Football standouts to watch at 2024 track championships | 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three days of state championships this week punctuate the LHSAA's outdoor track and field season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top athletes from around the state will compete Thursday, Friday and Saturday at LSU's Bernie Moore Stadium.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And many of the events include notable football standouts, including some college-bound signees in their final high school events.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are several individual events to monitor Friday as Class 2A helps continue the busy weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>———————————— <strong>CLASS 2A</strong> ————————————<br>(<a href="https://www.lhsaa.org/siteuploads/editorimg/file/Outdoor%20Track/2024%20Outdoor%20Track/friday%20heat%20sheets%202%20col%20all%20events.pdf">Complete Class 2A heat sheet</a>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>JUMPS (AND MORE)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Feliciana standout <strong>Herman Batiste</strong>, the 2023 champion in both the long and high jump, is the favorite to repeat in both events with qualifying marks of 23-09.00 and 6-06.00, respectively, as well as the top qualifying times in both hurdle events.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Oak Grove wide receiver <strong>Brodie Stewart</strong> leads the triple jump field with a 46-02.00 qualifying distance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Thomas Aquinas receiver/athlete <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='407478' first='Cace' last='Reed']</strong> is among the challengers in all three events with marks of 22-00.00, 6-00.00 and 43-01.00, respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Green Oaks' <strong>Cortaveus Dorsey</strong>, South Plaquemine's <strong>Dawson Gilhang</strong>, Oakdale's <strong>Deekota Johnson</strong>, DeQuincy's <strong>Clifford Joyce III</strong> and Vidalia's <strong>Elmari Lewis</strong> are competitors in two events each: Dorsey in the long (21-09.25) and triple (44-05.50), Gilhang in the long (20-05.00) and triple (41-00.50), Johnson in the high (6-00.00) and triple (43-09.00), Joyce in the long (21-06.00) and triple (42-10.75) and Lewis in the long (21-06.50) and high (6-00.00).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The complete long jump field includes football players: Isidore Newman's <strong>Parker Davis</strong> (22-00.00), Rayville's <strong>JuanTerrius Martinez</strong> (21-06.50) and Lake Arthur's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1204707' first='Ray' last='Levi']</strong> (21-00.50).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin standout <strong>J'Kylon Ceasar</strong>, also a recent all-state and state-champion basketball performer, leads the list of high jump challengers to Batiste with a matching 6-06.00 qualifying height.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And St. Helena sophomore <strong>Dwayne Franklin</strong> (5-08.00) joins that duo, Johnson, Lewis and Reed in the high jump field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The triple jump group also includes Welsh's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1598260' first='Jonavon' last='Begnaud']</strong> (42-05.50) and Thomas Jefferson's <strong>Charles Turner</strong> (41-07.00).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Episcopal (Baton Rouge)'s <strong>Will Ribes</strong> (13-06.00) and Ascension Episcopal's <strong>Beau Domengeaux</strong> (13-00.00) are among the top Class 2A pole vault contenders, and Holy Savior Menard teammates <strong>Carson Harrison</strong> and <strong>Matthew Hicks</strong> enter the weekend with matching 10-06.00 qualifying heights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>HURDLES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As mentioned above, East Feliciana's <strong>Herman Batiste </strong>enters the weekend with the top 110- and 300-meter hurdles times at 14.27 and 37.96 seconds, respectively, in addition to his long and high jump marks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mansfield's <strong>Jaden Youngblood</strong> (14.52 and 38.77) is among the top challengers to Batiste in both events, along with South Plaquemines' <strong>Sabryn Barthelemy</strong> (16.08 and 41.18) and Isidore Newman's <strong>Parker Davis</strong> (16.23 and 41.91), who was also mentioned above in jumps competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northlake Christian's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='901041' first='Ollie' last='Brumfield']</strong> (14.74), Winnfield's <strong>Ryan Davis</strong> (15.84) and Ascension Episcopal's <strong>Andre Abshire</strong> (15.97) are among other football names to know in the 110-meter, with Episcopal (Baton Rouge)'s <strong>Wynn Turner</strong> (41.04) in the 300-meter field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>SPRINTS/RUNS</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Calvary Baptist wide receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='291081' first='Kolby' last='Thomas']</strong> has the best qualifying time in the 100-meter dash at 11.13 seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northlake Christian's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='901041' first='Ollie' last='Brumfield']</strong>, also competing in the 110-meter hurdles, has the best 400-meter time (49.48) entering the weekend and second-best 100-meter (11.14). and 200-meter (22.68).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winnfield's <strong>Detavious Williams</strong> (11.16), Vinton's <strong>Freddie Budwine</strong> (11.28), Jonesboro-Hodge's <strong>Christian McGuire</strong> (11.29), Martin Luther King Charter's <strong>Ashton Irvin</strong> (11.32), Welsh's <strong>Hayden Van Ness</strong> (11.40) and Independence's <strong>Kordell Hines</strong> (11.52) fill the 100-meter with other football standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rayville's <strong>Lantavious Murphy</strong> (22.80), Jonesboro-Hodge's <strong>DaMarious Burns </strong>(22.85), Northlake Christian's <strong>Hayden Harris </strong>(22.88), Lake Arthur's <strong>Kenyon Boese</strong> (22.96), Vidalia's <strong>Leondre Franklin</strong> (23.02), Vinton's <strong>Jaheim Levias</strong> (23.22) and Isidore Newman's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='920625' first='Jake' last='Randle']</strong> (23.36) fill the 200-meter field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martin Luther King Charter's Joseph Riley IV (50.65), W.L. Cohen's Tyrrell Nelson (51.69) and Vidalia's Marc Perkins (52.17) are among the 400-meter competitors.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And Calvary Baptist mid-distance star <strong>Jackson Burney</strong> — the favorite in the 800-meter run (1:54.33) — has also played some football for the Cavaliers, several of whose stars — including Thomas, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710073' first='James' last='Simon']</strong>, <strong>John Simon IV</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='144896' first='Julius' last='Moss']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='145363' first='Landon' last='Sylvie']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='144900' first='Kaleb' last='Tucker']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='934564' first='Braylun' last='Huglon']</strong> — are listed as members of the 4x200- and 4x400-meter relay teams with Burney.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>THROWS</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vinton senior <strong>Jeremiah Holts</strong> (154-10) is the favorite in the discus, with Mangham's <strong>Andrew Calloway</strong> (143-03.50), Catholic (New Iberia)'s <strong>Drew Desormeaux</strong> (132-07) and Episcopal (Baton Rouge)'s <strong>Preston Pontif</strong> (130-02) among top challengers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northlake Christian's <strong>Gavin Krone</strong> (125-07), Beekman Charter's <strong>Jerrick Edmonds</strong> (123-09.50) and Oakdale's <strong>Conner Vinson</strong> (121-03.50) will compete in the discus.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Catholic (New Iberia)'s <strong>Javon Brown</strong> (48-02.00), Notre Dame's <strong>Samuel Kirsch</strong> (47-05.00) and Madison Parish's <strong>Logan Hughes</strong> (47-05.00) lead the shot put field, along with Mangham's Calloway (45-06.50), Rayville's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1331262' first='Kenneth' last='Boston']</strong> (44-09.00), South Plaquemines' <strong>Trevontae Williams</strong> (44-02.50), Northlake Christian's Krone (43-10.00) and East Feliciana's <strong>La'Chanden McCorkle</strong> (42-10.00).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Football players also make up the bulk of the javelin field in Northlake Christian's <strong>Christian Diggs</strong> (163-07), Grand Lake's <strong>Justin Labove</strong> (153-04), Welsh's <strong>Hayden Van Ness</strong> (153-02), Holy Savior Menard's <strong>Jake Vaughan</strong> (152-08), Isidore Newman's <strong>Dylan Kolenovsky</strong> (150-07) and D'Arbonne Woods' <strong>Weston Jones</strong> (146-03).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->