naismith ♪
Have you thought
about tackling Aaron?
Yeah. Yeah.
Uh, just playin' with that thought
that next year
we're gonna play
against each other.
And that-- I think that's gonna be the--
one of the best highlights in college.
Just tacklin' my former player.
LSU versus Alabama in Death Valley.
I just can't wait for that moment.
What've you told him
about that moment?
I-I just said, uh, whenever
he catch a smokescreen,
don't turn it inside,
I'mma be there.
[laughter]
♪
It is over!
The wait is over!
Lord, thank you, thank you,
thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ooh, we good.
So, we done. It's official.
Mm-hm.
[Tysha sighs]
He did this.
Uh, all I did was emailed
it to get print. [laughs]
He contact the person.
He came and told me,
"Ma, I got somethin' to show you."
And that's how I found out about this.
Sixteen thousand views.
92,000 people seen it on they timeline.
All right.
TYSHA:
Yeah, I-I don't know.
[Tygee chuckles]
No.
That's a lotta people.
That's a lotta people.
[Newman chuckles]
What?
"Another four," um,
"four-star lead tackler
from the [indistinct]
made his deci-- commitment on Thursday."
There's a picture. I love that picture.
It's unbelievable but, you know,
when, when God show you somethin'
when he's six years old,
and he tell you to do it,
you know,
you just as a parent,
parents that's listenin',
just trust what God show you.
I got tears in my eyes now,
you know?
It's, it's very emotional
because goin' from, you know,
watchin' him play parkball
the day I brought him out there,
to go from parkball to high school
and now, four years later almost
he about to, you know,
go to, go to college.
Things that, you know,
bring chills in your body.
- TYSHA: Doin' a group family hug.
- A group hug?
TYSHA: A group--
[laughter]
[indistinct]
[phone ringing]
What's up, Coach?
Yeah, just got done
signin' to the family.
Appreciate it.
He in good hands with you, Coach Wigg.
Right. I'm with you.
Got it.
Right.
AARON:
I'm with you.
Yeah, appreciate it.
All right.
[phone beeps]
Coach Wigg.
That's why you coach
high school football,
to see that maturation process
from basically a child to a young man.
To see him at
the University of Alabama,
you know, you don't get
much better than that.
Nobody knows except for Aaron
what made him not go
with his friend that day.
It's unfortunate that we lost Mall.
You have this family
and this mom who's still mournin'
her child's loss, right?
And then you have this other side
where he's being immortalized.
A life was lost...
and then a life prosper.
Why you can't have both?
AARON:
Let me see.
"God has blessed you with the mind,
talent, and the ability to be the best.
"Never forget at a point--
"at one point when people believed
you couldn't do it,
"it was you who told us
that what you can't do.
"Much love, Pops.
Love, Pops.
My love for you is forever."
Like that.
You know, every card he give me,
I go hang, I go hang it up.
He the reason I understand
what love is, you know?
He the reason-- he the one
who showed me what it was.
I... show back by doin'
what I gotta do.
- That's it?
- This is it.
NORMAN: The season didn't end
the way we wanted it to end,
but we still had a lotta success.
We had a lotta kids
that was signin' scholarships.
Jaylin, Aaron, and Tygee
had a big early signin' day
because they all graduated
in December.
And we were moving forward,
gettin' ready for spring football.
Then just out the blue,
I get a phone call from Brice.
He told me that he think
Keyron had been shot
and that
he was on the way
to the hospital and,
and we would know more soon.
[printer whirring]
Karr school leaders
and students are heartbroken
as they deal with the loss
of yet another student
to gun violence.
REPORTER: 18-year-old Keyron Ross
was a scholar athlete at Edna Karr,
a member of the football team
and the baseball team.
His coach and other school leaders
describe him
as full of energy and dedicated
to school and to sports.
Keyron was a great kid,
had a infectious personality.
He was a part of the program
for three years.
He was gonna be
the startin' defensive end
for this year's upcomin' team.
What the fuck happened?
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter]
MAKITA WELLS HARTFORD:
I know.
Baby, oh, come on, sister.
We gon' be okay, Coach.
We gon' be okay.
And I told Keyron, I say, "You have
the ability, son, to break this curse."
I said, "You could break it."
I say, "Y-You, you have it.
"You have the talent... to get out
and come back and reach
and pull somebody forward."
But I guess God had other plans.
This is a opportunity
for him to reach people
in a different way.
Not how we planned it,
but how, how he planned it.
MAKITA:
I'm devastated that my baby is gone.
