State champion sprinter Josh Brown wanted a chance to run track and play football while in college.

His opportunity came this month when he accepted an offer from Alcorn State to do both.

“I’ve been talking to them for a while now for football,” said Brown, an all-district defensive back in the Catholic League for Holy Cross last season, “and then I talked to the track coach a couple weeks ago and they made a move for a full ride for both.”

Already a Class 5A state outdoor track champion in the 100 and 200 meters as a junior, Brown added to his medal count when he won the 60 meters in a personal best 6.79 seconds at the LHSAA state indoor track and field championships Saturday at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse in Baton Rouge.

Other New Orleans area winners in Division I included Destrehan’s Phillip Wright in the 400, Jesuit junior Connor Fanberg in the 1,600, Jesuit junior Brady Monahan in the 3,200 and Slidell senior Gionni Wiltz in the high jump.

Mandeville junior Brayden Berglund earned two first-place medals by moving to the front with one lap remaining to win the 800 and by running on the composite state-meet record-setting 4×800 meter relay.

Girls event winners included Hahnville senior Madison Bailey in the 800 and John Curtis junior Addilyn Dufrene in the high jump. Newman sophomore Jada Recasner won the triple jump in Division II.

Mount Carmel senior Catalina Reichard won the 3,200 in Division I after she missed the entire track and cross-country seasons in 2024 because of a leg injury.

“A long time coming for sure,” said Reichard, the indoor 3,200 and outdoor 1,600 and 3,200 champion as a sophomore and the state cross country champion as a junior. “Even to be here I’m just so grateful. I wasn’t expecting to win, so it was such a gift.”

For Brown, the meet continued his run of high school track success into a second season. He won the 60 ahead of Destrehan’s Wright (6.81) in second place and Rummel junior Micah Green (6.9) in third.

“I knew when I came into this race, I had to come out of the blocks,” Brown said. “That was the main focus. Like, my top speed is no problem for me.”

The short sprint distance meant the 5-foot-8 Brown would have less time to make up for a poor start than he would in the 100 or 200.

“This goal for me this week was to … break my PR like I always do, and I came out here and did it,” Brown said.

Brown, who intercepted four passes and returned one for a touchdown last football season, said he liked both sports equally but gave the edge to whatever sport is in season.

“Track is at the top right now,” he said.

Fanberg got passed by another runner with two laps remaining in the 1,600 but closed the distance of about 10 meters going into the final turn on the 200-meter track and won.

Monahan held off Brother Martin’s Noah Mooney in the 3,200 meters when he veered out toward the middle of the track to keep Mooney from making a move to the outside.

“I knew he was close,” said Monahan, the outdoor runner-up in the 3,200 and at state cross country the past two seasons.

Wright, an LSU signee, led the 400 from the start when he opened to a large lead that he kept to the end. Wright is likely to run against Brown from Holy Cross during the outdoor season.

“We’re cool off the track,” Wright said. “But when we’re on the track, it’s competition. Nobody wants to come in second.”