Football standouts to watch at 2024 track championships | 1A
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Three days of state championships this week punctuate the LHSAA’s outdoor track and field season. Top athletes from around the state will compete Thursday, Friday and Saturday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium. And many of the events include notable football…
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Continue ReadingThree days of state championships this week punctuate the LHSAA’s outdoor track and field season.
Top athletes from around the state will compete Thursday, Friday and Saturday at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium.
And many of the events include notable football standouts, including some college-bound signees in their final high school events.
Here are several individual events to monitor Thursday as Class 1A helps kick off the busy weekend.
———————————— CLASS 1A ————————————
(Complete Class 1A heat sheet)
JUMPS (AND MORE)
Vanderbilt football signee Tate Hamby Tate Hamby 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Ouachita Christian | 2024 State LA of Ouachita Christian will attempt to repeat as long jump champion with his 22-03.00 qualifying time, second among Class 1A competitors. He also boasts the top qualifying 110-meter (14.71) and 300-meter (38.83) hurdle times and a top-five qualifying mark in the high jump (6-02.00).
Multisport North Central standout McKennis Savoie enters the weekend with the top qualifying long jump (23-01.50), as well as the second-best triple jump (43-08.00) and tied for fifth best high jump (6-00.00).
His sophomore teammate, Camron Shelvin, has the top high jump mark at 6-04.00, along with St. Martin’s Episcopal quarterback Ashton Oliver (6-04.00), followed by Hamby, Savoie, Jeanerette sophomore defensive back Jaidon Ward (5-10.00) and company.
Delhi Charter freshman Tayven Carter has the best triple jump (44-09.00) and the third-best long jump (21-06.50), while also running with the school’s 4×100- and 4×200-meter relay teams.
The long list of long jump contenders also includes Haynesville’s DaMondra Martin DaMondra Martin 6'0" | 150 lbs | ATH Haynesville | 2024 LA (21-06.00), Kentwood’s Jermaine Brown Jermaine Brown 5'9" | 170 lbs | DB Kentwood | 2025 LA (21-01.00), Hamilton Christian teammates Travis Bolden Jr. (20-11.50) and Javon Vital Javon Vital 5'9" | 150 lbs | ATH Hamilton Christian | 2027 State LA (20-05.75), the aforementioned St. Martin’s quarterback Ashton Oliver (20-03.00) and all-state Riverside Academy running back Dedric Lastie Dedric Lastie 5'4" | 140 lbs | RB Riverside Academy | 2025 LA (19-11.50).
The triple jump challengers for Carter and Savoie include Southern Lab receiver Keenan Butler (42-07.00), Kentwood athlete Ahmade Bickham (42-06.00) and Haynesville quarterback Isaiah Washington Isaiah Washington 6'0" | 150 lbs | ATH Haynesville | 2026 State LA (42-08.50).
Ouachita Christian sophomore Barrett Freeland (11-00.00) and Hanson Memorial senior John Andrew Uze (11-00.00) have the top qualifying pole vault heights, followed by a pair of district rivals in Westminster’s Parker Campo (10-08.00) and St. Edmund’s Henry Summerlin (10-08.00) and Central Private’s Houston Hunt (10-06.00) among the group.
HURDLES
As mentioned above, Vanderbilt-signed Ouachita Christian star Tate Hamby Tate Hamby 6'1" | 180 lbs | ATH Ouachita Christian | 2024 State LA leads both the 110-meter (14.71) and 300-meter (38.83) lists.
St. Frederick sophomore star Montrell Conner Jr. Montrell Conner Jr. 5'10" | 150 lbs | ATH St. Frederick | 2026 State LA , the 2023 champion in the 110-meter, is among the top challengers in both events with 15.31- and 40.93-second times.
The 110-meter competition also notably features Basile’s Tyler Newman (15.36), Haynesville’s Byruss Burns (16.08), Central Catholic’s Bryan Wiggins (16.14), St. Martin’s Christopher Profit-Cushenberry (16.79), Riverside Academy’s Jared Campbell Jared Campbell 6'2" | 165 lbs | DB Riverside Academy | 2024 State LA (16.96) and Catholic (Pointe Coupee)’s James Saizon (16.99).
Newman (40.77), Hanson Memorial’s Luke Miller Luke Miller 5'10" | 165 lbs | DB Calvary Baptist | 2026 State LA (42.03), Hamilton Christian’s Kylan Alexander (42.80), Riverside Academy’s Jace Trosclair (43.12) and Slaughter Community Charter’s Kaden Oakley (43.12) are among other football players in the 300-meter competition.