But if I can help another mother
not feel this kinda pain,
I feel like that's what my,
that's what my calling is.
Like, I have to find a way
to reach somebody's child.
He always said that he was
gonna be a better father
to his son than his daddy ever was to him.
BRICE: And that's why he tried so hard,
because he knew
he was gonna have
to start teachin' somebody else.
MAKITA:
Yep.
TYGEE:
That was last Thanksgiving.
For the Turkey Bowl.
You know, we take a picture.
Yeah. [sighs]
It's, uh, just surprisin', like.
This the last picture we took together,
in game.
I just try to think about...
good times with him.
Like, us joking, us laughing.
When he found he had
a kid on the way,
I'll never forget,
he sent the ultrasound
to every group chat he could think of,
just every group chat.
He just wanted to be
that, that father figure.
I wish it wasn't like this.
Everything was good.
And you just... go to school,
party, and just come home, like.
Right.
Yeah, this is real, like,
sometimes you just be scared
to go outside.
It's like, dang, like,
even me goin' to college, like--
If this somebody who was close to me
that happened, it's, like, you hear me?
Like, it make you, like, think,
like, this could happen to me.
Make you feel vulnerable, like, like,
almost, like, you, like,
runnin' away from death, like,
it's chasin' you,
but you just keep runnin', like,
we don't know who he gon' catch.
Yeah.
It's, it's all around you.
NORMAN: Comin' into that year,
you could've never told me
we were gonna lose him.
That kid wasn't doin' anything wrong.
I'm thankful for my mama especially
for, for always bein' there for me,
takin' care of me,
puttin' a roof over my head.
I'm just thankful bein' here
with y'all boys every day, bro.
Y'all keepin' it up.
Y'all keepin' out of trouble,
make a stay out the streets
and all that good shit.
Fuck, I'm just thankful for y'all.
And that's it.
[applause]
He just wanted to play football
and baseball.
That's it. And he was good at it.
Really good at it.
[crowd cheering]
He played multiple positions.
He was a leader on the team.
I miss him.
You know, I miss bein' around him.
We got seven birthdays today,
okay. All right?
Keyron mom set up food.
That's what they family do.
All right? They take care of each other.
And, and as you can see,
there's a lotta love in the room.
He wanted everybody to eat.
If his mama bought him somethin',
he wanted his mama
to buy it for everybody.
If his mama provided somethin' for him,
he would break it off
and give it to everybody.
He wanted everybody to flourish.
[indistinct chatter]
It's just stressful and it's just
sickening.
And, uh, I don't know
no other way to explain it,
but... that was my guy.
I loved that kid.
♪
♪
♪
JAMAR MCKNEELY [over microphone]:
Over the last 15 years,
myself, Dr. Wyatt, Dr. Washington
have found ourselves
in this type of situation.
And when you see us,
regardless of where
we come from,
regardless of where you live,
we family, we Karr family.
All of us have been here
on Friday night cheering.
All of us celebrate together.
But us, as Black people,
have to do better, people.
We owe a responsibility to each
and every one of us
to be as strong
as we can be for each other.
And when we understand,
when we leave this stadium,
we just not another person.
Like, we gotta get better.
We gotta do better.
DR. WYATT:
Is it okay if I just talk to y'all?
No big words, nothin' fancy,
I just wanna talk to you.
I want you to understand that
y'all keep inductin' mothers
into a sorority that they don't
wanna have no business bein' in.
Miss Rhonda's out here.
We were here five years ago.
Y'all remember? Tonka?
Y'all remember five years ago?
And we here today.
The children who are not embraced
by the village
will burn it down
to feel its warmth.
I want you to hear that.
Because, you see,
we have a child that's dead,
but we also have a child
behind the, behind the gun.
So, we got to love
on him too, right?
The village is burnin'.
I'mma tell ya how we fix it.
The village has to be
more welcomin' than the streets.
That's how you fix it.
The village has to be
more welcomin' than the streets.
So, it's not about just your child.
When you see a child doin' wrong
and you walk by that child,
you have disowned that child.
You have given him to the street.
You better love them gunmen
before they take your child from 'em.
Y-You got to. It might sound crazy,
but you gotta love 'em.
We gon' love our way outta this.
Every time I see a child,
I tell him I love him.
I don't have to know
your child to love him.
Because when I look
at your child, I see mine.
PERSON:
Amen.
When I look at your child,
I see me.
PERSON: Oh yeah.
I was a wayward child, too.
