College-bound seniors highlight 5A outdoor track top performances

Class 5A competition helped wrap up the LHSAA's 2025 outdoor track and field state championships with some of the best marks of the three-day event — and some of the heaviest multisport and football flavor.   A slew of college-bound football signees — including multiple members of LSU's class — were among the headliners of the action in Louisiana's top division.   Here's a look at the best of the bunch.     [player_tooltip player_id='1214132' first='Ferzell' last='Shepard'] Jr. — 6-2, 175 WR/ATH — Scotlandville (2025)   The recent UTSA two-sport signee won both the triple (51-06.50) and long (24-05.00) jumps with two highly ranked national marks, including the best triple-jump mark in the country, and also anchored his Hornets' third-place 4x200-meter relay (1:27.11).     [player_tooltip player_id='914223' first='Joshua' last='Brown'] — 5-9, 155 DB — Holy Cross (2025)   The Texas Southern track signee, a one-time Alcorn State football commit, swept the 100-meter (10.27 seconds) and 200-meter (20.43 seconds) dashes and anchored his Tigers' winning 4x100-meter relay (40.87 seconds) with fellow multisport standouts Jabaree Monday, [player_tooltip player_id='914051' first='Finn' last='Martin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='920695' first='Ke'Rynn' last='Smith']. All three times were among the nation's best.     [player_tooltip player_id='1356168' first='Ja'ir' last='Burks'] — 5-10, 155 WR — Jesuit (2027)   The Blue Jays' sophomore wide receiver, who has already earned football recruiting interest, is quickly developing into one of the nation's top hurdlers, including a sweep of this year's outdoor championships with 13.62-second 110-meter and 38.18-second 300-meter times.     [player_tooltip player_id='914207' first='Aidan' last='Anding'] — 5-11, 165 DB — Ruston (2025)   The LSU cornerback signee participated in three point-scoring relays: a second-place 4x400-meter (3:19.99) and fifth-place 4x200-meter (1:27.28) and 4x100-meter (41.53 seconds). Younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='1356159' first='Jayden' last='Anding'], a 2027 football prospect, led off the 4x400- and 4x100-meter relays. Aidan also finished with the ninth-best long jump (18-04.25).     [player_tooltip player_id='426964' first='Phillip' last='Wright III'] — 6-0, 160 WR — Destrehan (2025)   The LSU wide receiver signee made three trips to the podium with his second-place 100-meter (20.80 seconds) and third-place 100-meter (10.44 seconds) dashes and his participation in the second-place 4x100-meter relay (40.89 seconds) with fellow LSU signee [player_tooltip player_id='710272' first='Jhase' last='Thomas'] and 2026 LSU commit [player_tooltip player_id='212340' first='Jabari' last='Mack']. The relay ranks as one of the nation's best this season.     [player_tooltip player_id='915064' first='Lionel' last='Prudhomme'] — 6-3, 290 OL/DL — Captain Shreve (2025)   The Arkansas football signee won the discus competition (176-00).     [player_tooltip player_id='426961' first='Russell' last='Babineaux'] — 5-9, 160 WR/ATH — Acadiana (2025)   and Keeman Thibodaux — 5-10, 175 DB — Acadiana (2025)   and Ty Thomas — DB — Acadiana (2027)   The Wreckin' Rams' football trio, along with Syrian Joseph, won the 4x200-meter relay (1:25.62) and finished third in the 4x100-meter relay with a season-best 41.38-second time.     Kaden Adams — 6-1, 325 OL — Central Lafourche (2025)   The Trojans' interior offensive lineman and track prospect won the shot put with a distance (60-04.50) that marked a personal record and one of the nation's best this season.     John Hudson Brown — 6-1, 165 TE/WR — Haughton (2025)   The Bucs' speedy pass-catcher won the 400-meter run with a personal-record 47.37-second time and finished fourth in the 100-meter (21.55 seconds).     [player_tooltip player_id='912286' first='Devon' last='Oliver'] — 6-3, 275 DL — Parkway (2025)   The Yale-bound defensive lineman finished third in both the shot put (59-02.25) and the discus (162-06) to wrap up his high school career.     Joseph Carter Rivet — OL — Alexandria (2028)   The Trojans' promising young track star finished second in the discus (172-00) and fourth in the shot put (56-09.25).     [player_tooltip player_id='723579' first='Easton' last='Royal'] — 5-11, 185 WR/ATH — Brother Martin (2027)   The quickly ascending 2027 football prospect finished second in the 100-meter dash (10.40 seconds) and anchored the ninth-place 4x100-meter relay, which finished in a season-best 43.64 seconds.     Darreyus Scott — 5-10, 225 DL — Denham Springs (2026)   The Yellow Jackets' defensive lineman finished second in the shot put (59-03.50) and sixth in the discus (151-11).     Carter Hooks — 6-0, 165 DB — Barbe (2025)   The Bucs' defensive back won the pole vault (14-05.25).     Miller Malley — 6-0, 175 DB — Benton (2025)   The Tigers' safety finished second in the pole vault (14-05.25).     Alex Huffine — 6-1, 175 WR — Catholic (Baton Rouge) (2025)   The speedy receiver anchored the second-place 4x200-meter relay team (1:27.05) and finished sixth in the long jump (22-00.25).     