NEW ORLEANS (June 1, 2026) – The Allstate Sugar Bowl's Sports Awards Committee has announced the finalists for the 2025-26
New Orleans Sports Awards. Finalists in six different categories have been selected by the committee, which has been honoring local athletes since 1957. The winners, as selected by the committee, will be announced at the
Allstate Sugar Bowl Sports Awards Banquet presented by LCMC Health on June 24.
In addition, fans now have the opportunity to visit the Allstate Sugar Bowl website to make their own selections for the best of the best in New Orleans amateur athletics. Voting will close on Friday, June 5. The fan choices will be announced at the same time as the official committee selections.
Later this month, the Sugar Bowl will announce the finalists for the
Corbett Awards – the top male and female amateur athletes in the state of Louisiana – as well as the
Outstanding College Coach for Louisiana. Fans will also have the opportunity to make their own selections for those honors.
New Orleans Annual Awards Finalists, 2025-26
Outstanding Girls Prep Team, New Orleans
Finalists:
Archbishop Chapelle Bowling – Top-seeded Chapelle posted a dominant performance in the LHSAA bowling championship. The Chipmunks won the LHSAA state girls bowling championship by defeating St. Amant 23-4 in the state final on April 8 at Premier Lanes in Gonzales. That triumph followed the 19-8 semifinal victory over St. Joseph's Academy earlier in the day. The team's lone senior, Alexandra Young started the final match with three consecutive strikes and rolled nothing but strikes and spares through six frames into the second set, setting the pace for her younger teammates.
Archbishop Hannan Soccer – Hannan capped a historic season by defeating three-time defending state champion Parkview Baptist in the LHSAA Division III state championship match for the program's first state title. The top-seeded Hawks took a 1-0 lead on a goal from junior Maggie Wylie in the 17th minute and after the Eagles tied it up, Hannan junior Farrah Lightell scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute. The Hawks have been on an excellent run of success – reaching at least the state semifinals in each of the last five years, but they hadn't been able to break through until this year. The win also avenged a loss to Parkview Baptist in the 2023 state title match. The Hawks finished the year with a 20-1-1 record. They outscored their opponents 23-1 in five playoff wins and allowed just nine goals in 32 matches all season. The Most Outstanding Player for the championship was senior midfielder Kaitlyn Brady.
Dominican Soccer – Third-seeded Dominican capped an undefeated season (24-0-5) with a penalty kick shootout victory over top seed Mount Carmel to win the LHSAA Division I state championship. Dominican had also topped the Cubs with a shootout victory to earn the district championship on Jan. 31. Dominican took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Theresa Newburger with 20 minutes remaining in regulation, but defending state champ Mount Carmel evened it with just under 10 minutes to play. In the shootout, sophomore goalkeeper Evelyn Aucoin saved one shot and another went off the post as Dominican earned the 4-2 edge. Mount Carmel's goal in the championship match was the only one allowed by Dominican in the postseason as they recorded wins over No. 30 Slidell (8-0), No. 14 Fontainebleau (1-0), No. 11 Barbe (2-0), and No. 2 St. Joseph's Academy (1-0). Dominican had also defeated Mount Carmel in a regular-season shootout, and it also owned a 1-0 win over Division II state champion St. Scholastica.
John Curtis Basketball – The top-seeded Patriots turned in a dominant performance in the LHSAA Division I Select state championship game as they rolled to an 82-38 victory over No. 3 St. Joseph's to register their eighth state championship in the past decade. Curtis was led by several players who played on prior state title-winning teams, including seniors Ke'Sonja Nelson and Bailey Timmons. The pair was among four Curtis players that scored double-digit points in Saturday's state title game win. Curtis applied intense defensive pressure throughout the game with 32 points off turnovers. Curtis lost to Huntington in the state semifinals last year but gained revenge with a hard-fought 44-42 victory in this year's semifinals. The Patriots, who finished the year 25-1, buried No. 17 Hammond, 53-13 in the regional and then stopped No. 8 Captain Shreve, 59-37, in the quarterfinals.
