EPS Blaze 7v7: 6 rising standouts to know

Seven-on-seven season is starting to heat up like the weather outside, and several teams around Louisiana’s rapidly expanded field are starting to hit the stride of their respective schedules. Prep Redzone Louisiana reached out to coaches and managers around the state for a few of their top players to watch in the first month or so of action. Here are a few talented rising standouts from EPS Blaze, one of the state’s longest-standing programs based out of Lake Charles. <strong>Erick Franklin Jr. — 5-11, 165 DB — Lake Charles College Prep (2024)</strong> Former Louisiana Tech returner Erick Franklin coaches both his son’s high school and 7-on-7 teams, and the younger Franklin was one of several Trailblazers to play with the Blaze last spring. Even as a freshman, the young safety held his own covering the middle of the field, reading and making opportunistic plays on the ball. And, including a four-interception weekend in New Orleans this month, "Uno" appears to have continued developing into even more of an impact player as a sophomore. Louisiana Tech extended an offer in early December. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="144877" first="Elijah" last="Garrick"] — 6-2, 175 WR — Lake Charles College Prep (2024)</strong> Another notable 2024 prospect who played for both the Blazers and the Blaze. And, like Franklin, Garrick made plays the spring of his ninth-grade year, but has an opportunity this spring to play an even larger role replacing several graduating 2022 pass-catchers, including big target [player_tooltip player_id="128246" first="Kody" last="Finley"] of Ponchatoula, and add more highlights to his reel in the process. Nebraska and Tulane both extended offers this winter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138456" first="Tristan" last="Goodly"] — 6-0, 150 WR — Westlake (2023)</strong> The speedy three-sport standout’s athleticism makes him one of the nation’s best high school triple-jumpers, a pesky defender on the basketball court and a dynamic pass-catcher on the football field. Similar to the opportunity for Garrick to absorb some of the targets previously directed toward Finley’s ridiculous catch radius, Goodly is a prime successor to some of the vertical threat and quick-cutting routes that [player_tooltip player_id="136529" first="Braylen" last="Walker"] and [player_tooltip player_id="139279" first="Tray" last="Taylor"] worked so effectively. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138312" first="Cade" last="Middleton"] — 5-10, 165 DB — Riverside Academy (2023)</strong> The two-way standout for Riverside and college defensive back prospect entered this spring as the most heavily recruited player on this list. Mississippi State and Virginia extended offers more than a year ago, with Western Illinois recently becoming his third. And Houston, Memphis and Tulane have been among the other programs to show interest. Middleton plays at a small school about 45 minutes outside of both New Orleans and Baton Rouge, so bigger 7-on-7 tournaments can provide some of the largest media coverage and talented competition that he may face all year, which should provide a nice bridge and preparation for the circuit of college camps this summer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138287" first="Cyler" last="Christmas"] — 6-2, 185— St. James (2023)</strong> Another new face for the Blaze, the St. James safety brings another playmaker to the back end of the defense. Christmas snatched five interceptions this fall for his Wildcats with good reads, breaks and hands. His solid frame and strength can also help him match up well against tight ends and bigger receivers in the middle of the field. And, while it won’t be on display this spring, his physicality coming downhill in 11-man ball is another key aspect to his game. <strong>Reynis Morris-Payne — 6-1, 175 ATH — Bogalusa (2023)</strong> The wiry two-way athlete shows good speed as a deep threat on offense and quickness and strength to make defenders miss for yards after the catch. He spends more of his time on the other side of the ball in 7-on-7, where those quick feet keep step-for-step with and blanket receivers with his long frame and position him to make well-timed players on the ball for breakups and interceptions. And when an opposing quarterback makes a mistake his direction, he’s able to swiftly turn the tables the other direction.