Student-Athlete of the Year

North Oaks Sports Medicine is proud to partner with high schools in Tangipahoa and Livingston Parishes to honor student-athletes who go above and beyond on and off the field. We offer the Student-Athlete of the Season program to encourage students to excel in athletics and academics.

To qualify, student-athletes must:

• excel in athletic competition during the past season
• have a 3.0 GPA or higher
• be active in school/community organizations
• show respect for coaches, teammates, officials, teachers and other students

Below are all the 2023–2024 Student-Athletes of the Season winners. Your help is needed to select the Student-Athletes of the Year! Cast your ballot below.

Male Nominees

Levi Carson

Levi graduated from Hammond High Magnet School with a 3.43 GPA and plans to study business in college.

A multi-sport athlete, Carson is captain of the Tors’ cross-country and boys’ basketball teams. He also is a member of the track and field team and belongs to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Ranked among Louisiana's top 100 cross-country runners, Carson holds a personal record for 3 miles in 16:47. As a three-time Tangipahoa Parish track champion in the 1-mile, he currently holds four Hammond High Magnet School records in cross-country and track and field.

Jeremiah Lewis

Jeremiah graduated from Ponchatoula High School in May with a 3.35 GPA who played basketball for the Green Wave for four years.

As a shooting guard averaging 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game, Jeremiah helped lead the Green Wave to consecutive state championships in his junior and senior years. This season, he was recognized as the “Ponchatoula Shootout Player of the Game” and named to the Tangipahoa Parish all-tournament team in addition to the all-district 6-5A first team. Jeremiah shares his love of basketball with others by serving as lead counselor of Ponchatoula High’s youth basketball camps and volunteering through school with Special Olympics Louisiana.

Gary Zanders

Gary Zanders graduated with a 3.0 GPA. An avid angler, Zanders played football and baseball for the Tigers all four years of high school. He will continue his football career on scholarship at Virginia University of Lynchburg, where he plans to major in engineering.

Zanders distinguished himself not only on the football field but in baseball as a centerfielder. In his senior baseball season, he posted .408 batting average and on-base percentage of .548, hitting three triples and one home run with 24 stolen bases.

Female Nominees

Emma Day

Emma will be a senior this fall at Oak Forest Academy in Amite, where she currently has a 3.9 GPA and plays third base and short stop for the Lady Jackets varsity softball team.

This season, she boasted an impressive .522 batting average, smashed 10 home runs, drove in 49 RBIs and didn't miss a beat with a perfect 17/17 in stolen bases.
The two-time Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 5A All-State selection and Futures Game participant is currently committed to play softball for the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg after high school.

Cayden Boudreaux

Cayden graduated from Albany High School in May with a 3.74 GPA. As a guard on the basketball team, Cayden has earned recognition as the Livingston Parish defensive MVP with two all-district and three district defensive MVP accolades to her name.

Further enhancing her athletic profile, she is a four-time cross country champion at the parish level, claiming the top spot in her senior season at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) Division 2 state 3-mile championships with a time of 20:03.4. During the LHSAA Division 2 state indoor track championships, she displayed her versatility by achieving a runner-up finish in the 800m with a time of 2:24.60. She plans to attend Southeastern Louisiana University in the fall.

Blayre Wheat

Aspiring future nurse Blayre Wheat graduated from Springfield High School with a 4.0 GPA and will attend Southeastern Louisiana University in the fall. She is the daughter of Keri Wheat. Throughout all four years of high school, Wheat displayed her versatility as a basketball guard and softball outfielder for the Lady Bulldogs. In Wheat’s senior softball season, she stole 16 bases and posted a .200 batting average with a .564 OPS.

Voting has ended.