Louisiana Playoffs: 10 underclassmen primed for breakouts

The playoffs are the <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2020/11/louisiana-playoffs-10-uncommitted-seniors-likely-to-open-eyes/">last opportunity for seniors to open some eyes</a></strong>, but sometimes also the first for their younger teammates. Similar to Monday’s list of 2021 prospects, here are 10 athletes from Louisiana’s upcoming 2022, 2023 and even 2024 classes who could be poised for breakout postseason runs. Once again, these players are recruits with only a few, if any, offers thus far. A few other prospects such as Zachary safety Kylin Jackson, Captain Shreve athlete Kendrick Law, Scotlandville running back Marlon Gunn Jr. and Newman wide receiver Makai "Kai" Donaldson were considered, but have already received Power Five offers. So we tried to stick with some even more under-the-radar, but talented athletes. <strong>Connor Wisham — 6-0, 180 RB — Zachary</strong> The 2015, 2017 and 2018 state champions appear the clear favorites on their side of the bracket to reach the Class 5A state championship, with Acadiana, Ponchatoula and Ruston all on the other side. And the Broncos’ junior running back would be likely play a big role in the process. Zachary is known more for its passing game through the years, with quarterbacks Lindsey Scott Jr. and Keilon Brown and wide receivers such as Douglas Coleman III, Chandler Whitfield and company. And this year’s group, with LSU-offered quarterback Eli Holstein and another good receiving corps led by LSU-committed wideout [player_tooltip player_id="63552" first="Chris" last="Hilton"] Jr., grabs similar headlines. But, in their recent championship runs, the Broncos have always seemed to find enough success on the ground to present a multi-dimensional challenge for opponents. Wisham may be the program’s best running back prospect in that span and could be pivotal in helping his sophomore quarterback navigate a deep playoff run. <strong>Nick Howard — 6-3, 170 WR — Rummel</strong> The Raiders’ 2020 class finished a historic season on top last December with now-Vanderbilt freshman Donovan Kaufman lifting them late to a 14-10 defeat of Catholic (Baton Rouge) at Tulane, then graduated the majority of the team’s starting lineup on both side of the ball off to Division-I college programs. Those graduations left big shoes to fill around the few returning standouts such as quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="63624" first="Kyle" last="Wickersham"], running back [player_tooltip player_id="63560" first="Logan" last="Diggs"] and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="63574" first="Kolbe" last="Fields"]. And the junior wide receiver is among the most talented prospects of that bunch. Howard is a long, lean pass-catcher with 4.5-second 40-yard speed that Rummel lines up in a variety of positions around its offense and utilizes in a range of ways from short screens he can quickly turn into big gains, to deep balls over the top of the defense, to coming down with jump or back-shoulder balls in tight coverage and anything in between. The defenses ahead in Division I are too stout to rely solely on Diggs and the ground game, and Howard offers another dynamic option to move the ball. <strong>Daniel Beale — 6-0, 170 QB — Catholic (Baton Rouge)</strong> The Bears open the densely competition Division-I playoff bracket with a rematch of last year’s thrilling state championship game against Archbishop Rummel, who is once again playing as well as anyone in Louisiana at the right time. Many media, fans and coaches consider the winner the likeliest favorite to win the whole tournament, although two more games and some combination of the other remaining six competitive teams would still lie ahead. Senior quarterback Landon O’Connor was sidelined less than three weeks ago with a high ankle sprain, leaving recently elevated freshman Daniel Beale to lead the offense. He showed enough poise and made enough plays to hold off defending 5A champion Acadiana and highly ranked 5A opponent Woodlawn (Baton Rouge) in consecutive weeks to end the regular season. But stages and pressure only grow moving forward, with the room for error shrinking accordingly. If he can help Catholic (Baton Rouge) reach a fourth straight state championship game and potentially win its second in that span, "Baby Beale" could very well become the talk of the state. <strong>Ryan Robinson Jr. — 6-0, 170 DB — Edna Karr</strong> Senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="63719" first="Destin" last="Refuge"] and junior defensive lineman Tygee Hill headline a long list of defensive playmakers for an Edna Karr team that looks more than capable of completing its mission for a fifth straight state championship. [player_tooltip player_id="63669" first="Cahn" last="Meads"], [player_tooltip player_id="63633" first="Karl" last="Odrick Jr."], Tory Morgan, Skylon Jean-Louis and Jonathan Bax are a few more in the box, and a pair of sophomores defensive backs in Ryan Robinson Jr. and Michael Richard are among the budding standouts in the secondary. Robinson is already a long, rangy cornerback who has been tested in some notable matchups with fellow title contenders and held his own. With games against Warren Easton, Catholic (Baton Rouge), John Curtis, St. Augustine and L.B. Landry accounting for more than half the Cougars’ regular season, the young athlete shouldn’t be intimidated by anything ahead. <strong>Caleb Gallashaw — 5-7, 175 ATH — Leesville</strong> Gallashaw is a dynamic offensive weapon to whom the Wampus Cats try to get the ball as many ways possible to utilize his 4.5-second 40-yard speed. The junior serves primarily as the team’s running back where is both a home-run threat any time he can find a little bit of a seam or get to the outside, but