Outstanding Boys Prep Team, New Orleans
Finalists:
Country Day Basketball – Country Day wrapped up its second straight LHSAA Division III Select state championship with a 58-49 victory over top-seeded Calvary Baptist. The team showed off its wide-array of talent throughout the postseason – senior Brennan White capped his career by being named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship game after leading the Cajuns with 16 points. And a host of underclassmen also shined. Junior Kellen Brewer, the team's leading scorer, led it with 19 in a 51-49 semifinal win over No. 2 Dunham as well as with 21 points in a 76-27 blowout of No. 14 St. Thomas Aquinas in the second round. Freshman Rhys Daily scored a team-high 25 in 74-53 quarterfinal win over No. 6 St. Louis Catholic. Curtis McAllister, the MVP of last year's state title game, also had an exceptional season for the Cajuns. Meanwhile, senior Herm Dyson had a triple-double in the St. Louis victory and scored the game-winning basket on a deflection in the thrilling semifinal decision over Dunham. Country Day closed the season on a 15-game winning streak as it won its ninth state title.
Edna Karr Football – Karr, the Crescent City Sports Greater New Orleans Team of the Year, will take a 27-game winning streak into 2026 after a second straight undefeated season and Division I Select state championship. Playing in the highest classification and in one of the state's toughest districts, Brice Brown's team defeated 12 of 14 opponents by double figures to claim the Division I Select state championship, including a 49-14 victory over district rival St. Augustine in the final. The Cougars' average margin of victory was 30.9 points. The team spent much of the year ranked in the top 10 nationally as it won its eighth state title and sixth in 11 years under Brown.
Holy Cross Wrestling – The Tigers claimed the Division I LHSAA wrestling state championship Feb. 7 at Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City. The title is the first for Holy Cross since 2017 and the first for head coach Grant Hughes in his first year serving in that capacity. It is the 29th in the illustrious history of the program started by Brother Melchior Polowy, most in Louisiana prep wrestling history. Holy Cross, which finished third a year ago, unseated 3-time defending Division I state champion and rival Jesuit for the title. Holy Cross was perfect in title matches, winning all four Saturday evening. Capturing individual state titles for Holy Cross were Anthony Oubre (132), Mattthew Krail (144), Robert Morse (150) and Rylee Reeves (175).
Jesuit Soccer – The Blue Jays captured their 14th state championship when they took down rival Brother Martin, 2-1, in the LHSAA Division I title match behind two goals from junior Casey Parker-Karst. Trailing 1-0 at the half, Parker-Karst drilled the game-tying goal early in the second half and less than five minutes later, the striker dribbled right and curved another shot inside the far post, giving his team its first lead. The victory capped an undefeated season for the Blue Jays (21-0-1). They closed the regular season and earned the top seed in the playoffs with a 4-2 win over Brother Martin on Feb. 2. Then they cruised to three shutout victories (6-0 over Sulphur, 6-0 over Dutchtown, 8-0 over East Ascension) to reach the semifinals where Parker-Karst scored two goals and added an assist in a 5-2 win over Baton Rouge to set up the rematch with the Crusaders.
Outstanding Girls Prep Coach, New Orleans
Finalists:
Maureen Homburg (Pope John Paul II Soccer) – Homburg had the definition of a roller coaster season directing the Jaguar soccer program. In December, her father passed away, and on Feb. 12, she gave birth to her son, Wyatt. Meanwhile, she continued coaching. She didn't miss a game, directing PJP II to a 19-2-1 record and the LHSAA Division IV state championship. Homburg was named the St. Tammany Parish Girls Soccer Coach of the Year. The Jaguars rolled to three straight shutout victories (9-0 over No. 29 Rapides, 7-0 over No. 20 McGehee, 2-0 over No. 5 Catholic-New Iberia) to open the state tourney, then took down Calvary Baptist, which had upset the top seed, in a penalty kick shootout to reach the championship match. In the title match, the Jaguars again went to penalty kicks and again they prevailed with goalkeeper Lilly Juneau saving two shots.
Julie Ibieta (Country Day Volleyball) – Top-seeded Country Day won its 10th straight LHSAA Division V state championship, handling No. 3 Central Catholic in straight sets (25-21, 25-10, 25-8) on Saturday at the Cajundome in Lafayette. The victory marks the 16th state title in 17 years for coach Julie Ibieta's amazing program and the 19th overall for Country Day, which won its first state title in 1974. Layla Henderson led the Cajuns (29-11) with 18 kills and three blocks while Jade Washington finished with 15 kills, nine digs and two blocks. Leila Washington had eight kills and served three aces while Lucy Loomis had 38 assists and six digs.
