STM’s Brian Broussard Unsatisfied After Four-Interception Performance in Season-Opening Win

by: William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor

The euphoria didn’t rise to the level of winning back-to-back state championships, but St. Thomas More senior cornerback Brian Broussard Jr. believed his team’s 21-20 victory over Carencro proved a point. 

Not even Broussard’s career-best four-interception effort, including a successful defense on a potential game-winning, two-point conversion, wasn’t enough to lose sight of the big picture for a program that’s won 25 consecutive games.

“The game ranked high (individually) but overall, I felt it wasn’t close to a state championship feeling,” Broussard said. “I felt the team could have played better, I felt I could have played better individually and had a few more picks. I wasn’t 100% excited about Friday because I knew it wasn’t where we needed to be as for our bigger goals. We have a great opponent this week.”

Class 4A’s No. 2 St. Thomas More (1-0) hosts Class 5A’s Catholic-Baton Rouge (1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in a matchup of reigning state champions.

According to St. Thomas More Terry Tidwell, now in his 41st season at the school under head coach Jim Hightower, Broussard broke a school record with his four-interception performance. The Cougars also picked off a fifth pass which Reed Dupuis returned 25 yards for a touchdown and 21-0 halftime lead.

“Friday night, he was in another universe,” Tidwell said of Broussard, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound three-year starter. “He was just better than anybody out there.”

Broussard, a first-team All-District 5-4A selection with 66 tackles, nine passes broke up and three interceptions (1 TD) in 2023, totaled four tackles and broke up five passes to go with his four interceptions – two taking place in each half – in his team’s season opener.

“I feel like especially Friday, all of the summer 7-on-7s and how we work as a team, came into play,” said Broussard, who has scholarship offers from Murray State and Millsaps, and interest from Baylor and Georgetown. “The biggest thing about STM’s defense is the only way it works is if we trust each other and Friday we had a lot of trust within different people.

“The only reason I’m the leader I am now is because of the leaders I’ve had when I was coming up as a freshman and sophomore,” Broussard said. “We have a good culture as seniors. The leaders just come up because they’re taught how to lead from the previous seniors. That describes why STM football is what it is.”

Tidwell said Broussard and fellow senior Gavin Duplechin give STM a pair of experienced players that provide leadership and a coach on the field for younger players. The Cougars return eight senior starters from a unit that graduated a pair of Class 4A first-team All-State selections in senior linebackers Hayden Hernandez and Brody Latiolais.

“He’s grown better each year,” Tidwell said of Broussard. “He’s always had good speed. His knowledge of the game is really good. He’s a student of film and knows what’s going on. He asks good questions on the practice field. He comes out of the game and asks questions about what he’s seen going on. He knows what he’s doing on the field and has a good feel for where he is.”

Broussard is a sterling example of a multi-sport athlete who’s tasted success in other areas. In addition to the two state championships in football, Broussard has helped the Cougars win two Division II state soccer titles and ran the third leg on the team’s winning 4×400 relay in the Class 4A meet at the LHSAA Outdoor Championships in May.

An example of his competitive drive took place on his leg of the relay last spring when Broussard took the baton in seventh place, improved STM’s standing to third going into the final exchange to Tripp Gossen, who helped STM win by fifth tenths of a second over Warren Easton.

In the team’s season opener, Broussard appeared to play his position with textbook precision. His first interception in the opening quarter was an out route that forced him to extend his body and managed to keep his feet in bounds. He was adept to get inside position on his next two picks, the first coming at Carencro’s 47-yard line and the latter at STM’s 43.

“After the first interception and it was early in the game, I was thinking they were definitely going to come back my way,” Broussard said. “I knew if our D-line would do what they needed to do and force him (quarterback) outside and make him make a throw, I was confident in not only me, but our other defensive backs to make a play.

“The reason I was in the position I was in, is because I trusted the outside linebacker that he could get to where he needed to,” Broussard said. “On the interceptions, everybody was supposed to be where they were supposed to be just like when Reed got his interception.”

Broussard’s next-to-final act was his most impressive interception. With Carencro within 21-12 and driving in the fourth quarter, Broussard got inside position on the intended receiver to make an interception at the Cougars’ 5 and kill the drive.

“Brian broke under him and stepped in front and took the pass,” Tidwell said. “It was a really nice move. His earlier three interceptions were exceptional field position plays, breaking to the ball when it was in the air.”

Carencro quarterback Chantz Babineaux, the state’s No. 12 rated prospect in 2026 at wide receiver, scored on a 1-yard sneak with 20 seconds left to be played, drawing the Bears within the final score. Following an offsides penalty, Babineaux split out wide against Broussard who did his best to position himself between the ball and Babineaux.

The final pass was complete to Babineaux was out of bounds, STM then recovered an onside kick, ran out the remainder of the clock, and was able to exhale.

“I knew the ball was coming to me, and I knew I had to make a play on it,” Broussard said. “He forced himself to the corner of the end zone and it made for a harder throw and a harder catch. I just decided not to let to let him land on his feet in bounds.”