Aymaud Sykes entered his junior season with high expectations of being a key and consistent playmaker for his Grant High team.
He didn’t realize until he and his teammates were en route to Raising Canes after Friday’s opener the extent to which his big Week 1 performance had not only helped set a tone for his and the Cougars’ season, but run him right into the record books.
“It was coach Jarvous (Felton), he texted me, and then some of my friends texted me,” said Sykes, who finished with 420 yards and 10 touchdowns on 25 carries in the 75-50 defeat of Montgomery. “They looked stuff up and texted me telling me I had a state record and stuff and how many yards I had and how many records I broke, so it was really just a bunch of different people that were coming up to me or texting me and giving me support as I broke records.”
Only four high school players in any state have ever rushed for more than 10 touchdowns in a single game, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) record book, with three of those instances occurring in 1930 or earlier.
And the fanfare that has followed has been fitting, including Louisiana vs. All Y’all’s High School Offensive Player of the Week among a long list of other such recognitions.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete rattled through a long list of other Cougars on both sides of the ball with credit for the overall team performance, including senior offensive linemen Caleb Firment, Dionte Pennington, Madden Blalock and Owen Stokes and senior tight end Jaiden Moore among some of the leaders up front.
For Sykes, the spotlight is meaningful as an opportunity for pride and confidence not just for himself, but for his team and his Dry Prong and Grant Parish community in a rural area of central Louisiana.
“It’s really been good,” he said. “It’s basically showing me how you can come from such a small town, but you can still accomplish big things, and it’ll take you somewhere in life. Even if you don’t come from a big town, you can achieve your goals if you work hard every day and be successful through your journey.”
Grant now refocuses to host Buckeye (1-0) with Sykes emphasizing that the team has bigger goals in mind than just a memorable opener that is now quickly in the rearview like so many defenders were Friday.
“We’ve been practicing very hard,” he said. “We’ve been getting coached very well and staying level-minded and focusing on one week at a time, taking it step by step … This summer we set ourselves to a standard, and it’s commitment, accountability and toughness, so we live by that every day we practice. And at practice we stay focused and stay tuned and do what we’ve gotta do.”
Sykes is confident if the Cougars continue putting in the same high level of work behind the scenes they have thus far, that more exciting Friday nights are head to be unpacked over his weekly Caniac combo.
No ‘slaw, extra fries and extra toast, for fans who want to celebrate like a state record-holder.
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Sykes opened eyes all over the state in Week 1 not just among high school fans, but college coaches, and should be an interesting previously under-the-radar 2027 prospect to watch in Louisiana.
Both his 5-foot-11, 175-pound measurables and his verified speed check boxes as a potential Division-I prospect.
Sykes finished third in the Class 4A 100-meter dash at the 2025 LHSAA Outdoor Track and Field State Championships in May at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium with a 10.59-second time.
Only Brusly running back Patrick Gales, a 2026 Nicholls State commitment, and now-former Vandebilt Catholic star Jaylon Coleman, a 2025 Liberty signee, edged his time by three-hundredths of a second.
And Sykes added 40-yard dash times in the 4.4-second range during his college football camp travels this summer, which included stops at LSU, Alabama, Louisiana (Lafayette), Grambling State and Northwestern State.