First annual state-wide Warrick Dunn Award finalists announced

BATON ROUGE, La. – Nine seniors who helped their teams make it to the Superdome for the LHSAA Football Championships in 2023 have been named among ten Finalists for the LHSAA Network’s Warrick Dunn Award, with the winner to be announced on Friday, April 5th. The list includes five who celebrated state championship victories and three seniors who’ve signed with the LSU Tigers.

The award is named after Louisiana great running back Warrick Dunn who won a National Championship at Florida State and was a three-time NFL Pro Bowl selection while playing 12 seasons in the league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Dunn, the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1997, is the one of five Louisiana natives to be named the Walter Payton Man of the Year joining Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Andrew Whitworth and Dak Prescott.

Heading the list are unanimous Class 5A, 4A and 3A All-State quarterbacks Daniel Beale of Catholic High, JuJuan Johnson of Lafayette Christian and St James’ Brayden Williams. Beale led the Bears to a Division I Select state title with a victory over the Acadiana Wrecking Rams and is headed to the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns, while LCA’s Johnson rewrote Louisiana’s record book for career passing yards and touchdowns. Williams was outstanding in a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Union Parish in the Superdome.

LSU signees Trey’Dez Green of Zachary and Gabriel Reliford from Evangel join Division I Non-Select state champion Jadon Mayfield of Ruston, a Louisiana Tech signee, as finalists for the award.

The list of finalists also includes Miami Hurricanes early enrollee Dylan Day who helped Southern Lab claim a state title.

Other defensive standouts to headline the list of finalists include linebackers Kyle Cannon from St Charles Catholic, who’s headed to Hammond to play for Southeastern and Hayden Hernandez who capped a stellar career for St Thomas More with a Division II Select title as the Cougars defeated LCA.

The only running back on the list is Jy’Marion Island from Union Parish, who helped the Farmers claim the Division III Non-select title with a dramatic last-minute win over St James.

The Warrick Dunn Award ceremony will also feature 14 Region MVPs, a list that includes many of the state’s top underclassmen from 2023 with nearly half of the group making appearances in the state championships.

The LHSAA Network will televise the Warrick Dunn Award ceremony live on April 5th on the LHSAA Network TV app. The app is available for download on smart TV devices including Roku, Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV. Make sure to search for LHSAA Network in the app listing to download the app.

2023 WARRICK DUNN AWARD FINALISTS:

QB Daniel Beale, Catholic
LB Kyle Cannon, St. Charles Catholic
DB Dylan Day, Southern Lab
WR Trey’Dez Green, Zachary
LB Hayden Hernandez, St. Thomas More
RB Jy’Marion Island, Union Parish
QB JuJuan Johnson, Lafayette Christian
LB Jadon Mayfield, Ruston
DL Gabriel Reliford, Evangel Christian
QB Brayden Williams, St. James

2023 LHSAA NETWORK REGION MVP AWARD WINNERS:

Acadiana – D’Shaun Ford, RB Opelousas
Acadiana – Melvin Hills III, DL Lafayette Christian
Capitol – Chad Elzy Jr, RB Ascension Catholic
Capitol – Carter Hanberry, DB/RB Dutchtown
CenLa – Zerrick Jones, RB Jena
CenLa – Ja’Corian Norris, DB Tioga
Northeast – Jackson Bradley, QB Oak Grove
Northeast – Noah Lovelady, LB Ouachita Christian
Northwest – James Simon, RB Calvary Baptist
Northwest – Abram Wardell, QB Calvary Baptist
Southeast – Harlem Berry, RB St. Martin’s Episcopal
Southeast – Dedric Lastie, RB Riverside Academy
Southwest – Xavier Ford, RB Leesville
Southwest – Graham Montet, LB St. Louis Catholic

For more on the Warrick Dunn Award fans can watch the weekly High School Spotlight show that airs on the LHSAA Network on Wednesdays at 7:00pm or visit www.lhsaanetwork.com.

The LHSAA Network’s mission is to provide greater exposure to the hundreds of coaches and thousands of athletes who excel in a single sport, or multiple sports while teaching and learning so many valuable life lessons that can come from competition. From work ethic, to teamwork, to innovation and excellence, the LHSAA Network is committed to telling their stories.

For the latest updates on the Warrick Dunn Award and the LHSAA Network, make sure to follow us on Instagram, X and Facebook @LHSAANetworkTV.