also shows enough balance to stay on his feet through some contact. He is also a comfortable and confident receiver whether out of the backfield or out of the slot where he shows the ability to catch the ball in stride with his hands away from his body and get quickly up-field for yards after the catch. The No. 5 seed is the program’s best since the inception of the power rankings system in 1999, although not altogether far from the norm of its resurgence that has includes No. 6 seeds in 2016 and 2017 and a semifinal run during the latter postseason. Leesville starts the postseason with a pair of home games before visiting either No. 4 Neville or No. 13 Westgate, two well-known and traditionally strong programs, in the quarterfinals. <strong>Micah Johnson — 6-2, 210 WR — Parkview Baptist</strong> The Eagles are the lowest-seeded team represented on this list, with one of the steepest challenges to potentially seeing more than two playoff games. A banged-up and short-handed Parkview Baptist survived St. Louis Catholic this past week and now heads to Lafayette to face reigning Division-II champion St. Thomas More, who could make a strong case as Louisiana’s best team this season. The sophomore star’s two touchdown performance played a big part in that success. Johnson is listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, with a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. He runs like a deer in space, smoothly striding around, past and away from defenders, but with enough strength and force to barrel over others, break tackles and gain yards after contact. Johnson will be one of Louisiana’s top 2023 prospects to watch continue to develop over the next two years. <strong>Trey Holly — 5-8, 175 ATH — Union Parish</strong> The Farmers are the No. 2 seed in the Class 3A playoff brackets, and their explosive sophomore running back has been a major reason. Treyvion "Trey" Holly has become an increasingly well-known star in northeast Louisiana with an absurd 1,678 yards and 29 touchdowns on 158 attempts in seven games — 239.7 yards per game and 10.6 yards per carry — and added another 204 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries in his team’s playoff opener this past week. The next few weeks will represent most of the state’s first opportunities to hear or see more of the Union Parish standout, who plays his home games 20 miles or so north of Interstate 20, between Monroe and Ruston, and about 20 miles shy of the Arkansas state line. The Farmers will travel south this week to New Orleans to play No. 18 Booker T. Washington and Arizona commitment [player_tooltip player_id="63565" first="Tyrese" last="Johnson"]. <strong>DaRian Riggs — 5-9, 170 ATH — Lafayette Christian</strong> On paper, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound junior could easily get lost amid the star power of a loaded Knights squad pursuing its fourth straight state championship. Five-star senior [player_tooltip player_id="63550" first="Sage" last="Ryan"] recently committed to LSU over Alabama. Junior defensive linemen Fitzgerald West Jr. and Masey Lewis  and junior defensive backs Jordan Allen and B[player_tooltip player_id="63612" first="Rylan" last="Green"] all hold Power Five offers. But, on the field, Riggs make himself pretty impossible to miss. Riggs has joined Ryan and speedy home-run threat Caemon Scott as one of Lafayette Christian’s top weapons on offense as both a running and receiving weapon all over the field. He’s the <strong>Landry Lyddy — 6-0, 190 QB — Calvary Baptist</strong> The Cavaliers’ young passer sought out any extra workouts, coaching, camps or tournaments he could the past two offseasons as he waited his turn at the starting helm of the varsity offense. And that additional experience and confidence has paid off well for the junior and the Calvary Baptist offense the past couple months. Lyddy has completed 109 of his 162 pass attempts (67.3 percent) for 2,517 yards and 33 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Calvary Baptist have played well in their highest-profile matchups — respectable 35-27 and 31-13 losses to Division-I powers C.E. Byrd and Archbishop Rummel and a 56-13 rout of perennial Class 1A power Haynesville — and enter the Division IV tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers rolled past No. 16 St. Martin’s Episcopal in their first contest and now host 2019 runner-up Catholic-Pointe Coupee and LSU commit [player_tooltip player_id="63557" first="Matthew" last="Langlois"] in the quarterfinals. <strong>Brendon Harris — 6-3, 195 DB/LB — Homer</strong> The Pelicans beat long-time — more than 100 years long — rival Haynesville for the first time since 2010 to close the regular season in emphatic fashion with the 36-8 victory. Coach Richie Casey, a four-year starter at Homer before heading to Louisiana Tech, has his alma mater and community excited and entering the postseason with momentum and its highest seed, No. 5, since the rankings system began in the late 1990s. Key seniors, such as Jalen Slaughter and Terrenzo Winzer, have naturally been a major part of that success, but the Pelicans have also benefited from some talented younger standouts to help fuel the special season thus far and potentially deep playoff run. And sophomore Brendon Harris is one of those names worth keeping an eye on for his play this year, as well as his development for the years to come. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete has the speed and ball skills to play back in the secondary, but also the size to make plays in the box and near and behind the line of scrimmage. He shows discipline in both areas, playing his role within a unit that allowed 102 points in eight regular-season contests — 12.75 points per game — and less than 10 points per game outside of its matchup with Calvary Baptist.