NEW ORLEANS (November 26, 2024) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl has announced this week's Manning Award Futures – four local high school quarterbacks who turned in outstanding performances on the football field this past weekend. The recognition is entitled "Futures" as these high school stars are potential future candidates for the Manning Award, which recognizes the top collegiate quarterback in the nation on an annual basis. It was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.
 
The Sugar Bowl has had the opportunity to recognize 102 quarterbacks from 49 different high schools since the honor's inception in 2020.
 
Manning Award Futures – High School QBs of the Week, 11/26/24:
 
Eli Friend, Isidore Newman (14-of-15, 239 yards, 4 TDs)
Friend, who passed for three scores and ran for another, fired up the offense early for the second-seeded Greenies as they rolled a 21 first quarter points on route to a 49-19 victory over No. 15 D'Arbonne Woods in a Division III select playoff game at Michael Lupin Field on Friday.
 
John Johnson, Edna Karr (353 total yards, 5 TDs)
Johnson, who passed for 324 yards, led the top-seeded Cougars to 42 first-half points as they cruised to a 56-6 win over No. 17 Huntington in a Division I select playoff game on Friday at Morris F.X. Jeff Stadium.
 
Reggie Johnson, John Curtis Christian (2-of-7, 196 total yards, 3 TDs)
Johnson, who rushed for 169 yards including a 67-yard touchdown, connected on just two passes, but the second was a 22-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds remaining to lift the 19th-seeded Patriots to a 28-27 upset of No. 3 Acadiana in a Division I select playoff game on Friday at Bill Dotson Stadium.
 
Breez Wilson, Chalmette (13-of-18, 207 total yards, 3 TDs)
Wilson delivered an eight-yard touchdown pass with 46 seconds left to complete an outstanding fourth quarter that saw the 24th-seeded Owls come from behind for a 35-31 victory over No. 8 Hahnville in a Division I nonselect playoff game.
 
The recognition for Edna Karr's Johnson is his seventh of the year, setting a record for single-season honors in the Manning Futures program. The previous best was also a Karr quarterback – AJ Samuel in 2022. Johnson was also honored four times last season.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 107 Hall of Fame players, 52 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 90-year history. The 91st Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will double as a College Football Playoff Quarterfinal, is scheduled to be played on January 1, 2025. 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 over $2.5 billion into the local economy in the last decade. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.