5 new(er) standouts from LCA vs. LCCP jamboree

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lafayette Christian and Lake Charles College Prep feature a combined five college commitments already with more on the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights' and Blazers' jamboree matchup saw several players stand out beyond the most familiar faces and names who have been heavily covered on each roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five of the standouts who haven't yet been previously featured much heading into this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJvO-f7DRCA","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJvO-f7DRCA </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='914215' first='Jalen' last='Noel'] | 5-7 RB | Lafayette Christian (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior earned a debut position on the latest Prep Redzone Louisiana off a first look at his couple minutes of intriguing film, including some varsity opportunities. And Noel looked both impressive and versatile in his final dressed rehearsal for a season stepping into a more prominent role. He showed speed to the outside, ran physically between the tackles and was a consistent and sure-handed threat as a receiver out of the backfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvVsby2VjFw","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvVsby2VjFw </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1224578' first='Calvin' last='Parker'] | 5-8, 170 RB | Lafayette Christian (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Following the graduation of last year's seniors Dudley Jackson and Dedrick Celestine, the Knights appear to once again have multiple upperclassman options in the backfield to help complement LSU commit Ju'Johnson and the explosive passing attack. "Tre" — who, like Noel, earned some varsity reps as a sophomore —&nbsp;followed Noel in the rotation.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sam Taylor | 6-1, 205 LB | Lafayette Christian (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor has been a standout punter for the Knights from early in his career and continued to play a bigger role on defense as he's gotten older, bigger and stronger. He flew around, seemingly constantly around the ball and often showcasing his hard-hitting physicality to help end plays all in a fashion somewhat reminiscent of standout 2023 graduate Bennett DeRouen. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kyrian Gaskins | 6-1, 165 WR | Lake Charles College Prep (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Blazers finally got on the board midway through the second half, as the long, lean Gaskins beat his defender deep downfield for an explosive play to the end zone. The senior was another tall, athletic target on a night on which Memphis commit [player_tooltip player_id='144877' first='Elijah' last='Garrick'] was battling some illness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Matthew Higginbotham | 5-9, 150 ATH | Lake Charles College Prep (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior receiver stepped into a position of need — with the transfer of [player_tooltip player_id='144875' first='Josiah' last='Bushnell'] this offseason to Iowa —&nbsp;and made some big plays against one of the state's stouter defenses. Higginbotham accounted for the Blazers' longest gains in the first half when he found lanes in the Knights' rush and took off on the run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->