Football standouts to watch at 2024 track championships | 2A
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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 Friday as Class 2A helps continue the busy weekend.
———————————— CLASS 2A ————————————
(Complete Class 2A heat sheet)
JUMPS (AND MORE)
East Feliciana standout Herman Batiste, 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.
And Oak Grove wide receiver Brodie Stewart leads the triple jump field with a 46-02.00 qualifying distance.
St. Thomas Aquinas receiver/athlete Cace Reed Cace Reed 5'9" | 140 lbs | WR St. Thomas Aquinas | 2024 State LA is among the challengers in all three events with marks of 22-00.00, 6-00.00 and 43-01.00, respectively.
And Green Oaks’ Cortaveus Dorsey, South Plaquemine’s Dawson Gilhang, Oakdale’s Deekota Johnson, DeQuincy’s Clifford Joyce III and Vidalia’s Elmari Lewis 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).
The complete long jump field includes football players: Isidore Newman’s Parker Davis (22-00.00), Rayville’s JuanTerrius Martinez (21-06.50) and Lake Arthur’s Ray Levi Ray Levi 6'3" | 185 lbs | ATH Lake Arthur | 2024 State LA (21-00.50).
Franklin standout J’Kylon Ceasar, 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.
And St. Helena sophomore Dwayne Franklin (5-08.00) joins that duo, Johnson, Lewis and Reed in the high jump field.
The triple jump group also includes Welsh’s Jonavon Begnaud (42-05.50) and Thomas Jefferson’s Charles Turner (41-07.00).
Episcopal (Baton Rouge)’s Will Ribes (13-06.00) and Ascension Episcopal’s Beau Domengeaux (13-00.00) are among the top Class 2A pole vault contenders, and Holy Savior Menard teammates Carson Harrison and Matthew Hicks enter the weekend with matching 10-06.00 qualifying heights.
HURDLES
As mentioned above, East Feliciana’s Herman Batiste 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.
Mansfield’s Jaden Youngblood (14.52 and 38.77) is among the top challengers to Batiste in both events, along with South Plaquemines’ Sabryn Barthelemy (16.08 and 41.18) and Isidore Newman’s Parker Davis (16.23 and 41.91), who was also mentioned above in jumps competition.
Northlake Christian’s Ollie Brumfield Ollie Brumfield 6'1" | 160 lbs | WR Northlake Christian | 2024 State LA (14.74), Winnfield’s Ryan Davis (15.84) and Ascension Episcopal’s Andre Abshire (15.97) are among other football names to know in the 110-meter, with Episcopal (Baton Rouge)’s Wynn Turner (41.04) in the 300-meter field.
SPRINTS/RUNS
Calvary Baptist wide receiver Kolby Thomas Kolby Thomas 5'10" | 160 lbs | WR Calvary Baptist | 2025 State LA has the best qualifying time in the 100-meter dash at 11.13 seconds.
Northlake Christian’s Ollie Brumfield Ollie Brumfield 6'1" | 160 lbs | WR Northlake Christian | 2024 State LA , 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).
Winnfield’s Detavious Williams (11.16), Vinton’s Freddie Budwine (11.28), Jonesboro-Hodge’s Christian McGuire (11.29), Martin Luther King Charter’s Ashton Irvin (11.32), Welsh’s Hayden Van Ness (11.40) and Independence’s Kordell Hines (11.52) fill the 100-meter with other football standouts.
Rayville’s Lantavious Murphy (22.80), Jonesboro-Hodge’s DaMarious Burns (22.85), Northlake Christian’s Hayden Harris (22.88), Lake Arthur’s Kenyon Boese (22.96), Vidalia’s Leondre Franklin (23.02), Vinton’s Jaheim Levias (23.22) and Isidore Newman’s Jake Randle Jake Randle 5'10" | 170 lbs | RB Isidore Newman | 2026 State LA (23.36) fill the 200-meter field.
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.
And Calvary Baptist mid-distance star Jackson Burney — the favorite in the 800-meter run (1:54.33) — has also played some football for the Cavaliers, several of whose stars — including Thomas, James Simon James Simon 6'0" | 200 lbs | RB Calvary Baptist | 2025 State LA , John Simon IV, Julius Moss Julius Moss 5'9" | 185 lbs | ATH Calvary Baptist | 2025 State LA , Landon Sylvie Landon Sylvie 5'10" | 150 lbs | DB Calvary Baptist | 2024 State LA , Kaleb Tucker Kaleb Tucker 6'2" | 185 lbs | WR Calvary Baptist | 2025 State LA and Braylun Huglon Braylun Huglon 5'10" | 175 lbs | DB Calvary Baptist | 2027 State LA — are listed as members of the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relay teams with Burney.
THROWS
Vinton senior Jeremiah Holts (154-10) is the favorite in the discus, with Mangham’s Andrew Calloway (143-03.50), Catholic (New Iberia)’s Drew Desormeaux (132-07) and Episcopal (Baton Rouge)’s Preston Pontif (130-02) among top challengers.
Northlake Christian’s Gavin Krone (125-07), Beekman Charter’s Jerrick Edmonds (123-09.50) and Oakdale’s Conner Vinson (121-03.50) will compete in the discus.
Catholic (New Iberia)’s Javon Brown (48-02.00), Notre Dame’s Samuel Kirsch (47-05.00) and Madison Parish’s Logan Hughes (47-05.00) lead the shot put field, along with Mangham’s Calloway (45-06.50), Rayville’s Kenneth Boston (44-09.00), South Plaquemines’ Trevontae Williams (44-02.50), Northlake Christian’s Krone (43-10.00) and East Feliciana’s La’Chanden McCorkle (42-10.00).
Football players also make up the bulk of the javelin field in Northlake Christian’s Christian Diggs (163-07), Grand Lake’s Justin Labove (153-04), Welsh’s Hayden Van Ness (153-02), Holy Savior Menard’s Jake Vaughan (152-08), Isidore Newman’s Dylan Kolenovsky (150-07) and D’Arbonne Woods’ Weston Jones (146-03).