Senior All-Purpose Star Led Skippers to Perfect Month
NEW ORLEANS (October 4, 2024) – Nate Sheppard, the all-purpose star for the Mandeville High School football team, has been selected as the Allstate Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month for September. Athletes of the month have been selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee since 1957. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region in order to be eligible. Sheppard also won the honor in November of last year.
In a perfect 4-0 month of September, Sheppard scored in all three phases of the game, recording 24 touchdowns, accounting for 1,098 yards, and breaking up two passes. In the four games, the senior Duke commitment rushed for 560 yards (50 carries, 11.2 ypc) and 17 TDs; he caught six passes for 104 yards and two TDs; he returned five kickoffs for 153 yards and a TD; and he returned eight punts for 261 yards and three TDs. Defensively, Sheppard recorded 17 tackles and had an interception, returning it 20 yards for a touchdown. The Skippers defeated Salmen 42-14, Madison Prep 52-43, Carver 49-0, and Slidell 56-14.
While he was dominant all month, his most impressive outing may have been on Sept. 27 against Slidell. He broke the school record with seven touchdowns in a 56-14 win over Slidell (he had shared the record of six with his older brother Will, now a receiver at Colorado). He opened the game with an 81-yard kickoff return touchdown (on a lateral), then ran for touchdowns on the next three possessions. In the second half, he scored on a 9-yard run then returned a punt 45 yards for his sixth score. He closed his night with a 45-yard TD dash.
Sheppard continued his excellent senior season on Thursday night with another dominant performance in a win over Northshore. He started the night with an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game and finished with 309 rushing yards with four touchdowns, including another 80-yard dash later in the first quarter.
The football star won the monthly honor over two college football quarterbacks, a college volleyball star, a college soccer standout, and two other high school football sensations:
Oby Anadi, a senior for the South Carolina volleyball team and a graduate of Northshore High School, has been a key to South Carolina’s 9-3 start to the 2024 season. The 6-3 middle blocker, who has started every match, leads the team with 179 kills and 39 blocks. Her top performances included a 13-kill effort in a win over Stetson, 11 kills in a win over East Carolina, and 10 kills and five blocks in a victory against FIU. She added a season-best six blocks in the SEC opener against Mississippi State.
Harlem Berry had another dominant month for St. Martin’s Episcopal. The senior running back ran for 637 yards while averaging nearly 13 yards per carry as the Saints posted a perfect 4-0 record with wins over Pearl River (38-34), Westminster Christian (36-17), Patrick Taylor (42-12), and McMain (42-8). His most impressive performance came on Sept. 6 in a tight game against Pearl River as he ran 22 times for 173 yards and two touchdowns, caught three passes for 110 yards and another TD, tallied five tackles, forced two fumbles, and broke up a pass – he was named the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club Player of the Week for that performance.
Vashaun Coulon had an excellent September in leading St. Augustine High School to a 3-1 record. His top game was in a 58-34 victory over Cecilia, last year’s Division II nonselect state runner-up, as he completed 12-of-15 passes and tallied 339 total yards with six touchdowns (4 passing, 2 rushing) in a 58-34 victory. He was named the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club Player of the Week for his performance. He also threw for 226 yards and three TDs in a 49-7 win over McDonogh 35 and 282 yards and four scores in a 42-19 win over Warren Easton. The only loss for the Purple Knights was a 36-20 loss to powerhouse Cardinal Ritter from St. Louis, the No. 1 ranked team in Missouri’s Class 5A. Coulon delivered a pair of long TD passes in that game.
Arch Manning had his first extended action at the collegiate level and was a critical part of Texas’ success in September as it is currently undefeated with the No. 2 ranking in the nation despite the loss of its starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy contender to injury. In three September games, including his first two career starts, Manning completed 50-of-72 (69.4%) of his passes for 806 yards and eight touchdowns while also running for 82 yards and three more scores. In his first extended action, coming off the bench in a win over UTSA, he passed for 223 yards and four touchdowns while adding a 67-yard touchdown run. He also directed the Longhorns to victory over UL Monroe in his first career start, then picked up a victory in his first SEC start against Mississippi State, when he was 26-of-31 for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also running for another score.
Darian Mensah was a bit of a surprise starter at quarterback for Tulane University as the redshirt freshman beat out two other candidates for the job. And he has not disappointed. In four September games, the San Luis Obispo, Calif., product completed 62-of-100 (62%) of his passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns with just two interceptions. While the Green Wave only posted a 2-2 record, two of the losses were to nationally-ranked teams (K-State and Oklahoma) in competitive games. He connected for a career-best 342 yards and a pair of TDs in the loss to K-State. On Sept. 28, Mensah was selected to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll after an outstanding effort in a 45-10 win over South Florida. He completed 18-of-22 passes for 326 yards and a career-best three touchdowns.
Luci Schroeder, a senior midfielder for the Xavier University of Louisiana women’s soccer team, scored five goals to go with six assists in four September victories. Against Paul Quinn, the Samtens, Germany, product tied the school record for goals in a game with three and set a school record for assists in a game with three. Xavier was 4-0 in September and outscored opponents 33-0. Schroeder is a business management major with a Xavier cumulative GPA of 4.0. In 2023, she was third-team NAIA All-America and Louisiana Player of the Year.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl has established itself as one of the premier college football bowl games, having hosted 28 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. For more information, visit www.AllstateSugarBowl.org.
