Vote: Who Should be the Louisiana High School Football Class 1A Player of the Year?

Here are 23 nominations for your voting consideration

Haynesville QB/DB Isaiah Washington / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's time to hand out some hardware for the 2025 prep football season in Louisiana with your votes determining the winners. Read through the nominations and make your pick for High School on SI's top player in Class 1A. Most stats courtesy of Louisiana SportsLine.

Voting concludes on Jan. 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Mason Jordan, QB, Montgomery

Completed 183 of 305 passes for 2,791 yards and 35 touchdowns. The senior threw for over 5,000 yards in his career and scored 40 total TDs as a senior.

Sammy Griffin, OL, Opelousas Catholic

A three-time first team all-district pick, the 6-foot-1, 260-pounder made his quarterback comfortable by not allowing a sack over the past two years. On defense, he collected 62 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

Tyler Simpson, RB, Delta Charter

Only a freshman, Simpson earned District 2-1A Player of the Year honors by rushing for 2,000 yards on 258 carries with 26 touchdowns. In eighth grade, he led the middle school team to an 8-0 record, according to Gridiron Football.

J.P. Guerriero, LB, St. Frederick

Guerriero was a terror on special teams, blocking five punts and registering 82 tackles from his linebacker position with three sacks.

Preston Peebles, TE, Ascension Episcopal

Peebles was a favorite target of QB Branon Mitchell, caught 31 passes for 497 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that reached the Division IV select semifinals. He caught a 44-yard TD pass from Mitchell in a playoff win at undefeated Hamilton Christian.

Jude Morrison, QB, Catholic of Pointe Coupee

The first team all-district quarterback in a loaded league, Morrison passed for 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns and racked up just under 1,000 rushing yards with 23 TDs. He was named District 5-1A Offensive MVP and even caught a touchdown pass.

Conner Payne, OL, Westminster Christian

The Crusaders completed a perfect regular season and reached the Division IV select semifinals as the No. 1 seed behind the blocking of Payne, who paved the way for 2,500 yards rushing with 40 pancakes and no sacks allowed.

Trey Spann, ATH, Lincoln Prep

Caught 29 passes for 657 yards and seven touchdowns and rushed for 242 yards on 21 carries with three scores. Defensively, Spann intercepted four passes with a pick-six, five pass break-ups and 32 tackles.

Jaidon Ward, DB, Jeanerette

Coach C.C. Paul's Tigers made history with a trip to the semifinals. Defense was a calling card for Jeanerette, which got 90 tackles, nine stops for loss, six interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, two forced fumbles a fumble recovery and a sack from Ward.

John Paul Thibodaux, RB, St. Mary's

Rushed for 1,342 yards on 175 attempts with 13 touchdowns. He clinched a road upset of St. John-Plaquemine in the playoffs with a 45-yard touchdown run, according to Jace Lejeune of Gridiron Football.

Tuff Street, ATH, LaSalle Parish

The aptly named defender was responsible for 63 tackles, six interceptions, six pass breaks-ups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a sack. On offense, Street amassed 1,800 yards with 17 touchdowns.

Javon Vital, QB, Hamilton Christian

A junior, Vital led the Warriors to an undefeated regular season with over 2,700 yards of offense and 42 touchdowns. He averaged 11.3 yards per carry with 25 rushing scores and threw for 17 TDs. The four-star recruit totaled over 600 return yards and another six touchdowns.

Nathan Burleigh, RB, St. John-Plaquemine

The workhorse back carried 219 times for 1,174 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he recorded eight two-point conversions. The 6-foot-0, 210-pounder plays baseball for the prestigious Knights Knation program.

Hunter Martin, LB, Logansport

It's difficult to top what Martin accomplished in his career. He was District 1-1A Defensive MVP three straight seasons, completing the 2025 season with 184 tackles, 24 TFL, 14 sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass break-ups and a safety.

Makelin Lemoine, RB, Elton

Lemoine, a junior, is the first Elton player to make LSWA first team all-state. He rushed for 2,643 yards with 42 touchdowns on 204 carries. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder also intercepted three passes.

Isaiah Washington, ATH, Haynesville

The Division IV non-select state champions were paced by LSU signee Washington at quarterback and in the secondary, where he picked off four passes and was in on 47 tackles. Haynesville went undefeated.

Bra'jon Melancon, ATH, North Iberville

Melancon has been a pivotal part of the revamped North Iberville program's quick rise. He caught 40 passes for 775 yards with 17 total touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, he had 60 tackles, 13 TFL, five interceptions, a forced fumble (and a recovery) and he scored a defensive touchdown. If that's not enough, Melancon returned three kicks and a punt to paydirt.

Jayden Obiekwe, RB, Riverside Academy

Led the Rebels to the Division IV select state championship, gaining 1,915 yards on 190 carries with 34 touchdowns. He caught eight passes for 120 yards and two scores and threw a touchdown pass. The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder was named District MVP and was the New Orleans Quarterback Club's Player of the Year.

Wyatt Dubois, ATH, St. Edmund

The two-time District 5-1A Defensive MVP, Dubois had 82.5 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss. He rushed for 587 yards on 75 carries with 28 touchdowns and converted approximately 40 two-point conversions. He ran for 231 yards on 15 carries with five touchdowns in a 44-36 playoff win over Covenant Christian. Coach James Shiver estimated that the Blue Jays were successful on 80% of their two-point tries.

Trevin Simon, RB, Ascension Catholic

Simon kept increasing his incredible pace during a record-breaking campaign, ultimately finishing with 3,994 yards rushing on 330 carries and 58 touchdowns for the Division IV select runner-up Bulldogs.

Peyton Trosclair, LB, Covenant Christian

Trosclair was a menace, accumulating 115 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception and three blocked punts. He is also the catcher for the baseball team that only lost one game.

Blake Robinson, DL, Cedar Creek

Robinson recorded 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Dakota Knox, QB, Jonesboro-Hodge

Knox ran and passed for a combined 1,800 yards with 29 touchdowns and was named District 1-1A Offensive MVP in a district that included state champ Haynesville.

About Our Voting:
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.

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