Who is the most deserving person to be the best Louisiana high school football player of the 2024 season?
Everyone at High School on SI was trying to capture the cream of the crop this fall and here you have the best of the best.
Scroll down for in-depth breakdowns of every postseason state MVP spanning all corners of Louisiana and LHSAA classifications:
CANDIDATES FOR LOUISIANA PLAYERS OF THE YEAR IN 2024
Lastie Dedric, Riverside Academy, Sr.
Measurables: 5-6, 150 | Pos: RB
Lastie had a field day in a 76-37 thrashing of St. Martin’s Episcopal, where he ran for 534 yards and scored 9 touchdowns. He guided Rebels to a second place finish to Southern Lab in 2023 where he rushed for 2,528 yards and 42 touchdowns to go with 9.8 yards per carry. In the final regular season select power ratings, Riverside was No. 5 in Division IV with losses to Vermilion Catholic and class 5A Terrebonne.
Caden DiBetta, Acadiana, sr.
Measurables: 6-1, 205 | Pos: QB
DiBetta has shown over the years that the Wreckin’ Rams’ split-back veer offense is now deadlier than it was before. The senior is shattering school records on his way to passing for 1,071 yards with 15 TDs and only one interception through the first eight games. He has 4.49 in the 40 for option for Acadiana, which hasn’t dropped the Week 2 game to Ruston since defeat.
Ben Taylor, Airline, sr.
Measurables: 6-2, 185 | Pos: QB
Taylor is second in passing with 2,558 yards through seven games and 28 touchdowns with three interceptions through the air for the Vikings who are ranked number three in the most current Division I nonselect power ratings passing, with the Vikings having scored forty-five plus points in every game. Taylor passed for another six touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in a week 8 76-52 victory over Natchitoches-Central.
Peyton Houston from Evangel Christian High School as a sophomore.
Measurables: 6-0, 195 | Pos: QB
The Eagles get killed towards the final moments in their first year back in Class 5A, but they have been a game and fun to watch losing four district games by a combined 19 points before they edged Benton, 20-19.
Nate Sheppard, Mandeville, sr.
Measurables: 5-11, 190 | Pos: RB
Sheppard relied on the Skippers to take over last season to push the UNCA team to a fairy-tale 2023 Division I nonselect semifinals standing the 21 st seed. Mandeville has had no issues of experiencing the presumptive agony of being the docket favorite as Sheppard has taken the team to a recordless season thus far with a well-heeled 1,340 yard rushing campaign on 120 carries with 22 TDs through the first seven contests.
Dillon Compton, Bunkie, sr.
Measurables: 6-0, 192 | Pos: QB
The segment Diamond In the Rough of Gridiron Football earlier this month categorised Compton as ‘as lethal as it gets’. Compton, who was rated one of the most accurate passers in the state, completed 69.9 percent of his passes through Week 7 and had 1,528 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions for the Panthers who remained unbeaten.
Xavier Ford, Leesville, sr.
Measurables: 5-11, 200 | Pos: RB
The durable back was coming off leading the state in rushing through seven games, carrying 190 times for 1,844 yards and 29 TDs for the Wampus Cats who became a select school after last reclassifying period and were ranked No. 7 in the most recent Division II scene according to power ratings. Ford rushed for nearly 5,000 yards as a sophomore and junior, and tallied six touchdowns while also rushing for the 100th time of his career in a week 8 67-16 win over Washington-Marion.
JT Lindsey, Alexandria, sr.
Measurables: 5-11, 185 | Pos: RB
Currently through week seven, the LSU commit was one of the top 10 rushing leaders in the state rushed for 1,169 yards, 144 carries and 16 TDs for an unblemished Trojan football team that is ranked second in the most recent Division select power ratings. Lindsey mobilized his team to another Week 8 victory against Ruston where he later rushed for 32 attempts at 136 yards, 2Tds, notes Bret McCormick of Louisiana vs. All Y’all.
Offensive lineman Chad Elzy from Ascension Catholic senior.
Measurables: 5-9, 195 | Pos: RB
The explosive tailback rushed for 1,009 yards on 100 carries with 19 TDs through the first six games for the Bulldogs, who were No. 3 in the most recent Division IV select power ratings with one loss to undefeated Class 2A Dunham. Elzy, who ran for 2,915 yards and 47 touchdowns as a junior, had three touchdowns in a 56-14 win against North Iberville in Week 8.
Northwest’s Ke’Von Johnson, Jr.
Measurables: 5-9, 160 | Pos: RB
Johnson was second in the Lafayette area in rushing through seven games, 1,225 yards on 117 carries with 13 TDs for a team that made it to the Division II nonselect semifinals in 2023. Johnson who is a junior achieved 2,000 yards rushing the St. Edmund team. He has rushed for 252 yards with 27 carries in week 8 in a 39-6 blowout win over Mamou.
Senior wrestler Luke Landry of Catholic-New Iberia.
Measurables: 6-0, 180 | Pos: QB
The left hander has been fourteen with ball control, throwing 21TDs against one interception while inspiring the team to seven consecutive victories after a nail-biting defeat to the unbeaten Vermilion Catholic. This year’s passer, Landry, who has completed for 1,479 yards, has commendation of efforts to look for other targets to pass to.
Harlem Berry of St. Martin’s Episcopal, senior.
Measurables: 5-11, 185 | Pos: RB
The Saints are in any game with the nation’s No. 1 running back in the fold.. Berry an LSU commitment played for St. Martin, which won six of the eight games with one of the losses to Riverside Academy a possible playoff opponent. Berry carried the ball 16 times for 330 yards and 5 touchdowns against Riverside.
