Six 2029/2030 prospects whose track showings warrant closer looks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Redzone Louisiana always makes a concerted effort to spotlight some of the most notable football-relevant takeaways from track seasons in the winter and spring.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This year has featured more coverage of the sport than ever, including some particularly memorable and notable — even record-breaking — performances by some of the state's top football prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Articles following outdoor state championships have already included notes on all performers who scored points for their schools in individual events and organized and categorized lists of top football performers in all events regardless of school classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we wrap up our complete coverage of the season, we wanted to spotlight some potentially less-heralded or -heavily recruited prospects whose speed, explosiveness and all-around athleticism was underscored by their showings in track and field and should garner some closer looks from college coaches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at six rising sophomores and freshmen of particular note in this context.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Edward Florent — 6-1, 165 WR — Destrehan (2029) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Wildcats have a strong track record — no pun intended — of producing college wide receivers, and Florent looks early on to have some potential as one of the next to watch. He showcased some of his intriguing athleticism with a scoring high jump (6-01.50) that was sixth in Class 5A and tied for ninth among all football athletes at the meet behind only 2026 and 2027 prospects. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quanderrius King Jr. — 6-0, 165 DB — Caldwell Parish (2029) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The young corner scored in both Class 3A sprints with a fourth-place 100-meter (11.19 seconds) and sixth-place 200-meter (22.43 seconds), holding his own in a meet loaded with upperclassmen after doing so on the football field this fall as well as a willing and effective tackler on the outside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michael McNeal — 6-1, 160 TE/WR — Union Parish (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another young athlete from north Louisiana who scored for his school in multiple events, McNeal took fifth place in the 110-meter hurdles (15.90 seconds) and sixth place in the 300-meter hurdles (42.95 seconds) in Class 2A competition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1692307' first='Zyier' last='Stokes'] — 5-10, 160 DB — Westgate (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the state's top young defensive back prospects ran a leg of his Tigers' fourth-place 4x100-meter relay (43.03 seconds) and finished seventh in both the 100-meter (11.17 seconds) and 200-meter (22.41 seconds) dashes in Class 4A, solid showings early in his career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Demarion Thompson — 6-1, 210 RB/LB — Caldwell Parish (2029)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A second Caldwell Parish athlete on this list, the young running back finished fifth in Class 3A in the 110-meter hurdles with a 15.23-second time that was top-15 among all football athletes in all classifications and all ages — the best among those in his class and second among underclassmen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Javonte Vital — 5-9, 150 WR/ATH — Hamilton Christian (2030)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The younger brother of the recently USC-committed Javon (2027) scored points for his Warriors in Class 1A competition as just an eighth-grader with his 40.89-second 300-meter hurdles, a top-12 time among all football players at the meet in all classifications behind mostly 2026 and 2027 prospects and one 2028 — an impressive accomplishment all-around and particularly at his age. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->