The New Orleans Saints honored outstanding high school coaches from across the state during the High School Coach of the Year Banquet held at the Faubourg Brewing Company on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. J.T. Gray was on hand to hand out awards to the coaches, including the 2021 Louisiana High School Coach of the Year award which went to Ryan Antoine of Westgate High School who led the Tigers to the District 5-4A state championship last season.

Ryan Antoine, head coach at Westgate High School, was named the New Orleans Saints 2021 High School Coach of the Year.

Saints Safety J.T. Gray spoke to the honorees, congratulating them for the work they put in with their athletes to build them into upstanding men.

“I just want to say congratulations to all you guys,” Gray said. “You’re all great mentors…because we need those people to make this life go around. Y’all are the future, y’all are teaching the kids right now what’s going on.”

Antoine, who led the Tigers to their first state championship in school history, also works closely with his athletes to build them into great citizens as well as great football players. Multiple athletes from the state championship team have already received offers to continue their careers, allowing them to experience a world beyond Louisiana.

Austin Pasco, Youth Football Development Manager for the Saints, said that Antoine was a perfect choice for the award because of his hard work on and off of the football field.

“Coach Ryan Antoine from Westgate High School was a phenomenal choice for Coach of the Year,” he said. “Yes, he succeeded on the field, but the elements too that he spends with each of these kids to help them. He’s a very spiritual man, he invests his time in these players, and that’s why he was our Coach of the Year.”