NEW ORLEANS (December 1, 2023) – Nate Sheppard, a junior running back from Mandeville High School, has been selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for November. Monthly award-winners are selected by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Sheppard is the first Mandeville athlete to earn the honor in over 25 years.
 
Greater New Orleans Amateur Athletes of the Month
 
Sheppard had a marvelous month of November in leading No. 21 seed Mandeville to the state semifinals for the fourth time in school history. The Skippers posted a district win over Covington (11/3) and then upset No. 12 Sam Houston, 50-36, in the bi-districts (11/10); No. 5 St. Amant, 42-21, in the regional (11/17); and No. 4 Airline, 56-50, in the quarterfinals (11/24).
 
Sheppard and the Skippers play at top-seeded Ruston on Friday evening at 7 p.m. in the LHSAA Division I Non-Select Playoffs, as they look for their first-ever trip to the state championship game.
 
In four November games, Sheppard rushed 109 times for 801 yards, averaging 200 yards per game, with 13 touchdowns and he caught six passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns. On defense, he had 18 tackles and also played on special teams. In a thrilling state quarterfinal win over Airline, the 5-9, 175-pounder had 31 carries for 235 yards and four touchdowns while also catching three passes for 33 yards and two more scores. The workhorse had 35 carries for 334 yards and three TDs in the win over Sam Houston and added 106 rushing yards, 75 passing yards, and four total TDs in the St. Amant victory.
 
"He has an intense burning desire to win, on top of being a great teammate and a phenomenal player," Mandeville head coach Craig Jones said. "We're fortunate he's a junior. He makes plays that make you go 'wow.'"
 
The junior star was selected for the honor over a very crowded field of elite local stars:

• Camryn Chatellier led Dominican to its fourth straight LHSAA Division I volleyball state championship and was named the most outstanding player of the championship game on Nov. 11. She recorded 24 kills, including the one from the right side that ended a fourth set that required eight extra points after No. 2 seed Mount Carmel served four times with a chance to push the match to a fifth set. Chatellier also posted 25 kills and 22 digs in a four-set victory semifinal over No. 4 Slidell (Nov. 10) and 20 kills in a quarterfinal sweep of No. 9 Fontainebleau (Nov. 9).
• Makhi Hughes, who was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year on Wednesday, ran for 474 yards and two touchdowns in the month of November to help lead Tulane to a 4-0 record and a berth in the AAC Championship game for the second straight season. The redshirt freshman topped 100 yards rushing in three of the four games including a career-high 166 yards against UTSA to beat the previously unbeaten in the conference Roadrunners. Tulane hosts SMU on Saturday in the AAC Championship game; a victory would likely send the Green Wave to its second straight New Year's Six bowl.
• Kendall Jollands was the Outstanding Swimmer in the LHSAA Division I state championship at SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur after winning a pair of events for Dominican. The freshman won the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.78 seconds, more than four seconds faster than the runner-up, and the 100 backstroke at 57.60. She also keyed Dominican's sweep in the relays as the 200 medley relay won by nearly five seconds with a time of 1:47.75 and the 400 free relay won with a mark of 3:37.05. Despite her efforts, Dominican had to settle for second place by just one point as St. Joseph's Academy took the title, 418-417. "I tried to do my best for my team, and I also think as a team we tried our best," said Jollands. "We did good. The butterfly was a best time for me … something I'm happy with." Jollands also earned Outstanding Swimmer honors at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Metro Swimming Championships (Nov. 4) when she won the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke along with victories in both relays (with record-breaking times).
• Brady Mullen, a junior, led Jesuit to the LHSAA Division boys' cross country championship by earning the individual championship on Nov. 13. He finished the three-mile course in 14:50, the fastest time of anyone in the five state divisions.
• Catalina Reichard, a junior, won the individual championship at the LHSAA Division I girls' cross country championship on Nov. 13. Her victory helped Mount Carmel earn second place in the team competition, their first podium finish since 2007. Reichard's time of 17:38 on the three-mile course was the top girls' time in all five state divisions. Five days after her state championship run, Reichard finished 14th with a time of 17:51 at the Nike Cross Country Regionals at The Woodlands, Texas, featuring competitors from five Southwest states – the best ever in this event for a Louisiana runner. She also posted a November victory in the LHSAA Division I Region 3 Championship as she posted a three-mile time of 17:54.36 on the City Park course to take the title on Nov. 3.
• Junior running back Jaylon Spears enjoyed a banner 2023 season and an extra special November for Nicholls, which won the Southland Championship. The 5-10, 200-pound sophomore out of Brother Martin totaled 439 rushing yards with two touchdowns while adding 119 yards and three more scores as a receiver in four November games. Spears, who was named the Southland's Player of the Year, ran for 160 yards in a 45-32 win over Incarnate Word (11/4) and 177 rushing yards in a 37-24 win over Lamar (11/11). In the traditional River Bell Classic against Southeastern La. (11/16), Spears ran for 86 yards, added 86 more as a receiver and one touchdown in a 21-16 win.

 
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee has been selecting an Amateur Athlete of the Month each month since 1957. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region in order to be eligible.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 national champions, 103 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 89-year history. The 90th Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2024. In addition to football, the Sugar Bowl Committee annually invests over $1 million into the community through the hosting and sponsorship of sporting events, awards, scholarships and clinics. Through these efforts, the organization supports and honors thousands of student-athletes each year, while injecting nearly $2.4 billion into the local economy in the last decade.