Nathaniel Peters (Archbishop Hannan Soccer) – Peters, in his first year as the head coach of the Hannan soccer team, directed the Hawks to a historic season as they posted a 20-1-1 record and defeated three-time defending state champion Parkview Baptist in the LHSAA Division III state championship match for the program's first state title. The top-seeded Hawks took a 1-0 lead on a goal from junior Maggie Wylie in the 17th minute and after the Eagles tied it up, Hannan junior Farrah Lightell scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute. The Hawks finished the year with a 20-1-1 record. They outscored their opponents 23-1 in five playoff wins and allowed just nine goals in 32 matches all season.
Danny Tullis (Slidell Volleyball) – The Tigers won a second consecutive state championship with Tullis at the helm after the coach previously won five state titles while at Pope John Paul II and one at Fontainebleau. The Tigers were seeded third in the LSHAA Division I state playoffs and defeated No. 10 Chapelle in a semifinal before facing top-seeded Dominican in the state final. The closely contested state final ended with Slidell winning 25-23, 25-23, 27-25 in a sweep. Tullis, who engineered a quick resurgence over three seasons at Slidell, will coach next season at Mandeville with daughter Ansley as an assistant coach at the school.
Outstanding Boys Prep Coach, New Orleans
Finalists:
Pat Adams (Newman Baseball) – Adams directed Newman (30-8) to its first state championship since the Greenies reached the Class 2A title game in 2003. After losing the first game of the state championship series to top-seeded University Lab, 4-2, the Newman bats came to life as it erupted for 28 runs in two games after losing to top-seeded University Lab in the opening game of the Division III select state championship series. The Greenies won 13-6 and 15-12 to wrap up their first LHSAA state title since 2003. The Greenies opened the postseason by topping No. 15 Northlake Christian, 4-3 and 6-1. In the quarterfinals, Newman needed three games to outlast No. 10 Notre Dame (2-3, 3-1, 8-3) and then it swept No. 11 Dunham (4-1, 8-2) to reach the state championship round.
Brice Brown (Edna Karr Football) – Karr, the Crescent City Sports Greater New Orleans Team of the Year, will take a 27-game winning streak into 2026 after a second straight undefeated season and Division I Select state championship. Playing in the highest classification and in one of the state's toughest districts, Brice Brown's team defeated 12 of 14 opponents by double figures to claim the Division I Select state championship, including a 49-14 victory over district rival St. Augustine in the final. The Cougars' average margin of victory was 30.9 points. The team spent much of the year ranked in the top 10 nationally as it won its eighth state title and sixth in 11 years under Brown.
Wayne Stein (St. Charles Catholic Football/Baseball) – Stein led St. Charles Catholic football to its fourth state title overall and its third in his five seasons as head coach. He then followed that up by leading the Comets to the LHSAA Division II select baseball state championship. Selected as the Crescent City Sports Greater New Orleans Coach of the Year in football, SCC defeated an eventual state champion in Dunham, a Texas power in The Legacy School of Sport Science, and state semifinalist Belle Chasse in the regular season. In the playoffs, the Comets defeated Northside, E.D. White and University Lab, the last in overtime, before a dramatic, improbable 23-21 win over reigning state champion Archbishop Shaw for the Division II Select state title. In baseball, the second-seeded Comets (30-9) advanced to the state finals for the sixth time in seven seasons. With the championship series tied up at one game apiece, SCC trailed 3-2 with two outs in the seventh inning of the deciding game. After falling behind 0-2, Gabe Kugler belted a two-run double down the line to put the Comets on top. Ben Bordelon's RBI single and Dax Pregeant's walk with the bases loaded sent home two more runs for a 6-3 advantage. After top-seeded Vandebilt Catholic added two runs in its half of the seventh, Brayden Cortez struck out the final batter to clinch the championship. SCC swept No. 15 Lake Charles College Prep (6-0, 16-1) and No. 7 E.D. White (4-3, 13-8) to reach the semifinals where it took down No. 3 Teurlings Catholic (4-1, 4-1).
Robert Valdez (St. Augustine Football) – Valdez directed the Purple Knights to a state championship appearance for the first time since 1979. He directed the team to a 12-2 overall record – the first loss came to powerhouse Edna Karr in the regular season and the second also came at the hands of Karr in the state title game, but it doesn't change the fact that Valdez brought St. Aug to the Superdome a run at the state championship. Nine of the team's 12 wins were by more than 20 points. Their closest victory came in the state semifinals against traditional powerhouse John Curtis. With 39 seconds left and his team trailing, quarterback Vashaun Coulon marched the third-seeded Purple Knights 70 yards in six plays, hitting junior receiver Derrick Bennett for a 4-yard touchdown as time expired to lift St. Augustine to a dramatic 31–29 victory.