And if the village didn't love me,
I couldn't be Dr. Wyatt.
Y'all better start gettin' real
about actual conversations.
Stop harborin' killers.
You know he carryin' a gun.
Where he got it from?
Stop acceptin' money from him
if he don't have no job.
You know what he doin' to get it.
Let's be real.
I don't wanna release no balloons
for no funerals and no vigils.
I wanna release the balloons
when them children graduate,
when they go to college,
when they get married,
when they have children.
We have to stop meetin' like this.
It's a sad day for Cougar Nation.
It's a sad day for Algiers,
but it could be the last sad day.
This kind of sad anyway.
One, two, three.
CROWD:
We pray for you, Tootie.
♪ melancholy music playing ♪
♪ Is o'er ♪
♪ And our times ♪
♪ Will be no more ♪
♪ No more ♪
♪ Well, guide me gently ♪
♪ Safely o'er ♪
♪ To thy kingdom ♪
♪ To thy shore ♪
BRICE:
In the history of this school,
we have some
very successful people
that are still with us
and doin' great things.
But, man, it's hard
to think about that
when you bury a 17-year-old.
It's hard to think
about anything but that.
And it becomes difficult to endure.
It becomes difficult
to keep accepting.
'Cause to see that type of hurt
and that type of pain
is unnatural.
We're talkin' 'bout a loss of life.
That's more hurtful
than losin' any damn game.
♪ Well, guide me gently ♪
♪ Safely o'er ♪
NORMAN: I didn't even get a chance
to hug him or anything.
And then the next time
I see him is the funeral.
And, you know, there you have
to kinda be strong
for the team and the kids.
But for a while,
you know, I was numb.
And for a while,
I didn't wanna coach.
I wanted to call Brice
and tell him I was done.
To be honest with you,
I didn't wanna be
in my community no more.
'Cause this shit is really
outta hand,
and I can't keep takin' it.
You know, the mission of the program
is to save all our kids
and put 'em in better positions
than, than they are now.
But losin' him,
it make you question
everything you're doin'.
And is it, is it, is it working?
But we feel like we gotta keep
the mission the same
'cause there's
a hundred other kids.
Everything we do is gonna be for him.
Everything.
♪ Let it be, Lord ♪
♪ Let it beee ♪
NORMAN: [indistinct] .
I'll give the welcome speech,
I say my bit about Keyron,
and y'all do Pledge of Allegiance,
and then I introduce [indistinct]
you know, introduction to her.
She'll speak.
[students chattering]
Welcome, welcome, and welcome again.
Uh, I wanna start the program off
with a, with a prayer.
Um, I know over the past week,
we've all in our community
here at Edna Karr,
uh, and the Ross family
have had heavy, heavy hearts.
We ask for healing.
We ask for strength and blessings
to be sent to the Ross family.
We ask that you look over them
in this time, Lord.
Keyron would've been right here
in the stands, smilin', jokin', laughin'
and havin' fun
right along with his brothers.
Because the one thing
that he always wanted to see
was the people around him be successful.
All right. So, we're gonna go forward
with our declaration of signees,
number seven himself.
PERSON: Go, Tory!
One of the mentally toughest kids
I've ever been around, Tory Morgan.
[cheering and applause]
When I was down,
y'all bring me back up to who I am.
I wanna thank my brother, Trevor,
he's sittin' right there.
I wanna thank Miss Ellis.
I'm just blessed, you know,
blessed to have my grandma,
and my pawpaw.
I'm blessed to have everybody,
you know, to build me to who I am.
And with that being said,
I'm takin' my talents
to Northwestern State University.
[cheering and applause]
Henderson State University.
Louisiana Christian University.
The University of Nicholls.
Northwestern State University.
Louisiana State University.
[cheering and applause]
♪
DENISE ELLIS:
Yeah!
I had her cryin' like a baby.
She did-- He did.
TORY: I'm feelin' good, you know?
I was a little shook on stage,
I ain't gon' lie.
The lights got to me but, man,
it-it's a great moment for me,
you know, for my family.
You know, we breakin'
the hurt cycle, you know?
PHOTOGRAPHER: One... two. Here we go.
Aw, it's a beautiful mornin',
I know it's rainin',
but for them, uh, it's like the sun
is shining in here right now.
And I think
Keyron's up there laughin',
and he's ecstatic right now,
and I'm ecstatic.
We grew up here.
Growin' up, I didn't lose
my friends to death.
There was no gun violence.
There was none of that.
And so these guys are losing people
at a rapid rate.