Jaxon Talley — 6-0, 200 LB — West Monroe (2027)   The Rebels' linebacker finished second in the javelin (202-00) with one of the nation's top distances in the event this spring.     Marquis Butler — ATH — Alexandria (2025)   The Trojans' athlete finished third in the triple jump (48-05.50) and fourth in the long jump (22-11.75), the latter of which marked a personal-best.     Joseph Encinas — 5-9, 140 DB — Haughton (2027)   Encinas finished second in the 300-meter hurdles with a personal-record 38.80-second time.     Dylan Evans — 5-9, 150 DB — Scotlandville (2025)   The Hornets' senior standout finished third in the 300-meter hurdles (38.90 seconds) and ran a leg of the fifth-place 4x800-meter relay (8:16.58).     [player_tooltip player_id='401976' first='Landon' last='Gibbs'] — 5-10, 150 WR/ATH — Huntington (2026)   Gibbs finished third in the high jump (a seasonal-best 6-07.50) and seventh in the long jump (21-06.75).     [player_tooltip player_id='1602060' first='Damien' last='Richard II'] — 5-11, 170 DB — Destrehan (2026)   The Wildcats' defensive back finished third in the long jump (23-06.00).     [player_tooltip player_id='1601945' first='Trez' last='Davis'] — 6-0, 185 WR — West Monroe (2026)   The Rebels' standout wide receiver finished fourth in the triple jump (47-09.00), with a high-ranking national mark.     [player_tooltip player_id='710977' first='Keithon' last='Womack'] — 6-1, 180 WR — Central (Baton Rouge) (2026)   The Wildcats' wide receiver finished fourth in the high jump (6-05.50).     Max Jacketti — 5-10, 150 DB/WR — Mandeville (2025)   and Brayden Berglund — WR — Mandeville (2026)   The pair of Skippers' football players bookended the school's second-place 4x800-meter relay (8:02.88).     Conner Stewart — 5-9, 160 LB — New Iberia (2026)   Stewart finished fourth in both hurdles events with a pair of personal-record times: 14.30 seconds in the 110-meter and 38.98 seconds in the 300-meter.     Ramelo Howard — 6-0, 170 WR — Slidell (2025)   The Tigers' wide receiver finished fourth in the 400-meter run with a personal-record 49.65-second time and led the sixth-place 4x200-meter relay (1:27.65).     [player_tooltip player_id='1331302' first='Lekedrin' last='Harvey'] — 6-0, 205 RB — Dutchtown (2025)   The Griffins' standout running back anchored a fourth-place 4x100-meter relay (a season-best 41.42 seconds) with defensive back Christian Pierre. Harvey also ran the eighth-best 200-meter dash (22.31 seconds).     Jaivyn Washington — 5-11, 160 DB — Prairieville (2026)   The speedy defensive back finished third in the 110-meter hurdles (14.04 seconds).     Jack Torrance — 6-1, 255 OL — Catholic (Baton Rouge) (2026)   The Bears' offensive lineman finished fourth in the discus (156-00) and fifth in the shot put (53-11.00).     Macario Dade — 5-6, 165 RB/ATH — Ouachita (2026)   "M.J." finished fifth in both sprint events with a personal-record 10.58-second 100-meter and 21.78-second 200-meter.     Caden Heck — 6-0, 150 QB — Covington (2025)   The Lions' quarterback wrapped his high school career with a fourth-place pole vault (13-05.25).     [player_tooltip player_id='1644727' first='Gavin' last='Stout'] — 6-0, 180 QB — Sam Houston (2025)   The Broncos' quarterback wrapped his high school career with a fourth-place javelin (175-05).     Miles Torres — 6-1, 170 DB/WR — Warren Easton (2026)   The Eagles' speedster anchored the fifth-place 4x400-meter relay (3:24.03) and finished with the eighth-best long jump (20-03.75).     [player_tooltip player_id='1736359' first='Jeremiah' last='Birdlow'] — 6-4, 220 EDGE/TE — Slidell (2026)   Birdlow finished fifth in the discus (152-01) with a personal-record distance.     [player_tooltip player_id='1268944' first='Marcus' last='Watson'] Jr. — 6-0, 170 WR/DB — Central (Baton Rouge) (2027)   Watson finished fifth in the long jump (22-08.00).     [player_tooltip player_id='915063' first='Kaleb' last='Williams'] — 6-2, 205 DL — Ruston (2025)   The Bearcats' defensive line finished sixth in the shot put (51-10.50) with a personal-record distance.     [player_tooltip player_id='740987' first='Cayden' last='Jones'] — 5-11, 160 RB/ATH — Walker (2025)   The Southeastern Louisiana-bound Wildcats star finished sixth in the high jump (6-01.50).     Jayden Hunter — 6-1, 175 K/P — Edna Karr (2025)   Hunter finished his high school career with a fifth-place and personal-best 300-meter hurdles (39.02 seconds) and a ninth-place 110-meter hurdles (14.83 seconds).     [player_tooltip player_id='912255' first='Kaleb' last='Vaughn'] — 5-9, 160 WR/ATH — Neville (2025)   The Tigers' speedster finished sixth in the 100-meter dash (10.70 seconds).     Cohen Naramore — 5-10, 165 TE — Ponchatoula (2026)   Naramore finished fifth in the javelin (172-05).     [player_tooltip player_id='465282' first='Malachi' last='Zeigler'] — 6-3, 200 QB — Benton (2027)   The Tigers' star quarterback finished sixth in the javelin (166-06) in his first season picking up the event.     Genard Green — 6-0, 175 QB/ATH — Scotlandville (2026)   Green finished sixth in the triple jump (46-01.25).

Class 5A competition helped wrap up the LHSAA's 2025 outdoor track and field state championships with some of the best marks of the three-day event — and some of the heaviest multisport and football flavor.