East Feliciana quarterback Marcus Cannon, Jr. (1) flips the ball to running back Makyle Cannon (3) against Slaughter Community Charter, Friday, October 10, 2025, at Slaughter Community Charter School in Slaughter, La.
East Feliciana needed one more stop.
After a Slaughter Charter touchdown in the fourth quarter swung momentum, the Knights were driving on the Tigers but faced a fourth down at the East Feliciana 26 with 28 seconds left.
Knights senior quarterback Carson Baxter dropped back but quickly was pressured by Tigers sophomore Matthew King. Baxter tried to spin out of King's grasp, but the linebacker threw him to the ground for the game-sealing sack.
"My first thought was just to grab him, and I did it," King said. "I thought he threw it, but he didn't. I was just happy. There was just a lot going through my head."
East Feliciana (5-1, 3-0) held on for the 16-10 victory on the road.
"It was just amazing," King said about the sack. "It felt good, everybody cheering my name."
The Tigers defense held the Knights to just 149 yards, including 67 yards rushing on 28 attempts.
"Our defense has been the backbone of our team the whole season," East Feliciana coach Darius Matthews said. "We didn't have any doubt that we were going to stop them."
Slaughter Charter (5-1, 2-1) scored a late touchdown in the fourth after a fumbled Tigers' punt gave the Knights the ball at the East Feliciana 49. With 4:40 left in the game, Knights senior quarterback Ty'Kimion Ford threw a 20-yard touchdown to senior receiver Thomas Carter.
Penalties were an issue for both sides. East Feliciana was penalized 17 times while the Knights were flagged 10 times.
Overcoming the penalties went back to the work the team did in the offseason, Matthews said.
"We knew facing adversity was no problem," he said. "Just dealing with it in the moment, so we did an excellent job of that."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Knights found the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal early in the second.
East Feliciana took over, but two penalties before the ensuing drive's first play set them back with first and long. Senior K'Darius Miller picked all of the yards back up himself on a 17-yard run.
The play sparked an 11-play, 63-yard scoring drive that ended with junior quarterback Marcus Cannon scoring a 1-yard touchdown on a tush push. The score with 4:14 left in the second was the first points Slaughter Charter had allowed all season.
"We were never afraid of scoring on anybody," Matthews said. "We are capable of scoring on anyone."
The Tigers led 8-3 after a successful two-point try. East Feliciana then pulled a trick out of its bag with an onside kick to get the ball right back at the Slaughter Charter 40.
Thanks to two penalties, East Feliciana needed just four plays to score another touchdown. At the 2-yard line, Cannon scored his second rushing touchdown. The Tigers led 16-3 after another successful two-point try.
Cannon finished 14-of-20 passing for 92 yards with two rushing touchdowns.
Both sides were scoreless in the third. The Knights rallied late with a touchdown but saw their comeback fall short.
"Every game counts," Matthews said. "We got bragging rights this year for 365 days."