So, they're really grateful
to really just be standing here on Earth.
TYGEE:
No, we still mournin' a little bit.
But just, right now,
it's a celebration.
Just livin' through him.
Just makin' sure 48 Forever.
Just, like, that just live through us.
Like Dr. Wyatt said,
we'll make the village
more appealin' than the streets.
Right here, this is real appealin'.
Seein' us all with our hats on,
our college stuff on,
that should motivate you
'cause you see us every day.
You could touch us. You've just seen us
at a store or somethin'.
The class after us,
the class after that,
is gon' be 20 dudes signin'
to Alabama, LSU.
That's what you do it for.
♪
Pontchartrain Patriots
and the McDonough Buccaneers.
This is the one
they been wantin' to see.
Coach Chucky, Coach Booda.
It's about to go down.
Pontchartrain Patriots,
McDonough Buccaneers.
Nine- to ten-year-old championship
is up next.
Y'all know what to do.
[indistinct chatter]
PERSON:
Hey, y'all.
Y'all listen to Jawin, okay?
He's number five for Edna Karr, right?
JAWIN: I came to talk to y'all
because when I was y'all age,
I had somebody to talk to me,
so I'm just passin' it down,
you feelin' me?
JACQUEZ HAYES: Well, why you can't
talk to us [indistinct]?
I really came to talk to you
'cause you five.
You remind me of myself.
You ain't get five for no reason.
Feel what I'm sayin'?
So, ball out in that five.
You are representin' somebody.
So, really ball out in that five.
Five mean a lot.
And you gon' learn that
as you get older.
It ain't just a number.
It's everything.
CHEERLEADERS: We ready!
We got the beat!
That mighty Ram [indistinct]!
Rams are number one!
Stick together. Okay?
Bad things gon' happen.
Stick together.
Trust the person.
Make the play.
Hit the hole.
Go run in, wrap up.
All right? Be disciplined.
Watch the ball.
Everybody got that?
PLAYERS: Yeah, we got that!
Say, fellas, man, this is it.
[all yelling]
[indistinct yelling]
[clapping]
ANNOUNCER: There's the snap. Drop back.
Throw it to Burton on the end.
He is met immediately
by number five,
Jacquez "J-Rod" Hayes.
Defense!
[crowd thumping foot]
[announcer talking indistinctly]
[whistle blows]
ANNOUNCER: Touchdown!
JACQUEZ HAYES:
Let's go! Let's... Let's go!
Let's go!
- Good game. Good game.
- Good game, Chuck.
Good game, Chuck. Appreciate it.
[players shouting]
JACQUEZ HAYES'S MOTHER:
Let's go, number five!
My baby really hurt.
CURTIS:
Good job.
Oh, yeah. Hey.
Hurry up. Let's, let's line up,
take the picture.
[indistinct chatter]
CURTIS: Who's got my back?!
PLAYERS: I got your back!
CURTIS:
Who's got my back?!
PLAYERS:
I've got your back!
CURTIS:
One, two, three.
ANNOUNCER:
Big-time championship win.
Just tell me 'bout what
this championship mean to you
and your team.
It's the first championship
for this park,
and we need to bring more.
You played a big-time game.
Talk about the game
that you had today.
JACQUEZ: When I caught that touchdown,
when they had a minute left,
I knew that was the game right there.
You know you're my favorite player
in the city, aren't you?
Yeah.
I love you, you hear?
♪ marching band music playing ♪
BRICE:
One minute, guys.
Graduation my second favorite day
other than signin' day.
Signin' day my favorite day.
That's the one day I let,
I let my guard down a little bit.
There's nothin' like goin' backstage
and talkin' to them
before the graduates are introduced.
We're graduatin'.
This is the moment we all,
we all waitin' for this moment,
we all been in pursuit.
Just ready to go across that stage, man.
Step out into the real world.
BRICE: Seein' how happy
and proud that they are,
proud of themself.
BRIDGETT:
I'm proud of him for real.
I'm tryin' not to get too emotional.
[chuckles]
[laughs]
Yeah, I'm happy. I'm excited.
♪
DR. WYATT:
You watch these stories unfold.
So, when you look at 'em
on the graduation stage,
all you can do is think about
all of the conversations
and all of the hard work
and all of the practices
and all of the, the rides home
and all of the haircut appointments.
You think about all of that
for that very moment.
And you can't do anything but be proud.
And I, I go to graduation
just to see it every year.