Several boys are today involved: Jasper Parker, Archbishop Shaw and Sr.
Measurables: 6-1, 200 | Pos: RB
The four-star recruit committed to play for Michigan had four touchdowns in victories against Walker and St. James, and rushed for 326 yard, the most by a Jackson player in a single game, at Lafayette Christian. Shaw lost LaFitte, which has won four straight game, was 6-2 and number one in Division II select power rating after defeated Kenner Discovery by 79-0.
Joshua Brantley, Ruston, sr.
Measurables: 6-4, 220 | Pos: QB
The Tulane commit which helped the Bearcats to the Division I select state champions in 2023 and helped Ruston’s start this season with six consecutive victories. A run/pass threat, Brantley scored four touchdowns in Districts 5A clash with Acadiana at week one. ”A lot of people start to also doubt me including the ability to both run and pass the ball so I thought it was about time to actually prove it,” he said Louisiana vs. They do it in a post-game interview in a sitcom called All Y’all.
Trenton Chaney, Lutcher, sr.
Measurables: 5-9, 165 | Pos: RB
The Bulldogs (7-0) were No. 2 in the most recent Division II nonselect power ratings after routing rival E.D. White 44-16 when “The X-Factor”–UL Ragin’ Cajuns commit Chaney–piled up three TDs and WAFB-TV Sportsline Player of the Week honors. With seven games, Chaney emerged the leading Bulldog rusher named and receiver who was getting almost 10 yards per carry.
Dezyrian Ellis of Franklin Parish junior.
Measurables: 6-3, 180 | Pos: QB
With seven of eight victories for the year, the Patriots from Winnsboro secured the No. 4 power rating in Division II nonselect. Ellis, who received his first scholarship offer from Tulane just last month scored a 99-yard TD in a nationally televised victory against Calvary Baptist passed for 1,214 and 20 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games.
Abram Wardell, sr., Calvary Baptist.
Measurables: 6-0, 190 | Pos: QB
The Cavaliers dropped a couple to big school foes but are expected to win the Division III select title again with Wardell connecting on 117 of 160 balls for 2,057 yards, 29 touchdowns and three interceptions in the initial seven games of the season.
Jackson Bradley of Oak Grove, Senior.
Measurables: 6-3, 200 | Pos: QB
The Tigers were 7-1 in their first eight games and ranked No. 3 in the Division III nonselect power ratings, while Bradley, a Louisiana Tech pledge, completed 142 of 227 passes for 1,343 yards and 25 TDs, with six interceptions, and rushed for 151 yards and seven TDs on 21-for-67 for 146 yards. He wants to help Oak Grove to bring the state championship for the third consecutive year.
Owen Trosclair, Covenant Christian, SR.
Measurables: 5-9, 165 | Pos: QB
Trosclair scored a total of three TDs in a 29-12 victory in district against the Gautreaux-Billedeaux tough Jeanerette, which remains undefeated. In seven games, Trosclair was the most accurate passer in the state completing seventy-nine of the ninety-five passes attempted for 1,380 yards and 19 touchdowns and one interception.
D’Shaun Ford, Opelousas, sr.
Measurables: 6-0, 220 | Pos: RB
Ford who had more than 10 ypc and 2,000+ total yards for the 2023 Division II nonselect champions rushed for 210 yards and one touchdown on 24 attempts in a 7-6 victory over Cecilia in a rematch of the previous season’s championship game in Week 8.
TaRon Francis, Edna Karr, sr.
Measurables: 6-2, 200 | Pos: WR
It is not often that one player can change the game when he steps on the field, let alone a freshman, receiver, and an LSU commit no less, who goes by the name of Manchild. Francis caught 7 for 162 yards and 2 TDs by Crescent City Sports Vashon Jones as they crushed long-time nemesis Warren Easton 62-16. Karr is the only select team in Louisiana without a loss and is the No. 1 team in the Division I select power ratings.
Peyton Renfro, Iota, sr.
Measurables: 6-1, 190 | Pos: QB
Renfro threw for 1,063 yards and 17 touchdowns with three interceptions through the first seven games of the season for the Bulldogs, who triumphed in Week Eight to move to 7-1 on the year with the District clash against Northwest on the horizon. Renfo topped 400 total yards and nine TDs as a runner while hurrying 83 passing yards in a Week 8 les mamans ville plate victory. Most recently in Division II nonselect power ratings, Iota was No. 6.
Diesel Solari, Cecilia, sr.
Measurables: 5-8, 175 | Pos: QB
During Solari’s first performance after rehabilitation he threw the ball 13 of 18 for 173 yards and 3 TDs with no interceptions and scored on the ground in a one point defeat to Opelousas. The Bulldogs were runner up to Opelousas in 2023 and nobody should be surprised if the two show up in the Superdome again.
Jonathan Dartez, sr. Vermilion Catholic.
Measurables: 5-9, 170 | Pos: QB
Lafayette metro area’s seven-game leading rusher was the Eagles’ four-year starting signal-caller, and it wasn’t even a fair fight. Dartez ran through opponents for 1,482 yards and 22 touchdowns guiding Vermilion Catholic to a 7-0 start to the season and in Week Eight, rushed for 252 yards and five scores in a win over Opelousas Catholic.The next closest leading rusher in the area was more than 200 yds back and more than 400 yds back of Dartez. He has also passed for 1,063 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions for VC, a team rated No. 1 in the most recent Division IV select power ratings as well as the LSWA Class 1A.