Outstanding Female Athlete, New Orleans
Finalists:
Avery Daigle (Mandeville Swimming) – Daigle had a pair of memorable performances in the pool in November as she was the Most Outstanding Female Swimmer at both the LHSAA Division I state championship meet and at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Metro Championships. The sophomore swimmer set two individual composite state records – both All-America times – while helping the Skippers' 200-yard medley relay set a composite state record at the Division I state meet on Nov. 22. She also won the 100 butterfly (54.02), the 100 backstroke (54.14) and swam on the state champion 200 medley relay, which finished with an All-America consideration time of 1:45.30. At the Sugar Bowl Metro Meet (Nov. 7-8), she repeated as the Outstanding Swimmer as she posted her personal-best times in three events, including posting an All-America qualifying time of 53.72 in the 100-yard butterfly. She also won the 100-backstroke with an All-America consideration time of 55.31, posted a meet record in the 50-freestyle at 23.14, and keyed the winning 200-freestyle relay team (1:39.06).
Grace Keene (Northshore Cross Country/Track) – Keene has established herself as the top distance runner in the state of Louisiana this year. Keene ran three miles in a personal best 17 minutes, 21 seconds and won the LHSAA Division I cross country state championship in November (she was 20.6 seconds ahead of her closest competitor) with a time that ranked third among all classes and divisions in Louisiana state-meet history, making her The Times-Picayune All-Metro cross country girls runner of the year for the second consecutive season. She was also selected as the 2025-26 Gatorade Louisiana Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year. She also had a sensational showing at the LHSAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 20-21 in Baton Rouge. The 5-4 Keene broke the state record in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:54.09 and then followed that with a victory in the 800-meter run (2:19.34). She then made it a three-season trifecta by setting composite state records in both the 800 and the 1,600 at the LHSAA Outdoor Track Championships. She ran the 800 in 2:11.69 and the 1,600 in 4:54.48.
Jade Neves (Sacred Heart Golf) – Neves became a three-time individual state champion with a 2-under 144 at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club, helping Sacred Heart to its second consecutive LHSAA Division II state championship — finishing ahead of runner-up Newman by 37 strokes. The sophomore dominated the event as she finished 18 strokes ahead of her closest competition. She was also the district champion, the metro champion, and the regional champion. Neves has won three state titles in the past four seasons, starting when she was in seventh grade. Last June, Neves also won the Louisiana Women's Amateur Championship; she will look to defend that crown June 18-20 at Beaver Creek Golf Club in Zachary, La.
Leah Varisco (Sacred Heart Cross Country/Track/Basketball/Soccer) – Varisco may have the busiest schedule of anybody in New Orleans – not just high school athletes. The Sacred Heart senior was a cross country and track standout in the fall and spring, and in the winter, she starred for BOTH the basketball and soccer teams. In basketball, she was the team's starting point guard and averaged 13.5 points and six assists per game as she led her team to the No. 3 seed in the Division III playoffs where they reached the state semifinals. A two-time LSWA Class 3A all-state selection, she keyed the first-ever state title for Sacred Heart basketball in 2025 and is the only player in school history to score over 1,000 career points. She also accounted for 45 percent of Sacred Heart soccer's points through goals scored or assists as it reached the Division III semifinals in 2026, and she scored a goal in a 2-1 semifinal loss to Parkview Baptist. In cross country, she finished third at the LHSAA Division II state championship, posting a time of 19:08.9 over the three-mile course to lead Sacred Heart to a second-place team finish. At the Class 3A LHSAA Outdoor Track Championships in May, Varisco earned third-place finishes in both the 1,600-meter run (5:25.63) and the 3,200-meter run (11:52.74) while helping her school collect third place in the 4x800 meter relay.
