Louisiana eye-catchers from Battle New Orleans 7v7 | Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Battle 7v7 circuit made its annual stop in New Orleans' City Park this weekend for an event always among the highlights of the spring season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talented teams and prospects from coast to coast made the trip to The Boot to compete in the tournament, including some notable in-state representatives.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at five of the Louisiana student-athletes who caught our attention on defense during 18U competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And for a handful of offensive standouts, <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/03/battle-new-orleans-7v7-top-performers-offense/">click here</a>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710967' first='Chantz' last='Babineaux'] —&nbsp;6-0, 185 ATH —&nbsp;Carencro (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first of a few players on this list who made plays on both sides of the ball this weekend, the versatile athlete pretty seamlessly joined Team Heru —&nbsp;including, defensively, a couple key pass breakups and an acrobatic play to hang in the air through some contact and snatch an interception of an extra-point try.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1737481' first='Corren' last='Coleman'] —&nbsp;5-11, 155 DB —&nbsp;Peabody Magnet (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An under-the-radar, yet-to-be-ranked athlete worth including on the list and to consider for the next rankings process, the long, lean athlete played in the slot for 4th Quarter Mentality with good quickness covering underneath routes, keeping plays in front of him and applying quick tags — as well as bringing pressure when the team used its blitz opportunities.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1237615' first='Dezyrian' last='Ellis'] —&nbsp;6-2, 160 ATH/QB —&nbsp;Franklin Parish (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The second of a trio of Team Heru standouts on the list and the first of a pair of Patriots, "Pook" made plays on both sides of the ball during the event. But for what the long, speedy athlete brings to the table as a weapon on offense, the LSU target stands out more consistently on defense with his versatility as a fluid corner on the outside or with the ground he covers on the back end at safety. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='710970' first='Hayward' last='Howard Jr.'] —&nbsp;6-3, 175 DB —&nbsp;Edna Karr (2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long, athletic corner was among the key Louisiana standouts for the Mississippi-based Coastline Stars on their way to the tournament final. Howard snatched at least two interceptions during bracket play Sunday, celebrating one near the goal line by showing off his leap with a dunk over the goal-post crossbar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='739753' first='Landon' last='Johnson'] —&nbsp;6-1, 175 ATH —&nbsp;Madison Prep (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chargers' versatile standout was one of at least four quarterbacks to take snaps for F3 Elite's Team Juice and looked as confident and decisive as any in working through his progressions and getting the ball out quickly, but also stood out with his work at corner helping lock down his side of the field and deflecting away at least one breakup in the end zone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1610246' first='Trey' last='Martin'] —&nbsp;5-11, 185 DB/ATH —&nbsp;Franklin Parish (2027)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Patriots' two-way standout appears good for at least one interception each 7-on-7 weekend playing safety with Team Heru. The Louisiana Tech target snatched another in pool play Saturday and added a third-down pass breakup during bracket play as another highlight to his weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->