SPRINTS/RUNS
LSU-committed football star Harlem Berry Harlem Berry 5'11" | 175 lbs | RB St. Martin's | 2025 State LA of St. Martin’s Episcopal has one of the top qualifying 200-meter times at 22.02 seconds and will also compete in the 4×100-meter relay.
But Logansport senior Jamarcus Jones (10.71 and 21.71), Kentwood junior Jermaine Brown Jermaine Brown 5'9" | 170 lbs | DB Kentwood | 2025 LA (10.84 and 21.86) — the 2023 champion in the 200-meter and runner-up in the 100-meter — and Delhi Charter junior running back Keidron Thomas Keidron Thomas RB Delhi Charter | 2025 LA (10.84 and 22.18) lead the fields in terms of qualifying times.
Logansport athlete D’Avery Robinson (10.85 and 22.65) and Catholic (Pointe Coupee) receiver Brooks Capps (11.21 and 22.86) will compete in both races.
Covenant Christian receiver Jaden Carter (11.21), Southern Lab receiver Anthony Weatherspoon (11.26) and Ascension Christian athlete Austin Jones (11.46) help round out the 100-meter competition.
And Southern Lab’s Denim Hunt Denim Hunt 5'8" | 135 lbs | WR Southern Lab | 2026 State LA (22.08) and Hamilton Christian teammates Kaleb Bigwood (22.62) and Travis Bolden Jr. (22.79) are among the 200-meter contenders.
Southern Lab teammates Ronald Johnson III (48.84) and Denim Hunt Denim Hunt 5'8" | 135 lbs | WR Southern Lab | 2026 State LA (49.81) lead the 400-meter field, along with Hamilton Christian’s Kaleb Bigwood and Haynesville’s DaMondra Martin DaMondra Martin 6'0" | 150 lbs | ATH Haynesville | 2024 LA (50.86). The list of challengers includes Plain Dealing’s Aaron Reddix (51.69), Block’s Korin Collins (51.87), Slaughter Community Charter’s Thomas Carter Jr. (52.85) and Westminster’s Ethan Pickney (53.38).
Delhi’s Carter Dural (2:08.11) and Ouachita Christian’s Jonathan Boles (2:10.38) will compete in the 800-meter run.
THROWS
A pair of college-bound Ouachita Christian linemen in Louisiana (Lafayette) offensive line signee Ryder Bentley Ryder Bentley 6'6" | 270 lbs | OL Ouachita Christian | 2024 State LA and Dartmouth defensive line signee Ben Devall Ben Devall 6'3" | 245 lbs | DL Ouachita Christian | 2024 State LA are the favorites in the shot put (51-05.00) and discus (152-07), respectively.
Bentley’s list of competitors includes teammate Jackson Mann (46.09.50) and future college teammate Ben Bienvenu Ben Bienvenu 6'3" | 200 lbs | ATH St. Mary's | 2024 State LA (45-10.00) of St. Mary’s, as well as Houston tight end signee Traville Frederick Jr. Traville Frederick Jr. 6'3" | 240 lbs | TE Jeanerette | 2024 State LA (46-02.50) of Jeanerette, Highland Baptist sophomore offensive lineman Justin Suire (48-02.50), Jeanerette sophomore defensive lineman Javonte Williams Javonte Williams 6'2" | 240 lbs | LB Jeanerette | 2026 LA (47-03.50), Ascension Catholic senior lineman Luke Templet (45-08.50), Kentwood sack artist La’Mikal Callahan (44-08.00) and White Castle’s Kollin Foster (41-02.00).
Bentley (137-04) is also among the top challengers to Devall, along with Westminster’s Michael Cunningham (137-05), Ascension Catholic’s Luke Templet (136-04), St. Martin’s Elio Bejaran (136-03), Highland Baptist’s Justin Suire (135-04), Magnolia School’s Deon Elder (134-11), Hanson Memorial’s Tannor Theriot (128-06) and Ascension Catholic’s Kingston Cayette (125-04).
In addition to his discus opportunity, all-metro St. Martin’s senior Elio “Manny” Bejaran leads a list of several football standouts in the hunt for a potential javelin title with his 175-08 distance.
Another pair of seniors in Hanson Memorial’s Reid Lovell (170-09) and Ouachita Christian’s Noah Lovelady Noah Lovelady 6'1" | 215 lbs | LB Ouachita Christian | 2024 State LA (169-03) appear to be his biggest competition.
And Delhi Charter senior Marcus Carter (149-00) and a trio of multisport sophomores in Noah Menard (162-08) of Hamilton Christian, Luke McLain (161-07) of Vermilion Catholic and the aforementioned Kollin Foster (142-02) of White Castle are also in the mix.