Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month

The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee began in 1957 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. In 1970, the Sugar Bowl stepped in to sponsor and revitalize the committee, leading to the 1971 creation of the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, 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 Greater New Orleans area each month – the honors enter their 61st year in 2017. To be eligible, an athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region. Each of the monthly award winners are honored in the summer at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Photo by Stephen Lew for CrescentCitySports.com

Julien Gums, a senior quarterback for the undefeated De La Salle High School football program, was selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for September. Gums led De la Salle to a pair of signature wins over two reigning state champions during the month. In a 28-26 win over Class 4A champion Karr, Gums rushed 26 times for 173 yards while also tossing a five-yard touchdown pass despite battling back spasms through the second half. In a 42-21 win over Division III champion Riverside, the 5-10, 225-pounder rushed 17 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed a 38-yard touchdown pass. The Cavaliers also defeated South Lafourche (39-7) and St. Augustine (38-12). For the month, Gums tallied 12 touchdowns.

Gums was selected over a crowded field of nominees, including three other high school football stars, two college football standouts, a baseball gold medalist and an exceptional college volleyball player.

Also nominated from the prep ranks were Archbishop Rummel’s Chandler Fields, Riverside’s Jordan Loving and Hahnville’s Anthony “Pooka” Williams. Fields passed for 943 yards and 15 touchdowns with no interceptions as he led the Raiders to a perfect 4-0 September; Loving became Riverside’s all-time passing yardage leader with 4,923 yards, including a 557-yard performance against Rummel; and Williams rushed for 919 yards (an average of 9.57 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns for Hahnville.

The college standouts are both wide receivers. Oklahoma State’s Jalen McCleskey, a graduate of St. Paul’s School, tallied 20 receptions for 308 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys went 3-1. Meanwhile, Stanley Morgan, a graduate of St. Augustine High School, recorded 26 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The other nominees were Landon Marceaux, who held Team USA’s 18-under team to the world championship, pitching seven innings and giving up just four hits with 11 strikeouts; and Xavier University of Louisiana women’s volleyball star Kayla Black, who registered 107 kills and 66 digs as she led the Gold Nuggets to an 8-1 record in September, one of the program’s best months ever.