Maureen Homburg, the head coach of the state champion Pope John Paul II soccer team, was selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s
New Orleans Girls Prep Coach of the Year for 2025-26. The New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, selects annual award winners in a variety of categories; it also selects
Sugar Bowl Athletes of the Month and each year’s
Hall of Fame class. The Sports Awards Committee has recognized outstanding high school coaches for the New Orleans area since 1962.
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 also 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.
“I don't have the words right now. I'm still in shock and awe. It's going to take me a few days to process this,” Homburg said after winning the title. “I really don't think people thought this team was going to be a (state title) competitor this season. We were underdogs. All the girls, especially the seniors, had something to prove. They proved it to everybody tonight.”
The Sugar Bowl also conducted a fan vote for its annual awards and the
Girls Prep Coach of the Year winner was
Nathaniel Peters from the Archbishop Hannan Soccer program. 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.
In addition to Homburg and Peters, the finalists for the
Outstanding Girls Prep Coach honor were
Julie Ibieta (Country Day Volleyball) and
Danny Tullis (Slidell Volleyball). Ibieta directed Country Day to its 10th straight LHSAA Division V state championship as well as its 16th state title in 17 years. Tullis, last year’s honoree, guided Slidell to its second straight state championship as the third-seeded Tigers upended top-seeded Dominican in the championship match.
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.
