The following release was derived from Crescent City Sports:

"Brother Martin and Northlake Christian are among the select group of 56 state winners of the 2023-24 National High School Academic Excellence Awards, the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

The awards, presented by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, go to the top academic football teams in each level of play in each state."

"The 56 state winners are finalists for the NFF Hatchell Cup, which will be announced next Tuesday and recognizes the top high school football team in the nation for excellence in the classroom, the field and community. The Hatchell Cup comes with a $10,000 donation to the winning school.

According to the NFF release, eligibility requirements for the awards include: a minimum cumulative team GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; superior academic application and performance; and a successful football season.

The individual state high school coaches associations select their respective state’s winners from a pool of nominees submitted by each school’s head coach, netting a total of 56 state winners from the different divisions of play from the participating states this year.

A selection committee, assembled and led by the NFF, will be responsible for choosing one school as the recipient of the Hatchell Cup as the best team in the nation.

“Academic and athletic success go hand-in-hand,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. “We are proud to recognize these 56 outstanding high school football teams as the top academic performers in their states. These schools, coaches, players and their families should all be incredibly pleased with their accomplishments, and we look forward to announcing the overall winner of the Hatchell Cup on February 6. We hope by inspiring teams to compete in the classroom with the same competitive spirit that it takes to win on the field, we will better prepare high school football players for success later in life.”

The awards were created in 2021 with winners from Nebraska and Texas and expanded to a national footprint in 2022."

State winners for 2023-24:

Louisiana

D1 – New Orleans Brother Martin High School
D2 – Stonewall North Desoto High School
D3 – Covington Northlake Christian School
D4 – Monroe Ouachita Christian School

We would like to congratulate everyone at Brother Martin High School who contributed to the academic and athletic success that led to our reception of this award for the second time in two years. Congratulations, and geaux Saders!