Vote: Who should be SBLive's Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week? (11/7/2023)
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Louisiana High School Athlete of the Week for Oct. 30-Nov. 5. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. Voting will conclude Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com or tag us on Twitter.
Jay'Shaun Johnson, Franklin Senior High football
The Hornets are going into the playoffs on a high note. Johnson accumulated 276 yards and five TDs in a 44-43 win over Ascension Episcopal that helped the Hornets land a No. 16 seed and a first-round playoff game at home. Franklin (5-5) will host No. 17 Grand Lake. Johnson decommitted from UTSA on Monday.
Tahj Judge, Abbeville football
The senior was clutch as his team won an outright district championship for the first time since 1997, scoring the Wildcats' first touchdown on an improbable 12-yard quarterback sweep on fourth down, which was his only carry of the game. Judge caught a 39-yard pass on third-and-long to extend the game-winning drive, and that was his first catch of the year. And he made a solo tackle to quell Kaplan's final drive as Abbeville won, 18-14.
Jason Banks, De La Salle football
Banks ran for 224 yards on 16 carries as the Cavaliers beat Booker T. Washington-New Orleans, 37-14, to go 3-0 in District 9-4A. De La Salle earned a No. 15 seed in the Division II select playoff bracket and will host No. 18 Buckeye.
Sophie Lasecki, Episcopal School of Acadiana volleyball
The ninth-seeded Lady Falcons swept No. 24 Centerville 3-0 (25-11, 25-10, 25-18) to advance to the second round of the Division V playoffs. Lasecki had 11 aces, 21 assists and five digs.
Jacob Vilar, Episcopal School of Acadiana basketball
The 6-foot-2 senior guard shot 13-for-16 from the field and didn't miss in the second half of his team's 72-52 win over Jehovah-Jireh. Vilar finished with 30 points and four 3-pointers.
Deekota Johnson, Oakdale football
The Warriors defeated Rosepine, 47-8. Johnson rushed for 348 yards on 10 carries with touchdown runs of 73, 53, 55, 16 and 16 yards. He ran for a two-point conversion, passed for a two-point conversion, and completed 2-of-4 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. The 10th-seeded Warriors host No. 23 East Beauregard in the Division IV non-select opening round.
Kameron Casnave, Northlake Christian football
The sophomore ran for 191 yards and five TDs on 22 carries in a 44-20 win over Independence. The 14th-seeded Wolverines will host No. 19 St. Thomas Aquinas in a first round Division III select playoff game. St. Thomas Aquinas (5-5) knocked off the Wolverines (7-2) in Week Eight, 20-8.
Jaden Reese, Church Point football
The Bears came up short in a 48-44 shootout vs. Iota, but Reese had a game to remember, rushing for 306 yards on 23 carries with two TDs - and completing 8-of-9 passes for 144 yards and a TD. The No. 18 Bears (6-4) will play Iota again in the first round of the Division II non-select playoffs.
Mason Wilson, Archbishop Shaw football
The quarterback sparked the Eagles to their eighth straight win, a 57-50 thriller over Carencro. Wilson carried 21 times for 166 yards and four TDs and completed 4-of-11 passes for 149 yards. The Eagles earned a No. 5 seed and received a bye in the Division II select playoffs.
Steven Blanco, St. Martinville football
The senior University of Louisiana tailback commit rushed for 322 yards on 18 carries with six TDs in a 67-39 win over Crowley. The 26th-seeded Tigers will try to upset No. 7 Leesville in the Division II non-select playoffs.
Lynkon Romero, Erath football
The senior became the school's all-time leader in total offense with a versatile performance in a 68-42 win over Donaldsonville. Romero completed both of his passes for 20 yards, rushed for 37 yards on six carries and caught six passes for 90 yards and a TD.
Shanga Charles, New Iberia football
The Yellow Jackets ended the year with a 33-22 win over Lafayette High. Charles rushed for 183 yards on 31 carries with three scores.
Diesel Solari, Cecilia football
The junior quarterback rushed for 347 yards and six TDs on 19 carries, ran for a two-point conversion and completed 8-of-16 passes for 101 yards in a 55-35 win over Iowa. The Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seed in Division II non-select and received a first-round bye.
Steven Ranel, Central-Baton Rouge football
The defensive back intercepted three passes and returned one 70 yards in a 34-15 win over Liberty Magnet. The Wildcats (7-3) are the No. 18 seed in Division I non-select and will try to upset No.15 East St. John in the first round.
Emile Picarella, University Lab football
The junior quarterback completed 14-of-18 passes for 249 yards and four TDs in a 55-21 win over Parkview Baptist for the District 6-3A title. The No. 4 Cubs (9-1) received a bye in the Division III select playoffs.
Landry Wyatt, North DeSoto football
Wyatt hauled in six catches for 178 yards and four TDs in his team's 64-29 win over Northwood-Shreveport. Wyatt is averaging 25.3 yards per catch (34-861) with 15 TDs for the 9-1 Griffins, who landed the top seed in Division II non-select.
Jeff King, Benton football
King did everything well in a 45-21 win over Parkway, rushing for 95 yards, passing for 306 yards with three TDs and tallying 37 receiving yards with a TD. The 24th-seeded Tigers (5-5) have won four of their last five games and will challenge No. 9 Walker in the Division I non-select first round.
Malachi Johnson, C.E. Byrd football
Johnson rushed for 161 yards on 10 carries with two TDs in his team's 42-14 win over Natchitoches Central. The 17th-seeded Yellow Jackets travel to New Orleans for a meeting with No. 16 Jesuit in the Division I select opening round.
Oudrey Gros, Lakeshore football
The Titans finished the regular season strong, winning four straight games to post a 5-4 record and claim a home playoff game in the Division II non-select bracket. Gros rushed for 175 yards on 26 carries in the 31-28 Week 10 win over Franklinton. The Titans host No. 17 DeRidder on Friday.
Mark Collins, Opelousas Catholic football
The senior University of Louisiana baseball commit completed 19-of-27 passes for 304 yards and five TDs and ran for a score in a 56-12 win over St. Edmund. The Vikings went undefeated in District 6-1A and won the league title for the third straight year.
Jacobi Jefferson, Salmen football
Jefferson rushed for 158 yards on 13 carries with four TDs as the Spartans wrapped up a sweep of District 8-4A with a 48-21 win vs. Loranger. Jefferson finished the regular season with 1,903 yards rushing on 192 carries with 22 TDs. The 8-2 Spartans are the No. 11 seed in Division I non-select and will host No. 22 West Ouachita.
Marcus Moses, Christ Episcopal boys cross country
The Wildcats won the team title at the Division V, Region 3 meet in Hammond for the second straight year. Moses placed first with a time of 16:59.83.
Noah Watson, Christ Episcopal girls cross country
The Lady Wildcats also won the Division V, Region 3 team title. Watson, a sophomore, placed with a time of 19:22.87.
Jordan Hayes, Ruston football
Hayes ran for 243 yards with three TDs on 17 carries as the Bearcats completed a perfect regular season with a come-from-behind, 35-28 win over West Monroe. Ruston, which finished as Division I non-select runner-up to Destrehan last year, is the top seed in the bracket.
