NEW ORLEANS (June 27) – The Warren Easton High School girls' track & field team, which won the Class 4A outdoor state championship, and the Willow School boys' soccer team, which won its second straight state title, have been selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl's Outstanding Prep Teams from the Greater New Orleans area for 2023-24.

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.
 
Warren Easton became the first New Orleans public school in 25 years to win a Louisiana state track and field championship when they captured the Class 4A championship in early May. The Eagles, who competed with just eight qualifiers at the state meet, finished with 72 points, ahead of second place Teurlings Catholic's 56 points. Freshman Khai Brown was runner-up in the two hurdle events and senior Takeila Williams placed third in the 100 and 200. Two more freshmen, Dai'Jah Robertson and Rylie Lawrence were strong as well, giving Warren Easton a very bright future on the track.
 
"I knew we had a talented group of athletes that was also very hard working and had strong dedication to track and field," said Eric Smith, the Warren Easton head coach. "So we knew we had a shot [at winning the state championship]. I was very impressed with the seniors and how much work they put in to learn the sport and to improve."
 
Williams also anchored Warren Easton's win in the 4x100 relay while both Brown and Williams were part of the winning 4x200 relay team. Brown led off the 4x400 relay team which notched a runner-up finish.  
 
"We picked up some key people for next year," Smith added. "We're moving up to 5A, but I think we should make a great push. I think we're well-prepared and I hope we can make a run at the 5A championship."
 
The Willow School soccer team capped an undefeated season (23-0-4) by successfully defending its LHSAA Division III soccer state title with a 2-0 win over No. 3 University High. The Lions, who returned 10 starters from last year's championship team, outscored their five postseason opponents by the margin of 21-1. During the season, Willow picked up its first-ever win over Division I power Jesuit (the eventual D1 state champ) and a victory over eventual Division IV champion Episcopal as well as draws with Division II champ Holy Cross and Division I semifinalists St. Paul's and Dutchtown. The Lions swept their six district matches by a combined 39-1 score and registered shutouts in 15 of their final 19 matches.
 
"We had a lot of seniors this season and that's a big part of our success," said Willow head coach Ben Barcelona. "They've been part of the team since they were freshmen and being a k-through-12 school, they've played together at school and on the club level for a long time. Plus, the team worked very hard during the off-season and in season."
 
In the state championship match against U-High, the Lions battled to a 0-0 stalemate through 70 minutes until Amos Liles found teammate Ellett Clum-Stockton in the box for the first score. They would add goals from Clum-Stockton and Gabe Pizzolatto to wrap up the title. Senior midfielder Sebastian Salm was not only named the championship game's Most Outstanding Player, but he was named the Gatorade Louisiana Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
 
"Winning two in a row is very difficult," Barcelona said. "Our last loss was Jan. 26 of 2023 and every game brings a lot more build-up and pressure. But we stayed focused as a team, and took it one game at a time, and luckily it worked out for us."
 
The Sugar Bowl also conducted a fan vote for its annual awards and the Girls' Prep Team of the Year was Dominican Volleyball while the fan vote winner for the Boys' Prep Team of the Year was Archbishop Shaw Bowling. Top-seeded Dominican, which finished the year with a 43-2 record, posted its fourth consecutive Division I state volleyball championship by defeating No. 2 Mount Carmel in four sets. Archbishop Shaw was dominant throughout the high school bowling season, sweeping 12 regular season matches to claim the No. 1 seed in the Division II boys/co-ed bracket before cruising to its first state title in 15 years.
 
Joining Warren Easton and Dominican as finalists for the New Orleans' Girls' Prep Team of the Year were Archbishop Chapelle Softball and St. Scholastica Soccer. Fifth-seeded Chapelle won its first softball state championship with an impressive run through the LHSAA Division I Select state tournament bracket, including wins over No. 12 Woodlawn, No. 4 Mt. Carmel, No. 1 St. Thomas More, and No. 2 John Curtis. St. Scholastica scored two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half, giving the fourth-seeded Doves enough to defeat No. 11 C.E. Byrd, 2-1, to collect their eighth soccer state championship and their first since winning back-to-back crowns in 2018-19.
 
The other finalists for the New Orleans' Boys' Prep Team of the Year honor were Crescent City Basketball and Ponchatoula Basketball. Crescent City earned the top seed in the LHSAA Division IV Select state tournament and rolled to four straight victories to earn its fourth state title. Ponchatoula captured its second straight state title as it posted a 30-4 overall record behind 6-10 Allen Graves, the top basketball player in the state.
 
The Allstate Sugar Bowl will continue announcing its annual awards tomorrow (Friday) with the Outstanding Collegiate Coach for Louisiana.
 
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: Willow School Soccer
Outstanding Girls' Prep Team, New Orleans: Warren Easton Track & Field
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.