Louisiana eye-catchers from Battle Miami 7v7 event

A few Louisiana 7-on-7 teams made the trip to Fort Lauderdale this past weekend to ramp up their spring with the high-profile Battle Miami tournament.   The weekend was a rollercoaster for the Bootleggers — equally as frustrating for the 18U group, who went winless, as it was exciting for their young 15U crew, who reached the quarters before falling short in the final seconds.   And 4th Quarter Mentality earned the highest 18U seed among Louisiana representatives with its 2-1 pool play day, won its opening-round game Sunday in thrilling, last-second fashion and then dropped a close second-round matchup.     [player_tooltip player_id='469475' first='Jaylan' last='Ash'] — 6-0, 145 WR — Archbishop Rummel (2027)   One of the top receivers — and hype men — for the Bootleggers' 15U offense, the tall, long target made several catches and punctuated a pair of his touchdowns with further displays of athleticism by celebrating with impressive flips at his height.   [player_tooltip player_id='401749' first='Cole' last='Bergeron'] — 6-4, 205 QB — St. Thomas More (2026)   The quarterback for the 4th Quarter Mentality team flashed his strong arm throughout the weekend with several well-placed deep balls among his highlights and also his poise to connect in close games, including the last-second touchdown in bracket play.   [player_tooltip player_id='934555' first='Braylon' last='Calais'] — 6-3, 185 ATH — Cecilia (2027)   The Bulldogs' promising young athlete — on either side of the ball — has been an early Prep Redzone Louisiana favorite in his class since high school spring practice as an eighth-grader, and he excelled on the big stage against high-profile competition this weekend as a tall, physical pass-catcher for 4th Quarter Mentality, including his catch of Bergeron's aforementioned game-winning bomb.   Jarvis Davis — 5-10, 170 WR — Airline (2025)   The Vikings' standout carried his hyper-productive junior season on the field this fall right into 7-on-7 season, including on the big Battle Miami stage with his consistent ability to get open, including a few touchdowns during the course of the weekend.   [player_tooltip player_id='710968' first='Nathan' last='Green'] — 5-10, 170 ATH — Evangel Christian (2026)   The versatile athlete was one of the bigger bodies on the Bootleggers' 15U team and played the middle of the field on defense, an often tricky role in high-level 7-on-7 and one which he handled extremely well at the center of stingy, nasty performance by the unit as a whole with the windows he shut and passes he deflects with his combination of size and speed.   [player_tooltip player_id='261907' first='Peyton' last='Houston'] — 5-11, 185 QB — Evangel Christian (2027)   The quarterback of the Bootleggers' 15U national team showed flashes of why he's considered among the top young quarterback prospects not only in the state, but in the country. His strong, active arm was on display from the first deep shot and through a range of throws to every area of the field, including his ability to mix up arm angles to sneak some passes into tight coverage. Even when he made mistakes in the team's second game, he remained poised and helped lead a come-from-behind, game-winning drive.   [player_tooltip player_id='710970' first='Hayward' last='Howard Jr.'] — 6-0, 160 DB — Edna Karr (2026)   The tall, long athlete was a major part of the Bootleggers' 15U team's largely lockdown efforts on the outside and also showed moments of leadership to communicate with his teammates in potentially tense circumstances during the event.   [player_tooltip player_id='934564' first='Braylun' last='Huglon'] — 5-10, 160 DB/WR — Calvary Baptist (2027)   The Cavaliers' decorated freshman cornerback played offense for the Bootleggers' 15U and was a consistent weapon for his close friend, Houston, at every level of the field from tone-setting bombs over the top of the defense to quick slants across the middle for catch-and-runs.   [player_tooltip player_id='1372189' first='Kenric' last='Johnson Jr.'] — 5-9, 150 ATH — Riverside Academy (2028)   The one eighth-grader on this weekend's trip for the Bootleggers' 15U fit right in with their high-intensity, playmaking defensive efforts in his role at nickel with his physicality at the line, quick feet and great plays on the ball for breakups and the team's first interception that seemed to open the floodgates. The group played so well that leaving anyone out is tough — note the great play, including interceptions of their own, by [player_tooltip player_id='423247' first='Dylan' last='Henry'] (Mandeville, 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='463125' first='Savoy' last='Guidry'] (Holy Cross, 2027) — but the youngster from Riverside certainly warrants inclusion.   [player_tooltip player_id='915061' first='Dominick' last='Lewis'] — 6-2, 175 DB/ATH — Jeanerette (2025)   As mentioned, the weekend was a frustrating one for the Bootleggers' 18U, but a few players had relatively steady performances in their roles with the Jeanerette athlete's work at cornerback arguably the most notable on defense. Lewis has played all over the field for his Tigers, but primarily at safety on defense, but did a nice job limited opponents' looks to the outside with his length and athleticism.   [player_tooltip player_id='212340' first='Jabari' last='Mack'] — 6-0, 170 WR — Destrehan (2026)   Similar to Lewis, Mack was arguably the brightest spot on offense for the Bootleggers' 18U. The new LSU target, who picked up his offer Friday before making the trip, was open deep on multiple occasions, including a pair of deep touchdowns, for a team that had trouble creating much space or taking many shots.   [player_tooltip player_id='424589' first='Ryan' last='Montague Jr.'] — 5-10, 150 DB — St. Augustine (2027)   The other primary corner across from Howard for the Bootleggers' 15U, Montague played physically and with high energy and edge throughout the event that proved frustrating to opponents. His highlights included a leaping downfield interception in the back-and-forth second game that helped set up the comeback drive and well-played end-zone pass in Sunday's bracket play on which effectively got his head around, located the ball and swatted the pass harmlessly to the ground for the stop.   [player_tooltip player_id='942208' first='Mason' last='Moore'] — 5-9, 160 DB/ATH — Central (Baton Rouge) (2027)   The versatile athlete Prep Redzone Louisiana had seen more of at cornerback and running back prior to this winter's tryouts wasted no time living up to expectations as a major playmaker at safety for the Bootleggers' 15U. Moore played with high intensity from the outset and roamed the back end of the defense and was in seemingly constant position to make plays on the ball, including a deflection for an interception by a teammate and his own diving interception of a deflected ball.   [player_tooltip player_id='723579' first='Easton' last='Royal'] — 5-9, 150 ATH — Brother Martin (2027)   Another of the Bootleggers' top 15U receivers, Royal had one of group's bigger, more physical builds, but also the quickness to break himself open and reliable hands to make sure catches out away from his body, including a touchdown pass thrown behind him across the back of the end zone.   [player_tooltip player_id='401966' first='Jakias' last='Villanueva'] — 5-6, 140 WR/ATH — St. James (2026)   The sophomore was one of his Wildcats' most productive offensive weapons this fall and was one of the Bootleggers' 15U team's most veteran players this weekend. And he stepped up repeatedly in clutch moments as a reliable third-down target for Houston with games on the line.

A few Louisiana 7-on-7 teams made the trip to Fort Lauderdale this past weekend to ramp up their spring with the high-profile Battle Miami tournament.