Edna Karr took the field with seven college-signed players on defense, but none carried a larger impact than defensive tackle Richard Anderson. The LSU signee impacted the game no matter how opposing teams tried the slow the five-star player listed by several recruiting websites as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the country for the 2026 signing class. The Times-Picayune selected the 6-foot-4, 330-pound Anderson as the New Orleans All-Metro large schools defensive player of the year for his efforts during a state championship season that he finished with 53 total tackles, 22 for loss, 10 sacks and one interception return for a touchdown. Anderson played with impressive quickness for a player his size, commonly slashing his way into the backfield to disrupt plays. Opposing teams tried various methods to slow him. Some double- and triple-teamed him. Others, like Evangel Christian in a state quarterfinal, ran plays out of a swinging gate formation the entire first half to spread the defensive playmakers across the width of the field. The Louisiana Sports Writers Association twice selected Anderson to the Class 5A all-state team over the past two seasons, listing him as the 5A outstanding player selection as a senior. He earned the Warrick Dunn Award in February as the top junior or senior football player in Louisiana.
Tyler Milioto (St. Charles Catholic Football/Soccer) – Milioto, who kicked the game-winning 44-yard field goal in the LHSAA Division II football state championship game in December, broke the national high school record for career goals scored. A nine-goal performance in a 9-1 boys prep playoff win over Minden (2/6) lifted him to 218 goals, breaking the record of 216. The senior scored a staggering 74 goals in his final high school season, which raised his five-year varsity total to 222 goals — six ahead of the career goals record listed in the National Federation of High Schools record book.
The soccer season began the morning after Milioto's 44-yard field goal with five seconds left won his team a state championship in December — and he scored all four of his team's goals in that opening win against Belle Chasse.
The scoring pace never slowed. The Comets reached the state quarterfinals with Milioto as the primary goal scorer, making him The Times-Picayune's choice as the small schools' All-Metro player of the year.
Chris Olivier (Lamar Baseball) – Olivier, who prepped at Lakeshore High School and also played at Delgado and UNO before heading to Lamar for the 2025 season, had an exceptional 2026 season in leading the Cardinals to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. The Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year and a College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist, Olivier finished the year with a 7-4 record and a 2.78 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP with 108 strikeouts in 94 innings pitched. One of his best performances came in the Southland Conference Championship game when the 6-1, 150-pounder tossed eight innings of four-hit ball, allowing just one run and striking out eight as the Cardinals edged McNeese State, 2-1, to capture the title (he was selected as the MVP of the tournament). Olivier retired the final 11 batters he faced in the clutch performance. The senior was named Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week four times during the season. He allowed just six hits and no runs over three starts to open the season –throwing 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings, piling up 28 strikeouts in the three appearances. On Feb. 28, the right-hander tossed seven innings of no-hit ball with 11 strikeouts as Lamar held on to defeat UT River Grande Valley, 1-0. He had opened the season with a victory on Feb. 13 by allowing one hit and striking out 14 against Oakland University – that performance earned him Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week and Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week. He closed the season with six strong innings of work against No. 12 Texas A&M in an NCAA Regional; he allowed just four hits and left the game with the lead, but the Aggies battled back to win.
Easton Royal (Brother Martin Football/Track & Field) – Royal, considered the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2027, had a sensational junior season for the Crusader football team. He earned first-team all-state and all-metro honors after recording 59 catches for 1,219 receiving yards to go with 219 rushing yards. His 20 total touchdowns included 15 on receptions, three on rushes, one on a punt return and one on a TD pass on a trick play. He capped off his 2025-26 year by winning the state championship in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.17 seconds to break the composite state record that had stood since 1980. The 5-11, 205-pounder also won the 200-meter dash and anchored the winning 4x100 relay team. Earlier in the month, Royal posted a 10.2 in the 100 meters and helped the Crusaders set a school record at 41.34 seconds in the 4x100 relay. He opened the 2026 season by leading the Crusaders to four straight wins as he was named the Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month for September. His biggest game came on Sept. 12 when he had nine receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-27 win over St. Paul's – his TD catches went for 11 yards, 73 yards, and 81 yards and he also threw for a six-yard touchdown. Brother Martin fell in the second round of the playoffs to close the 2025 season with a 7-5 record.
The 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 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 athlete in the New Orleans area each month as well as a range of annual awards – the honors enter their 70th year in 2026.
The
Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 29 national champions, 114 Hall of Fame players, 55 Hall of Fame coaches and 21 Heisman Trophy winners in its 92-year history. The 93rd Allstate Sugar Bowl Football Classic, which will serve as a College Football Playoff Semifinal, will be played on January 15, 2027. 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 $2.6 billion into the local economy in the last decade.
-www.AllstateSugarBowl.org-
