ST. MARTIN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE LOUISIANA FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (December 6, 2024) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Harlem Berry of St. Martin’s Episcopal School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Louisiana Football Player of the Year. Berry is the first Gatorade Louisiana Football Player of the Year to be chosen from St. Martin’s Episcopal School.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award distinguishes Berry as Louisiana’s best high school football player, and he joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such as Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fl.), Peyton Manning (1993-94, Isidore Newman School, La.) and DJ Lagway (2023-24, Willis High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior running back and free safety rushed for 2,178 yards and 41 touchdowns this past season, leading the Saints (9-3) to the second round of the Division IV Select State Tournament. Berry ran for more than 100 yards in all 12 games and averaged 12.7 yards per carry. Defensively, he recorded 25 tackles, forced three fumbles and blocked a field goal. A three-time First Team All-State selection, he concluded his prep football career with 8,571 rushing yards and 132 touchdowns.
A member of the St. Martin’s Black Student Union, Berry has volunteered locally at Holy Name elementary school and has donated his to multiple community service initiatives through his church. “Harlem has been the best player on that football team since his freshman year,” said Lee Roussel, head coach of Riverside Academy. “His elite speed is what makes him scary with the football. He can impact the game anywhere he lines up.”
Berry has maintained a B average in the classroom. At the time of his selection, he had made a verbal commitment to receive athletic aid to play football at Louisiana State University next fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different high school sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Berry joins recent Gatorade Louisiana Football Players of the Year Ju’Juan Johnson (2023-24, Lafayette Christian Academy), Arch Manning (2022-23, Isidore Newman School), Landry Lyddy (2021-22, Calvary Baptist Academy) and Walker Howard (2020-21, St. Thomas More High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.