My name is Coach Brice Brown,
and I represent
the Bill Robinson Committee
on the Student Athletes of the Year.
This year's male recipient
may come to no surprise to many,
but what may surprise you
is his ability to show humility
when the lights and success
shine brightest on him.
Athletics is the bridge
that brought this recipient
to heights he has never seen.
If you ask me,
from Algiers to Tuscaloosa
doesn't seem that far at all.
It is my honor to, to present to you
the Bill Robinson
Male Student Athlete of the Year.
You may know him as Deuce,
but we at Edna Karr High School
know him as Aaron Anderson.
[cheering and applause]
Aaron is also receivin'
a $500 scholarship in his name.
Aaron Anderson has
outstanding character.
At one point, people thought
he was gonna go left,
but then he figured it out
and corrected himself
and went on that path
to bein' probably
one of the best receivers,
not only in, in Karr history
but in this-- in the history of the state.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Aaron Lawrence Anderson.
[cheering]
BRICE:
With him, you just reflect on, "Man,
this kid came a long fucking way."
Tygee is very authentic.
He's very comfortable in his own skin.
You know what?
He didn't let football define him.
He was comfortable enough
to say, "Coach,
look, if this don't work out,
I wanna be a real estate agent."
It wasn't that he didn't love football.
It's that he knew himself.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Tygee Newman Hill.
RELATIVE:
Let's go, Cougars!
Let's go, Tygeezus!
BRICE:
The sky the limit for him, too.
He's gon' be successful
in anything that he touch.
[cheering]
Tory Morgan will be missed.
When you talk about a kid
who lost his mom,
he's livin' with his grandparents
who are ill and elderly,
and doesn't make any excuse.
He never surrender. He never quit.
I would think the whole arena
should stand up
when his name is called at graduation.
I don't know how we gonna
replace a player like that.
I don't know if it's possible.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Tory Keith Morgan.
You know,
it's gonna be very different
without him.
Ready, dawg.
Ready, dawg.
I'm tweakin' right now.
Man, I love Jawin.
I'mma miss him.
You know, how he was livin' his life,
a huge transformation.
SCHOOL OFFICIAL [over microphone]:
Jawin [indistinct] Newman.
BRICE:
I'm very proud of Jawin.
He turned into being
a responsible young man.
'Cause there's not,
there's not many times
where you could see a kid keep fallin'
and just keep gettin' up.
He keeps gettin' up
and stayin' on that straight line.
"Oh, yeah. I got shot.
I'm still gon' ball."
"Yeah, I tore my ACL.
I'm still goin' to college."
And he did it.
That whole class was--
it was somethin' special
about 'em from day one.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I give you the class of 2022.
BRICE: This is gon' be hard
to replace all these kids.
As we sittin' here
talkin' about it,
I'm reflectin' on it
and talking at the same time,
and it's gon' be like, "Well, shit,
we got our work cut out for us."
♪ marching band music playing ♪
♪
♪
[crowd cheering]
♪
DR. WYATT: If you understand
the culture of New Orleans,
every graduation is important
because we know
what our children are facing.
Every day, there's a possibility
that the child you sent
out of your door might not return
because of the violence in our community.
So, you're damn right,
we gon' celebrate,
and we gon' do it real big
because this is an opportunity
to revel in all the good
that came from all of your sacrifice.
♪ marching band music continues ♪
It's finally done. He's done.
There's no more high school.
Straight to LSU, man. Let's go.
DR. WYATT:
Oh, you gon' be great.
You hear me?
Because you already great.
Yes, he is.
So, there's greater,
there's greatest, ya understand?
And I'mma be cheerin' you
the whole way.
You understand that?
[laughs]
These 256 graduates...
shit, we did a good job.
Another one in the books.
Hopefully, they rock this world
with not only their ambition
but... with they vision
of what they think is success.
Because all of those grads
are gonna walk out
and go 256 different ways.
Let's just hope
that none of 'em go left.
RHONDA [on phone]: You, like, one of the
best fives that ever came into my life.
So, Jawin, once you start
that new journey,
please continue on bein'
in my life.
Well, thank you so much
for comin' into my life
and bein' there for me.
I love y'all so much.
And we love you dearly.
JAWIN:
Everything happen for a reason.
They seen Tonka in me,
so... I'm not finished
carrying his legacy.
I'm gon' be there for the other fives
if they need me
in the name of Tonka.
TYSHA: All the family,
friends just celebratin'
[indistinct] 'bout to leave
to go to LSU.
Come on, you ready, Ma?
