Top Performers: Scotlandville vs. Madison Prep spring game

Two of the Baton Rouge area’s top teams ended the unusual school year the same place they started. When the LHSAA finally transitioned back to action following the six months of COVID-19 shutdown, Scotlandville hosted Madison Prep in a scrimmage that provided the first glimpse at their potential. The Hornets won all six of their regular season matchups to earn the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs, where they fell in the quarterfinals to perennial power John Curtis after finally returning from a three-week hiatus because of coronavirus contact-tracing and the early-round bye. The Chargers finished the regular season with a 5-2 record before rolling through the Class 3A playoffs, including a 50-0 rout of Union Parish to claim the program’s first state championship. Here’s a look at the performance of each team’s top-ranked prospect in each of the next two classes, as well as an additional athlete who stood out and could be making his case for inclusion in the next update. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dkMJ1WKNJpM" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Scotlandville</strong> <strong>Highest Ranked 2022 Prospect</strong> <strong>No. 33 — [player_tooltip player_id="127857" first="Marlon" last="Gunn"] Jr. — 6-0, 205 RB</strong> Slightly hampered by the past week or so by a minor ankle injury, the star running back showed more of the "thunder" to his "thunder and lightning" tandem with Chance "Deuce" Williams than being able to put his own top gear on full display. But a couple tough runs between the tackle and three or four other touches on which he was able to get to the corner or shed a near-tackle and get to the perimeter for a bigger gain. Gunn has continued to work on his top-end speed and enters this summer among Louisiana’s top rising seniors to watch potentially break his recruiting process into a new gear if more Power Five programs follow Florida State and Virginia in pursuit. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lmx-LxLumbQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Highest Ranked 2023 Prospect</strong> <strong>No. 18 — [player_tooltip player_id="138407" first="Jamall" last="Franklin"] — 6-8, 370 OL</strong> The spring game marked the first varsity look at the big offensive lineman in a Scotlandville jersey. His size alone was enough to put him on the radar as an underclassman, and a few workouts continued to pique interest. But, on Friday, back from an ineligible sophomore year, Franklin had to the opportunity to show the impressive quickness to go with that big body and the conditioning and motor to play on both sides of the ball. The Hornets are huge in the trenches, but Franklin stands out for his game nonetheless. <strong>Making His Case</strong> <strong>Damien Knighten — 5-9, 150 ATH</strong> After sitting the fall following a transfer from Baker, the quick-footed athlete wasted little showcasing some of the threat he adds to the Hornets’ offense. Knighten threw for nearly 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore quarterback, but moves to a more natural role as a receiver at Scotlandville. He used his speed to get free down deep down the sideline, his quickness to break open across the middle and up seams and even his leaping ability and ball skills to go up over defenders and bring down contested balls. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/te61517n-BU" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> &nbsp; <strong>Madison Prep</strong> <strong>Highest Ranked 2022 Prospect</strong> <strong>No. 9 — [player_tooltip player_id="136573" first="Quency" last="Wiggins"] — 6-7, 270 DL</strong> The big defensive end stood out from a physical standpoint at the teams’ fall scrimmage and returned Friday as one of the nation’s top prospects. He continues to gain a better understanding of the game, the importance of leverages and techniques with his hands and feet to shed blockers and getting his arms up into passing lanes when he can’t get to the quarterback. <iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DLlY9P4M9EY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Highest Ranked 2023 Prospect</strong> <strong>Treylan James — 6-2, 170 DB</strong> That Chargers’ ranked 2023 defensive back, No. 64 [player_tooltip player_id="138318" first="David" last="Jones"], missed Friday’s contest, but one of his secondary-mates stepped up as a potential player to watch in the next updates and during the next two seasons. James, listed as a sophomore wide receiver on this fall’s roster, patrolled the back end of the defense in the spring game and played well in that role. He intercepted one pass in the end zone and helped break up another pair and also looked comfortable coming downhill to help secure tackles in run support or on screens. <strong>Making His Case</strong> <strong>Hezekiah Danzler — 5-9, 160 ATH</strong> The rising sophomore provided Madison Prep some of the same intrigue that Knighten did Scotlandville. The speedy little perimeter weapon could be among the Chargers’ answers in replacing graduating downfield threats [player_tooltip player_id="63566" first="Tyrell" last="Raby"] and Marlon Smart. His speed and quickness stood out to allow him to get open or to rack up yards after the catch. But, like Knighten, he also hauled in leaping grabs that came as a bit more of a surprise at his size.