Rummel’s Donovan Kaufman earns December Athlete of the Month Honor

NEW ORLEANS – Donovan Kaufman, the football star from Archbishop Rummel High School, has been selected as the Greater New Orleans Amateur Athlete of the Month for December. Monthly award-winners are chosen in voting by the Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

Kaufman had one of the best individual performances in the history of Louisiana state championship games in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA Division I State Championship game as top-seeded Archbishop Rummel downed No. 2 Catholic of Baton Rouge 14-10 in a battle of unbeatens. Kaufman forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, was in on 11 tackles, including one for loss, rushed four times for 20 yards and a touchdown, returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to produce the game-winning score and had the game-clinching interception. Rummel, which finished the year 13-0, ended the season ranked nationally by several entities, including 10th in the country by USA Today. Kaufman was named state defensive MVP.

Kaufman earned the honor over a pair of local products excelling on the collegiate scene. On the hardwood, Jared Butler, a Riverside Academy graduate, led the Baylor men’s basketball team to a perfect 5-0 month of December as the Bears climbed to No. 6 in the country. The 6-3, 190-pound sophomore averaged 15.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game during the five wins.

On the gridiron, Justin Jefferson, a St. Rose product who graduated from Destrehan High, had a pair of huge games for the LSU football team in December. In the SEC Championship victory (12/7) over No. 4 Georgia, the 6-3, 192-pounder led the Tigers with seven catches for 115 yards and an eight-yard touchdown reception as the Tigers rolled to a 37-10 victory. Then in a 63-28 College Football Playoff Semifinal victory over No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, Jefferson had a sensational day with 14 receptions for 227 yards and four touchdowns. His scoring plays went for 19 yards, 30 yards, 35 yards and 32 yards.

The Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee has been selecting an Amateur Athlete of the Month each month 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. The 2019-20 monthly award winners will be honored next summer at the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Allstate Sugar Bowl.