TYSHA: Wait.
[indistinct chatter]
Yes, sir! Yes, sir!
[laughter]
TORY:
I got so much clothes. Get that one, bro.
I had that shirt for so long, bro.
Still a new shirt. When my mama passed.
And I always kept it 'cause we--
all my brothers and 'em signed it.
So, I always kept it.
Yeah, right there.
I remember Coach be like, "You know,
you gotta write your goals down."
"And you gotta wake up to 'em every day.
That's the only way
you gonna achieve 'em."
I achieve every goal on here.
Goin' to college, goin' D1,
havin' a 115 plus.
The only thing I didn't achieve
was havin' turnovers.
I ain't get no picks this year.
But I'm gonna get some in college,
I ain't trippin'.
Leavin' New Orleans
always been my plan,
so now that I achieved my goal,
I'm just thankful and grateful.
And we're out!
- LORNA: Love you.
- I love you, too.
I'mma call you.
We did it, and I was here.
He let me stay here until then.
[car horn honks]
Thank you, Lord.
That's all I got to say,
is thank you.
♪
Time to go.
Y'all gon' be asleep
by the time we get to--
BRIDGETT: [indistinct].
[laughter]
♪
BRICE:
It's a little bit surreal
because you knew this day was happening.
You just, you, you know,
when the day come and then it's like,
"Oh, it's here."
You know, that's, that's like today.
You know, I'm happy for him, though.
He know that.
And they gon' be in there watchin' him.
Gotta walk on his own in there.
He'll be fine.
You home.
We know where he live at now,
so we could pop up
on him any time we want.
Ah.
- What you got, the box fan?
- Yeah.
[laughter]
What's up, man?
You good?
Good seeing you, bro.
Hot sauces.
They don't sell this down here.
They don't sell this... down here.
♪
Ohh.
Ohh. I love you
for real, for real.
I love you, too.
I'm tryin' not to be sad.
♪
AARON:
Yeah, I'm gonna miss you, too.
[laughs]
All right. Love you.
AARON:
I love you, too.
♪
BRICE:
Just think about the kids
who livin' in
the same circumstances as him
who now gon' turn on the TV
and see... a kid just like, like them
play at the University of Alabama.
If that's not inspirational,
I don't know what the hell is.
♪
♪
♪
He wrote me a letter.
It says, "What's up, Pops?
Just wanna tell you
"how much I appreciate you
for being the perfect example.
"Thanks for takin' me in
as a two and as a son.
"No matter what number I get,
I will always be Deuce
"and will ever be your son.
"When I have my family and my son,
"I want him to learn
the same lessons that you taught me.
"Respect. How to move.
The value of a dollar.
"Not goin' backwards.
Nothing isn't given to you.
"Everything is earned.
"I will always remember
these lessons.
Love you forever. Deuce."
[chuckles]
That's pretty good.
I'mma have to write him another one now.
[laughing]
What's next?
The 2022 football season.
We gotta do it again.
We got more lives to reach,
we got more people to teach.
The work don't stop.
The relentless pursuit of saving a child.
Easy to say that,
harder to do it.
Relentless.
Relentless pursuit of saving a child.
Sometimes from themselves.
That's what's real.
That's why they gray hairs
in my beard right now.
And I'm not even 40.
[all thumping]
One, two, three.
ALL: Boom.
"Family" on me,
"Family" on three.
One, two, three.
ALL: Family.
♪ Don't Give Up by Groove Armada playing ♪
♪ Brought tears to my eyes ♪
COACH:
Hey. Push, dawg.
ALL:
Ho! Hey! Cougars! Cougars!
[whistle blows]
♪ Just remember ♪
'Bout to come back out here,
get that work in.
Got turned down twice.
But, you know, we 'bout to come back,
you know, be great.
You know, we got unfinished business
to take care of.
Gotta get gritty.
♪ Just trippin' away ♪
NORMAN:
New journey, new team.
This is like, uh, gettin' away
from actual life.
These little few hours is heaven.
♪ Let your love bring us together ♪
MARVIN:
We gotta get our record back.
We gotta go get it.
And I think these kids
feel the same way.
"Compete" on me.
"Compete" on three.
- MARVIN: They wanna win.
- One, two, three.
ALL: Compete.
♪ Let your love bring us together ♪
♪
♪ All these hard times ♪
♪ Don't give up ♪
♪ Our time, we're moving ♪
♪ Our time, we're moving ♪
♪ If you believe ♪
♪ Just trippin' away, yeah ♪