NEW ORLEANS (June 26) – Harlem Berry from St. Martin's Episcopal, recognized as one of top high school football players in the country, and Camryn Chatellier from St. Mary's Dominican, the top volleyball player in Louisiana, have been selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Outstanding Amateur Athletes from the New Orleans area for 2023-24. Berry and Chatellier are the first athletes from their respective schools to be selected for the honor.
 
The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has selected annual award winners in a variety of categories since 1958; it also selects Amateur Athletes of the Month and each year's Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame class. Overall, 31 individuals and two teams will be honored for their achievements at the 2023-24 Allstate Sugar Bowl's Awards Banquet on August 3. Honorees are currently being announced, wrapping up with the Corbett Awards for the top male and female amateur athletes in the state on July 8 and 9.
 
Berry ran for 2,080 yards during the 2023 season, averaging 13.2 yards per carry while scoring 37 touchdowns. The Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club 2023 Player of the Year added 20 catches as a receiver for an additional 401 yards and seven more scores. For good measure, he doubled as a defensive back and recorded 36 tackles with three for loss and a sack. Berry returned a fumble 62 yards for another score. During his tenure at St. Martin's, the 5-foot-11, 170-pounder has amassed 7,285 total yards and 114 touchdowns. Widely considered the nation's top running back prospect for the class of 2025, Berry committed to LSU in January.
 
"Harlem is a rare breed," said St. Martin's head coach Kevin Dizer. "He can pretty much do it all on the football field. What is most impressive is who he is off the field. I can't wait for the world to get to see him on the big stage, and for people to get to know who he is off the field."
 
Berry, who was a key part of the St. Martin's basketball team in its run to the LHSAA Division IV Select State Championship game, also starred for the St. Martin's track team. He finished second in the state in the 200-meter dash (21.80) and anchored the Saints third-place effort in the 4x100 relay (43.88) at the LHSAA Class 1A state championships.
 
Chatellier was selected as the Gatorade Louisiana volleyball player of the year for 2023 becoming the second Dominican athlete to earn the award, joining two-time winner Kate Baker after she won in 2020 and 2021. The senior, who has signed to play beach volleyball at LSU, led Dominican to a 44-2 record and its fourth straight LHSAA Division I state championship in 2023. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter amassed 595 kills and 477 digs to go with 58 aces, 32 blocks and 27 assists. Chatellier completed her four-year high school career with 1,497 kills and 1,023 digs.
 
"Camryn is a six-rotation player who is a threat on the court from all positions," St. Joseph's coach Sivi Miller said in a release from Gatorade. "She is an offensive threat at the net and she also helps her team defensively with her block."
 
The senior was named the most outstanding player of the Division I state championship game after recording 24 kills, including 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. She also posted 25 kills and 22 digs in a four-set victory semifinal over No. 4 Slidell and 20 kills in a quarterfinal sweep of No. 9 Fontainebleau.
 
The Sugar Bowl also conducted a fan vote for its annual awards and fans' choice for the Male and Female Athletes of the Year matched the Committee's choices of Berry and Chatellier.
 
Additional finalists for New Orleans' Outstanding Male Amateur Athlete were Dagan Bruno (John Curtis Christian Football, Basketball, Baseball), Allen Graves (Ponchatoula Basketball), and Spencer Lanosga (Jesuit Wrestling). Bruno was the leader of the Curtis football team, a standout player on the basketball team, and a star for the Patriot baseball team that posted a runner-up finish in the state. Graves, the Gatorade Louisiana Basketball Player of the Year, led the Green Wave to a second consecutive state championship as he averaged 20.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.6 blocks, and 1.6 steals per game. Lanosga pinned all five of his state championship opponents in the first two-minute period to win his third consecutive individual state championship and to lead the Blue Jays to a second straight team title.
 
The other finalists for New Orleans' Outstanding Female Amateur Athlete honor were Sophia Bonnaffee (Archbishop Hannan Volleyball), Sandra Cannady (Loyola Women's Basketball), and Ka'Lyn Watson (Southeastern Louisiana Softball). Bonnaffee, a senior outside hitter who has started since her freshman year, posted 24 kills and 10 digs to lead Hannan to its third state championship during her career. Cannady was selected as the Southern States Athletic Conference Player of the Year and an NAIA All-American after leading the Wolf Pack to the conference championship. Watson was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year after leading the Lions to a school-record 47 victories, their first Southland Conference Championship, and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will continue announcing its annual awards tomorrow (Thursday) with the Outstanding Boys' and Girls' Prep Teams from New Orleans.
 
Jimmy Collins Special Awards: Kyle Blankenship, LSU Shreveport Basketball
Outstanding Girls' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Scott O'Brien, Archbishop Chapelle Softball
Outstanding Boys' Prep Coach of the Year, New Orleans: Jonathan Orillion, Jesuit Wrestling
Outstanding Female Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Camryn Chatellier, Dominican Volleyball
Outstanding Male Amateur Athlete, New Orleans: Harlem Berry, St. Martin's Episcopal Football
Outstanding Boys' Prep Team, New Orleans: June 27 (Thursday)
Outstanding Girls' Prep Team, New Orleans: June 27 (Thursday)
Outstanding Collegiate Coach, Louisiana: June 28 (Friday)
Corbett Award – Female: July 8 (Monday)
Corbett Award – Male: July 9 (Tuesday)
 
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024:
Chris Duhon, Basketball, Salmen HS/Duke/NBA, 1997-2013
Jahri Evans, Football, New Orleans Saints, 2006-17
Matt Forté, Football, Slidell HS/Tulane/NFL, 2000-17
Carmen Jones, Basketball, McMain Magnet HS/Tulane, 1982-90
Paul Thompson, Basketball, Tulane/NBA/Europe, 1979-99
 
The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee came together when James Collins spearheaded a group of sports journalists to form a sports awards committee to immortalize local sports history. For 13 years, the Committee honored local athletes each month and a variety of annual award winners. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the Committee, leading to the creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, honoring 10 legends from the Crescent City in its first induction class. While adding the responsibility of selecting Hall of Famers, the Committee has continued to recognize the top amateur athlete in the New Orleans area each month as well as a range of annual awards – the honors enter their 68th year in 2024.
 
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.